Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange platform, unveiled a comprehensive new visual identity in 2022, created by San Francisco-based design studio Moniker. The rebrand was designed to reach a wider audience beyond the “crypto crowd” and to balance the trust and security of traditional finance with the accessibility and innovation of cryptocurrency.[1][2]
Design and History
Moniker worked closely with the Coinbase design team to build a new visual identity that included a custom typeface, logos, color palette, layouts, motion, and a comprehensive set of brand guidelines.[3] The design approach struck a balance between the trusted elements of the financial world and the need for greater humanity and accessibility.[3]
The new logo mark sits somewhere closely between a “C” and a circle, evolving from the existing app icon. Moniker founder Brent Couchman described it as a “super simple” evolution, with its simplicity speaking to Coinbase’s position as “the easiest place to access the cryptoeconomy.”[2] The icon is instantly recognisable as a “C” and a coin, conveying simplicity and accessibility.[1]
The rebrand was one of the widest logo explorations Moniker had ever undertaken, with hundreds of different concepts and iterations explored, looking at circles, coins, globes, and abstractions of transactions.[2] In June 2022, Coinbase filed a trademark application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for its blue “C” logo, described in the filing as “an incomplete solid blue circle representing the letter ‘C’.”[4][5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The identity was partly inspired by wayfinding systems, mirroring where Coinbase sits in the market as a path leading users from traditional finance to the cryptoeconomy. The idea of transit signage systems fed into the rebrand, along with the concept of helping people navigate where they want to go with immediate and quick results.[2]
The existing Coinbase blue was brightened in the refresh to add more energy, alongside a range of other colours to provide flexibility.[2] According to Couchman, “The blue was one of the only elements from the previous identity that was identifiable, so it was all about retaining that equity. We increased the saturation and brightness a bit for that core blue and introduced a secondary palette.”[6]
Typography and Design
Moniker created a custom typeface called Coinbase Sans for the rebrand. The typography was inspired by the monospaced typefaces historically used in financial documents and wayfinding symbols.[3] The typeface drew from “forgotten blue collar” 20th century typefaces, including Mercator, Neuzeit S and Folio, which are typically overshadowed by Univers and Helvetica.[1][6]
Coinbase Sans is an extended family of 36 styles across Optical, Display, Text, Micro and Mono versions, with over 29,000 glyphs and supporting over 200 Latin languages.[2][6] The typeface was developed starting with the toughest UI contexts, which were dense with information, before sliding from functional to more expressive applications to capture brand personality across the family.[6]
Coinbase’s official press page offers downloadable wordmark assets for use on light and dark backgrounds, noting that the logo is a core element of the brand and should be used consistently without rotation, alteration, or added colors and effects.[7]
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