IOTA is an open-source distributed ledger protocol developed for the Internet of Things, founded in 2015 by David Sønstebø, Sergey Ivancheglo, Dominik Schiener, and Serguei Popov. The project is governed by the IOTA Foundation, a non-profit organization registered in Germany. The IOTA token trades on exchanges under the MIOTA ticker symbol. The IOTA word mark and the IOTA logo are registered trademarks of the IOTA Foundation.[1][2]
Design and History
The IOTA logo consists of a circular emblem paired with the IOTA wordmark. The IOTA Foundation’s trademark policy requires the word mark to always be written in all capital letters: IOTA.[1] The official logo is available in SVG format on the IOTA website, and the foundation maintains a brand style guide that governs its use.[1]
In addition to the official IOTA logo, the IOTA community has created a separate logo to represent the IOTA community and the diverse projects within it. This community logo is distinct from the official IOTA Foundation trademarks and may be used by community projects to identify themselves as part of the IOTA ecosystem.[1]
The IOTA Foundation has registered trademarks for several products and services in the IOTA ecosystem, including IOTA, SHIMMER, FIREFLY, and SELV. Each of these has its own official logo, and the foundation’s trademark policy prohibits modified versions of any of these marks.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
IOTA’s technology is built around the Tangle, a directed acyclic graph (DAG) that serves as the transaction settlement and data integrity layer, replacing the traditional blockchain structure. The Tangle is structured as a string of individual transactions interlinked to each other and stored through a network of node participants.[3] While the circular form of the IOTA logo has been noted by community members for its resemblance to the “Circle of Friends,” no official documentation from the IOTA Foundation describes the logo’s intended symbolism or design rationale.[4]
Typography and Design
The IOTA wordmark is rendered in all capital letters as a matter of official trademark policy. The foundation’s brand style guide, referenced in its trademark policy, provides additional typographic and design specifications for the logo’s use across official products and services.[1] The IOTA Foundation’s trademark policy explicitly prohibits altering the trademarks or combining them with other names or marks.[1]
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.
