Logos are a critical design component for a crypto startup's visual identity system.
Because your logo and your token (if your project has one), will be synonymous with your brand, it's critical that you get the logo design, color, and balance right.
Whether you're refreshing your brand or launching a new protocol, we’ve compiled a list of crypto logo designs that we think do a fantastic job communicating their brand values and distinguishing themselves from their competition.
Here are the logos we will explore:
Bitcoin
Gnosis
Curve Finance
MetaMask
Grayscale
Uniswap
Chainlink
0x
Decentraland
Aaave
Read on to see why we selected these top 10 blockchain logos, and send us a DM if you think another logo deserves to make it in our follow-up part 2 article.
Here's why Bitcoin's logo made the list:
💰 It's as symbolic as the dollar sign $
🙃 It's simplicity is subversive
👀 It's so recognizable it has become the icon of a global movement
The crypto industry would not exist without Bitcoin.
Full stop.
No ifs, ands, or buts.
At first glance, Bitcoin’s logo doesn't look too impressive, but it's in the simplicity that the logo's subversive brilliance shines.
The original cypherpunks of the 2000s had a vision for the future that didn't require middlemen like banks to send money in a trustful manner. While their vision in those days might not have been to subvert the entire financial system, they saw the potential.
Regardless of where you fall on the digital currency spectrum, we all have to admit that with crypto being a $2 Trillion dollar industry, we must accept crypto as an asset class.
Simply by replacing the "S" in the U.S. dollar sign ($), Bitcoin powerfully announces its rightful place in the conversation next to fiat currency and precious metals.
Today, Bitcoin's bright orange symbol is a universally recognizable cryptocurrency logo that millions of disenfranchised developers, investors, artists, and everyday people can rally behind.
Why we think Gnosis has one of the best blockchain logos:
🦉 The use of the owl is perfect for Gnosis
🖌 Sharp details in the owl give off a fierce, unstoppable notion
⚫️ The owl was created from a circle
Next, we have Gnosis - a secure open source platform for prediction markets and decentralized exchanges like CowSwap that is built on Ethereum.
Prediction markets let speculators trade the outcome of events, such as the 2020 Presidential Election, Super Bowl LV, or winners of the Tokyo Olympics. Prediction markets can also be a reliable forecasting tool for government and finance companies.
Gnosis is a Greek word that means knowledge, and for a decentralized prediction market, it's the perfect name. For Gnosis' logo, they chose an animal that symbolizes knowledge, wisdom, intuition, and independent thinking: the owl.
With just a few lines and shapes, the owl emerges with a fierce and heroic look whose razor-sharp eyebrows and powerful gaze feels like it can see into the future.
CowSwap is a decentralized exchange built on Gnosis that reduces miner extractable value (MEV) by batching trades using a Coincidence-of-Wants (CoW) model.
CowSwap feels like a natural extension of Gnosis' brand because it relies on knowing what buyers and sellers are looking for and pairing them together to make the most cost-effective trade.
Of all the different types of logos, from abstract to simple word marks, character-driven logos feel the most relatable, memorable, and are able to communicate the brand's value proposition the best.
Here are the design elements that landed Curve on our list :
🔮 A complex logo with a mystery
📊 Gets you thinking about algorithms and math symbols
🌈 Communicates its true identity
If you didn't get enough of Curve Finance as an honorary mention on our top web 3.0 website designs, they also made our cryptocurrency logo top ten!
We don't get a lot of rain in San Diego, but we love post-storm rainbows. Maybe that’s where Curve got their inspiration for their ridiculously bright, fluorescent logo design?
Curve is one of a few Automated Market Maker (AMM) style stable digital asset exchanges that lets users and decentralized protocols exchange pairs of assets that are closely related in price (e.g. USDC/USDT/DAI) with low fees and slippage.
Stare at Curve's logo long enough and you might see colors for the next minute or two.
All colors of the rainbow are featured in the logo, which is also a representation of unity, blending, and diversity. However, the colors look more like a heatmap and if you noticed, there is a grid-like pattern that runs through the entire logo similar to how wormholes are traditionally depicted when they bend the fabric of space and time.
Curve, on a technical level, is a work of mathematical art that deserves applause, and when you factor in how important low-slippage stablecoin AMMs like Curve are to the broader DeFi ecosystem, the use of a Klein bottle's infinity knot and the mathematical design feels natural.
DeFi protocols like Curve are sometimes referred to as "money legos" because different open-source smart contract protocols can be integrated in a number of ways to create novel financial products. The infinity knot, in some ways, expresses the limitless possibilities of Curve and decentralized finance in general.
Here's why MetaMask's logo made our top 10 list:
🦊 The logo is a friendly, personable, 3D geometric shape
🎮 Reminds us of a nostalgic video game character (Crash Bandicoot)
Metamask is a crypto wallet that allows users to interact with the Ethereum blockchain from their browser. Users can access their Ethereum wallet on the browser extension or mobile app, giving them access to decentralized applications.
What really stands out is their logo - a 3D animated orange fox that looks like they can be the main character of a popular video game a decade ago. The logo is awesome!
You almost want to give the logo a name like foxy or a human name like Toby. That’s how personal and memorable the logo design feels and looks.
The team at MetaMask knew from the start that they wanted a logo that was fun, creative, and geometric. That’s how the 3D fox was brought to life.
First, the logo was asymmetrical to make it look more interesting and interactive. But after a couple of rounds of revisions, the team settled on a symmetrical logo with stylized details on the Fox's mask (yes, the fox actually has a mask). The mask is the darker shades of orange that run from the chin to the inside of the fox’s ears.
While 3D or geometric logos aren't uncommon in the cryptocurrency world, the combination of styles with a friendly animal lends itself to be trustworthy, approachable, and memorable for users looking to interact with Ethereum dApps.
Here's why we included Grayscale on our list:
💎 Design is very, very targeted
✨ The elegance alone can hold it down
🌚 Who needs color when you’re the best of the best
Grayscale is the world’s biggest digital asset management firm. Because only accredited investors that can afford a minimum buy-in of $50,000 can get exposure to crypto through Grayscale's BTC shares, Grayscale needed a logo that appealed to high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs).
Grayscale’s logo is minimal, sleek, and feels high-class. The abstract G-shaped block looks like a modern piece of art that one might find in the Louvre (a similarly geometric, glass-like shape).
When you're trying to attract managers of private funds and family offices, you want to give off the impression that your brand will stand the test of time, just like your customer's family's wealth. The Grayscale logo gives off that classic, elegant feeling.
In addition to the simplicity of the logo, Grayscale’s logo uses a design rule known as the collection of monochrome (gray) shades ranging from pure white to pure black known as grayscale. Who would have thought, right?
Grayscale keeps it simple and classy with its geometric, high-class logo, wordmark, horizontal lockup, and namesake color scheme. This is a perfect balance for a company that aims to be the go-to digital asset manager of HNWIs for decades.
Here's why we think Uniswap has one of the best cryptocurrency logos
🦄 It is distinguishable from other De-Fi platforms
🎮 Makes something complex feel approachable
💓 We love DeFi unicorns (1inch and Uniswap to be exact)
Ok, so maybe we are a bit obsessed with unicorns (not just working with $1B startups).
Besides their impressive marketing stunts (we're looking at you UNISOCKS) landed them on our crypto marketing strategies article, Uniswap's logo is a perfect marriage of fun, memorability, and professional branding.
Uniswap is a decentralized exchange (DEX) that runs on the Ethereum network and is the fourth-largest DEX, with over $3 billion in crypto assets stored and secured.
But before investing assets and trust into another DeFi platform, users first need some convincing from a friendly, colorful logo: a pink unicorn.
In the world of fantasy, unicorns embody purity and innocence, and they are the only reason why Voldemort can continue harassing Harry Potter.
As one of the first DEXs on Ethereum, Uniswap is every bit mythical and rare. Uniswap's goal was to make an easy-to-use decentralized exchange that would allow any trader or yield farmer to participate in open crypto markets.
To assuage fears and lessen complexity, Uniswap's approachable, non-threatening logo design, color choices, and user interface design have made it one of the most popular destinations in DeFi to swap between any two ERC20 tokens on Ethereum.
Here's why we like Chainlink's logo design:
⛓ Simplicity is great when the meaning is evident
🔍 Another easily recognizable logo
🔗 The color choice and size are spot on
Even if you're a die-hard fan of Solana and the high fidelity price feeds of the Pyth Network, you'll find it difficult to argue the masterful design of Chainlink's logo.
Chainlink is exactly what its name suggests: a decentralized blockchain oracle network built on Ethereum that provides a link between real-world data and smart contracts.
Put simply, Chainlink publishes external sources of data onto blockchains so smart contracts like prediction markets or decentralized exchanges can use that data to update price feeds, or execute trades based on trusted 3rd-party data.
Chainlink's logo is literally a link in a chain... the same you'd find on your elementary school playground. It’s simple, accurate, and impossible not to recognize.
One design trap in logo design is overcomplicating the logo. For Chainlink, they did just about the bare minimum effort, and yet that design decision was perfect.
The hexagon shape is exactly what a chain link looks like, it looks like a closed loop, which for data and oracles is an important mental association, and the boldness of the link instills trust, security, and reliability for which Chainlink aspires to be known
Why we like 0x's logo:
🗣 The logo appeals to their target audience: developers
☸️ The many interpretations of 0x's gear-like icon
0️⃣ The simplicity of the slashed zero
0x is a decentralized exchange for Ethereum-based tokens and has its own ERC20 token ZRX. Guessing that the 0x logo represents their ZRX token is not far-fetched. With the help of the 0x team, we’ve discovered the true meaning of the token-like logo.
“We see 0x as a critical layer that will power exchanges everywhere behind the scenes.” This sentiment reflects what we see in the logo: a gear-like icon that signals the turning of the machinery behind exchanges and the rotation of tokens between traders.
After the rebrand, the core contributors said, “We decided to keep the 0x logo mark as is because it’s become a recognizable part of our brand…”
What was once called 0x Protocol is now everything but the word, "protocol," because “it’s cleaner.” Instantly, you’ll notice that the ‘0x’ in the new logo is larger in font-weight and the token-like emblem also increased in size.
What once looked like the beginning of a subdomain is now a clean-cut, meaningful logo that embraces a dark scheme to keep developers (their target audience) at the center of their operation. That is also why they kept the slashed zero, giving the crypto logo design a technical feel that developers find appealing.
Here's why we included Decentraland's blockchain logo design on our top 10 list:
🌀 Brings a nostalgic feeling…the good kind
🛠 Logo tells users that anything is possible in the metaverse
🎨 Color choice gives off the impression that of a promised land
Decentraland is a 3D, virtual reality platform powered by Ethereum. To avoid getting into the weeds (because there’s a lot to unravel), think of Decentreland as the Minecraft of blockchain but with virtual economies that allow players to earn real money.
Users can explore digital real estate, create anything they can dream up (e.g. if you haven't looked at Philip Colbert's Lobster Land, you must), and make money trading using Decentraland's two tokens: LAND and MANA.
Decentraland's logo design instantly brings to mind three encapsulating words: Abstract, artistic, and creative.
Because the metaverse is an open-world where anything can happen, Decentraland's use of futuristic imagery lends itself to the utopian promises of the metaverse.
The pyramids in the logo also drive home the feeling of, "anything is possible in the new frontier." The pyramids look like they're floating, and the sun-like circles give off feelings of exploring a brand new planet where you should expect the unexpected.
The Bladerunner 2049-style reds, oranges, yellows, whites, and drops of purple not only give Decentaland a futuristic vibe but submerges players in a video game.
Decentraland’s logo design is perfect for the metaverse: the logo’s abstract design, the world’s immersive color scheme, and nostalgic name attract us like a moth to a flame.
Why Aave's logo made our list:
🎙The brand communicates accessibility and trust
👻 Aave means ghost and is connected to the founder's roots
🔪 Sharp, clean use of typography
To conclude this list of top blockchain logo designs, we have Aave - a blue-chip DeFi cryptocurrency and decentralized borrow/lending marketplace that allows any person to lend, borrow, and earn interest on their digital assets.
To participate in decentralized finance you need to be able to stomach some risk. For startups like Aave who depend on trusting liquidity providers to support their open lending markets, they need to instill trust with their users.
Aave understood the uphill challenge and designed a friendly logo that stands for transparency: a smiling ghost.
While the ghost is nameless as far as we can tell, we do know that 'Aave' is a Finnish word that translates to 'ghost' in English. According to Aave's website, "the ghost represents Aave's mission to create a transparent and open infrastructure for decentralized finance," shared the Aave team.
Besides the connection between Aave founder, Stani Kulechov's Finnish heritage and the transparency of ghosts, we also chose Aave because of the brand personality of the ghost.
While ghosts typically have gloomy or scary designs, the Aave team added small details to make the ghost appear sociable and warm to users. The ghost reflects Aave's five pillars of DeFi branding: friendly, genuine, incentive, refreshing, and community.
Want more of this friendly, DeFi ghost? Check out Aave's NFT and "DeFi-enabled crypto-collectibles game," Aavegotchi.
Lastly, like many DeFi startups, the use of Web 3.0 gradients and futuristic color palettes signal to users that Aave is current and on the bleeding edge of DeFi.
That's a wrap! These are the 10 crypto logo designs that we think best communicate what they stand for using simple, innovative, and risky design choices.
All ten crypto logos either help potential builders, developers, and traders decide if the platform is right for them or convince them to conduct more research on the product.
If you're looking for more blockchain content, check out our 13 Best Web 3.0 Design Examples!