Dai is the decentralized stablecoin created by MakerDAO, soft-pegged to the US dollar and backed by cryptocurrency collateral on the Ethereum blockchain. Its visual identity has been shaped by two distinct design phases: an early symbolic mark and a 2019 redesign that repositioned Dai as a global currency.
Design and History
Dai’s earliest documented visual symbol was the unicode diamond (◈), which the project adopted as its symbolic representation in its developer documentation. The name Dai itself derives from the Chinese character 貸, meaning “to lend or provide capital for a loan.” [1]
In October 2019, at Devcon 5 in Osaka, Maker Foundation CEO Rune Christensen announced a new visual identity for Dai alongside the upcoming launch of Multi-Collateral Dai. The redesign was led by Henry Doe, Head of Design at the Maker Foundation, who said the process involved intensive research and community participation. Doe described the goal as “to design something that would help move DeFi into the mainstream and allow Dai to be globally recognized as a currency.” [2]
The new logo was designed to resemble a standard currency sign, similar in concept to the dollar sign, the euro sign, or Stellar’s updated logo. This change reflected MakerDAO’s ambition for Dai to become a cryptocurrency with commercial uses, not just a stablecoin. [3] Coulter Mulligan, Head of Marketing at the Maker Foundation, explained that the new design pushed Dai’s accessibility to people outside the cryptocurrency community, communicating the role Multi-Collateral Dai would play in decentralized finance. [2]
The rebrand coincided with the November 18, 2019 launch of Multi-Collateral Dai, which introduced additional collateral types and the Dai Savings Rate. As part of the transition, the original Single Collateral Dai was renamed “Sai,” while Multi-Collateral Dai took on the existing name “Dai.” [3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2019 logo’s currency-sign design was a deliberate departure from typical cryptocurrency branding. By adopting a form resembling established monetary symbols, the design aimed to position Dai as a globally recognized currency rather than a niche digital asset. Henry Doe noted that the team first stepped back to talk to the community before creating the new visual identity, seeking to understand how Dai’s future should be envisioned. [4]
Typography and Design
Documented color values for the Dai brand identity include Dai Gold (#F5AC37) and Dai Yellow (#FEBE44), which are recorded in brand color references. [5] No specific typeface or typographic system for the Dai wordmark has been documented in the available sources.
In 2024, MakerDAO began a broader rebrand to Sky, with the Dai stablecoin transitioning to USDS. The Sky identity was developed by San Francisco-based agency Clay, which introduced a geometric logomark and the Circular Book typeface for the new brand. [6] The Dai mark itself, however, remains associated with the 2019 currency-sign design that preceded this transition.
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
