Openmaru is the software brand of OpenNaru Inc., a South Korean open-source and cloud-native IT company founded in October 2013. The brand name combines “OPEN,” referencing open source and openness, with “MARU,” a Korean word for the ridge or summit of a mountain. The current OPENMARU logo, registered as a U.S. trademark in 2020, consists of a red circle containing a mountain-like shape, paired with the word “openmaru” in stylized gray lettering. [1]
Design and History
In October 2019, Openmaru held a public logo design contest to create a brand identity for its software products. The contest brief specified that the logo should emphasize the letters O and M, with O designed to convey “OPEN,” the sun, and openness, while M was to represent “MARU” and “Mountain,” evoking the highest point of a mountain ridge. The brief also required that red be emphasized as the brand color and that both vertical and horizontal layouts be supported. [2]
The resulting mark was filed as a U.S. trademark application by OpenNaru Inc. on March 6, 2020, and registered on December 22, 2020, under registration number 6224612. The official trademark description states that the mark consists of “a circle, a shape that looks like mountain within it and the word ‘openmaru’ in stylized form,” with the circle and mountain shape in red and the wordmark in gray. [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo’s symbolism is documented in the 2019 contest brief. The letter O represents “OPEN,” the sun, and openness, while the letter M stands for “MARU” and “Mountain,” referencing the highest point of a mountain ridge. The brief further describes the intended brand character as stable, solid, fast-performing, and secure, with a preference for trustworthy design suited to enterprise software customers. [2]
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