Depending on who you are, crypto can be associated with a lot of things. But it’s the link to memes, finance bros, and intimidating tech that San Francisco-based design studio Moniker is bucking in its new rebrand for cryptocurrency platform Coinbase. With visuals that stand apart from the “almost undesigned / meme aesthetic” of the crypto world, the identity instead merges engaging motion design with a clear, uncomplicated approach to “ease people into crypto”, explains Moniker founder Brent Couchman.
While the design for Coinbase is approachable, that doesn’t mean it isn’t exciting – and a bit flashy. For motion design, and within the wider graphic layout system, Moniker has captured the feeling of constant but intentional movement. “Unlike traditional financial markets which have opening and closing trading hours, the cryptoeconomy is always open,” explains Brent, latching onto this idea in the way the brand moves. “In product, the motion is subtle and intentionally used to convey crucial information clearly, in marketing, the motion flexes to become more engaging and enticing.”
For another key area of the work, Brent says: “This was probably the widest logo exploration we’ve ever done, hundreds of different concepts and iterations.” Looking at circles, coins, globes, and abstractions of transactions, the end result was actually founded in a “super simple” evolution of the existing app icon. The logo sits somewhere closely between a C and a circle; its simplicity speaking to Coinbase’s position as “the easiest place to access the cryptoeconomy”.
