Bitcoin Logo History / Origin Story: Bitcoin was created in 2009 by a person or group of people operating under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. This pseudonym initially appeared in the original 2008 Bitcoin white paper that explained the blockchain system that would serve as the backbone of the entire cryptocurrency industry. For those who don't know, Bitcoin, the world's first cryptocurrency (or digital currency), was created to facilitate peer-to-peer transactions. Satoshi Nakamoto, a mysterious programmer, also designed the first Bitcoin logo. Later, a pseudonymous person, Bitboy, improved it to the current BTC logo.

First iteration of the BTC logo The first iteration of Nakamoto's logo appeared shortly after the introduction of Bitcoin in early 2009. It features a gold coin with the characters “BC” engraved on it. He followed the design philosophy of skeuomorphism, in which digital items should mirror their physical counterparts.

Bitcoin logo update The decentralized nature of the Bitcoin ecosystem allows the general public to contribute to the Bitcoin network in a variety of ways based on community consensus, including logo designs. With the launch of the Bitcoin Talk Forum in 2010, other users quickly added their voices to the discussion surrounding the Bitcoin logo. Satoshi incorporated design suggestions from the community and introduced a new Bitcoin logo on February 24, 2010.

This time, Nakamoto took inspiration from the dollar sign and removed the letters “BC”. He kept the gold coin and printed a stylized “B” in the center. Unlike the dollar symbol, however, this symbol has two dashes. And, unlike the dollar sign, the dashes came from above and below, never crossing it. This project received mixed reactions from community members, with some even saying the design “lacked professional polish.” This design did not last long.

Current Bitcoin Logo Design In November 2010, a Bitcoin Forum user named “Bitboy” suggested some changes to Nakamoto's design. Bitboy refined Bitcoin's design by taking inspiration from the MasterCard logo. Bitboy kept Nakamoto's “B” but translated it into white and placed it in a flat, bright orange circle, tilting it to the right (13.88 degrees clockwise). Thanks to strong community support, the Bitboy iteration would become the official Bitcoin logo for the next decade. “Now everyone can make use of the graphics freely, even for commercial purposes, with this license and not be bound by any restrictions,” said Bitboy after releasing the copyright-free images into the public domain.

Current Bitcoin Logo Design In November 2010, a Bitcoin Forum user named “Bitboy” suggested some changes to Nakamoto's design. Bitboy refined Bitcoin's design by taking inspiration from the MasterCard logo. Bitboy kept Nakamoto's “B” but translated it into white and placed it in a flat, bright orange circle, tilting it to the right (13.88 degrees clockwise). Thanks to strong community support, the Bitboy iteration would become the official Bitcoin logo for the next decade. “Now everyone can make use of the graphics freely, even for commercial purposes, with this license and not be bound by any restrictions,” said Bitboy after releasing the copyright-free images into the public domain.