Gridcoin (ticker: GRC) is an open source cryptocurrency that rewards volunteer computing performed on the BOINC distributed computing platform.[1] The project’s visual identity underwent a significant community-driven rebranding in 2017, replacing an older mark that community members described as a “grey blob” among other cryptocurrency logos.[2]
Design and History
In spring 2017, volunteers organized through the Gridcoin Slack channel began working on a new brand image for the cryptocurrency.[3] The design effort was led by Josh (known as joshoeah), a UK-based designer and marketing manager who had been involved with BOINC since childhood and had used Gridcoin for over 18 months.[4]
In August 2017, the Gridcoin community voted to approve a new logo design.[5] The new mark was designed to remain recognizable even when reduced to 16 pixels, and the community noted that the old design would not be abandoned entirely but would continue to be used where high-resolution artwork was appropriate.[5] The rebranding was subsequently rolled out across the gridcoin.us website, Slack, Telegram, Twitter, Reddit, and other services.[6]
Following the logo approval, the community voted in September 2017 to adopt a royal purple as the “master” colour for the new Gridcoin logo, with a transition to purple-themed colour schemes across the project’s materials.[7] A separate colour palette was developed by community member mattcoxonline, who was later acknowledged and reimbursed for that work through a foundation-funded proposal.[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
During the design process, joshoeah noted that purple could help Gridcoin “stand out amidst the sea of blues, greens and golds in the Crypto market.”[9] The designer also stated a belief that “a strong, versatile logo can work no matter the final colour choice,” and therefore often worked in monochrome initially.[9]
Typography and Design
Logo packs released by joshoeah in August 2017 included a horizontal logo with the “Gridcoin” wordmark alongside the emblem, available in hi-res PNG and EPS vector formats.[10] A later effort to create a formal Gridcoin Style Guide, proposed in 2018, noted that some of the project’s purple colours fell outside the CMYK gamut, meaning they could not be reproduced in print by combining cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.[11]
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