Solana - a great example of crypto branding

In the rapidly evolving crypto industry, having a strong brand is critical. But it’s just as important to keep that brand up-to-date, ensuring it resonates with the audience as the market shifts. Some crypto companies, like Solana, have undertaken brand refreshes to stay relevant. A brand refresh is more than just a new logo—it signals growth, progress, and readiness for the future.

In this article, we’ll break down Solana’s rebranding strategy, analyze what their brand refresh aimed to achieve, and examine how Solana compares in the competitive crypto landscape.

The crypto industry is one of the most fast-paced sectors globally, with countless players constantly competing for the same customers. As products and technologies rapidly develop, standing out requires more than just functionality—it requires a strategic brand presence.

The most successful brands are defined by:

• Strong product offerings
• Strategic market positioning
• Consistent branding
• Robust community building

Branding is particularly crucial in crypto as it signals which products are reliable and trustworthy, setting them apart from those that are seen as less credible or risky.

Since launching in March 2020, Solana has used its brand as a strategic tool to build trust and signal quality. Right from the beginning, Solana’s visual identity emphasized its forward-thinking and innovative approach, aiming to make a strong impression in a competitive market.

In 2024, Solana implemented a soft rebrand, focusing on refining its visual elements while maintaining the core aspects of its identity. The rebrand wasn’t just about refreshing the design; it reinforced Solana’s position as a leader in the crypto space. Solana’s iconic purple color scheme—already strongly associated with the brand—was enhanced even further, making its visual identity more refined and modern.

Here’s how Solana’s rebrand shaped its identity:

Solana updated its logo to achieve better balance and clarity. By scaling down the icon and introducing a custom wordmark, the new logo provides a cleaner and more structured look, reinforcing Solana’s values of speed and innovation.

Solana’s signature gradient of purple and green was refined to create a more sophisticated, digital-first appearance. This subtle yet impactful change gives the brand a fresh, modern appeal while maintaining its recognizable identity.

One graphic element that helps unify the brand style is the subtle purple gradient. It elegantly serves as a backdrop throughout Solana’s visual identity, adding depth and cohesion to the brand’s overall look.

Custom branded photography is rare in the crypto world, and Solana has used it as one of the brand identity elements. The new photography style, featuring a purple neon aesthetic, adds a human element to an often cold and abstract industry. This choice highlights Solana’s community focus and further supports its dynamic visual identity.

Solana introduced a more refined 3D graphic system that retains the essence of its previous visuals but takes them further. These graphics symbolize the brand’s focus on innovation and its ability to turn ambitious ideas into reality.

Solana’s rebrand is a strategic effort to strengthen its position in the competitive crypto market. By updating its visual identity, Solana can appeal more effectively to a tech-savvy audience while maintaining the trust and recognition it has built over the years. The rebrand also addresses past design issues, ensuring Solana’s brand remains consistent and impactful across all platforms and communications.

Moreover, the rebrand highlights Solana’s commitment to innovation and growth. As the crypto industry continues to evolve, Solana’s refreshed brand identity positions it as a forward-thinking leader, ready to adapt to new trends and challenges. To evaluate how Solana’s updated brand stands among its competitors, let’s examine the crypto competitive landscape.

Solana operates in a highly competitive crypto industry, where visual identity plays a crucial role in setting brands apart. As more blockchain platforms enter the market, each strives to create a distinct visual presence that resonates with its audience.
To analyze the competitive landscape of crypto brands, we must examine several categories to understand how these brands differentiate themselves:

1. Visual Identity: This category examines the overall design, logo, and aesthetic choices that contribute to a brand’s visual presence. It considers how modern, traditional, expressive, or reserved a brand’s look and feel is compared to its competitors.
2. Color Strategy: The choice of colors plays a significant role in brand differentiation. This category evaluates how brands use color to convey their identity, stand out in the market, and resonate with their target audiences.
3. Visual Strategy: This focuses on the visual assets each brand employs.

By evaluating crypto brands across these categories, we can gain a better understanding of how each brand is built and how they position themselves in the competitive landscape.

To understand Solana’s position in the competitive landscape, we’ve identified key competitors across three major categories in the blockchain industry. By examining these categories, we can see how Solana compares to its competitors:

• Smart Contract Platforms: Competitors like Cardano, Tezos, and Near Protocol represent this category, each with a strong visual identity that reflects its blockchain focus.
• High-Performance Blockchains: Platforms such as Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Avalanche, and Algorand are the key players here, known for their emphasis on transaction speed and efficiency.
• Interoperable Blockchains: In this category, Polkadot stands out for its focus on connecting different blockchains and enhancing interoperability.

Let’s compare the competitors based on their overall design, logo, and aesthetic choices that contribute to a brand’s visual presence. This looks at how modern, traditional, expressive, or reserved a brand’s look is compared to its competitors. Mapping the visual identities of crypto brands reveals a spectrum from traditional to modern and from reserved to expressive. Solana, along with several other leading crypto brands, leans toward a modern and expressive aesthetic:

• Expressive & Modern: Solana, Polkadot, Avalanche, Tezos, and Near Protocol fall into this category, showcasing vibrant, forward-thinking designs that emphasize innovation and progress. Solana’s brand tends to feel more modern and expressive compared to others in this quadrant.
• Reserved & Traditional: Cardano adopts a more traditional and reserved visual identity, reflecting its alignment with conservative values and appealing to users who prioritize security and professionalism.
• Traditional yet Expressive & Modern yet Reserved: Fintech and crypto brands typically avoid being seen as too traditional or too reserved, so we rarely see companies in these quadrants.

Color is a powerful tool in branding. The choice of colors can significantly impact how a brand is perceived and how it differentiates or assimilates itself from competitors. We will identify color trends across the crypto industry and spot untapped opportunities for differentiation. This section focuses particularly on how Solana’s color strategy compares to others, providing insights that could influence branding strategies moving forward.

• Fintech Blue: Industry Classic: Blue is the dominant color in fintech and crypto, valued for its strong associations with trust and reliability. Brands like Cardano, Tezos, and Algorand use various shades of blue to create a sense of security and dependability.
• Purple: Emerging Trend: Purple and pink are gaining popularity in fintech and crypto, often representing innovation and creativity. Solana and Polkadot are key examples of brands using these colors effectively to stand out.
• Red & Orange: Bold Choice: Red brings energy and urgency, while yellow adds optimism and warmth. Brands like Avalanche and Binance use these bright colors to stand out in a crowded market. However, red is often used cautiously in finance due to its association with risk, and orange/yellow can be challenging because of its low contrast and link to caution.
• Green: Untapped Opportunity: Green is linked to prosperity, fresh perspectives, growth, and safety. Despite these strong associations, it remains underused in the crypto sector.

Solana’s rebrand goes beyond aesthetics—it’s a strategic move to maintain relevance in the rapidly evolving crypto market. By refining its visual identity, Solana strengthens its position as a leader, balancing innovation with trust. The updated design elements, from the custom wordmark to the modern color palette, ensure Solana stands out while staying consistent with its core values.
As competition grows, Solana’s refreshed brand positions it to lead the future of blockchain, offering a clear example of how thoughtful branding can drive continued success.

Image credits © Solana Official Website
Overview and Comparison graphics designed by Fintech Branding Studio