Stellar Logo Receives a “Currency Sign” Redesign

Stellar has revealed a new variation on its classic logo. The old spaceship icon has been abandoned in favor of a more formal cryptocurrency symbol, as explained in a new blog post. This is just a preview: the new logo will be put to work as part of a full-site redesign in the coming weeks.

Stellar is quickly making a name for itself as a viable crypto-powered payment network. Several different projects are being built on the blockchain, from financially inclusive banking tools to decentralized exchanges. Stellar’s goals call for a more serious design, as shown below:

What’s In a Logo?

A lot of thought has gone into the new logo: Although Stellar has decided to drop the playful rocket from its old logo in favor of something more formal, the new logo retains the original “outer space” imagery. The icon resembles a planet, and, as Stellar notes, the diagonal bars give it a “hint of Saturn.”

The logo will be useful in a variety of branding situations. Stellar says that the icon will work at any size: as an app icon, on merchandise, or on a billboard. The icon is even intended to be used as a currency symbol: The logo doubles as a crossed ‘S’ and is meant to resemble the dollar sign.

More Crypto Redesigns

Other cryptocurrences have received notable redesigns and rebrandings over the past year. The Litecoin Foundation launched a new website last fall, while Litecoin itself received a “new blue” logo in January. Meanwhile, Zencash was overhauled and rebranded as Horizen last summer.

One of this year’s most dubious redesigns resulted from Bitcoin Cash’s contentious hard fork. After Bitcoin SV split from Bitcoin Cash, it cast off its dragon icon in favor of a logo that is almost identical to Bitcoin’s own symbol—a somewhat misleading attempt to be seen as equivalent to the larger coin.

Branding rarely makes or breaks a coin, but it does have an effect on perception. The versatility of Stellar’s new logo may work against the project, since the designers’ intentions may not be obvious at first glance. However, it is just one ingredient in a full-scale redesign, which will be unveiled by the first day of May.