æternity (AE) is a blockchain platform founded in 2016 by Yanislav Malahov, with its public mainnet launching in 2018 [1]. The project’s visual identity centers on a distinctive brandmark built from the “æ” ligature, which doubles as an infinity symbol, a concept that directly ties the mark to the name’s meaning of eternity [2].
Design and History
In March 2022, æternity announced a comprehensive brand and website redesign. According to the official announcement, the project “updated the colors, logo, and fonts” as part of a move toward a more cohesive and accessible ecosystem. The redesign was intended to reflect the growth of the community and bring æternity “more into its own personality.” The design resources were made publicly available on Figma in the spirit of open source [3].
The branding work was carried out by Finwerk, a design agency that created a new set of branding guidelines and corporate identity for æternity, including a refreshed color scheme and a completely new website [4]. Earlier design work on the æternity ecosystem, documented in the project’s GitHub repository from 2017, referenced building æpp icons on “the same concept of the logo,” using “only circular shapes and lines, as per in the æternity logo” [5].
Meaning and Symbolism
The æternity brandmark uses the “æ” ligature to form an infinity symbol. The mirror symmetry of the mark evokes two equal and opposite forces uniting at a common intersection, and the ability to trace the icon endlessly communicates the idea of “forever.” The infinity concept is a recurring theme in the blockchain industry, and the æternity mark’s use of the ligature to form the loop is a direct visual connection to the brand name [2].
The brand’s two primary colors are rose pink and dark purple. The official brand guide assigns a single adjective to each: pink is described as “exciting” and purple as “dramatic” [2]. Finwerk notes that the use of pink in the brand’s previous color scheme represented “a fresh, modern, and innovative approach to technology,” and the refreshed scheme builds upon that association [4].
Typography and Design
Following the 2022 redesign, æternity adopted IBM Plex Sans and IBM Plex Mono as its brand fonts. Finwerk describes the choice as conveying “a sense of reliability and stability,” with the clean sans-serif design providing a clear, uncluttered look. The use of an open-source font was also intended to emphasize æternity’s commitment to transparency and accessibility [4]. The 2022 announcement similarly noted that the updated typography was chosen from open, free fonts accessible to everyone [3].
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