The Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol is Evolving: Refreshed Logo and Website (We’re Moving!)
The Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol has made enormous strides in blockchain interoperability since the first implementation, ibc-go launched in March 2021 as an interoperability solution for Cosmos SDK chains. Today, over 100 chains are IBC-enabled, and IBC’s reach goes far beyond Cosmos SDK chains, including disparate ecosystems like Polkadot, Kusama, Hyperledger, and Corda, and with direct Ethereum, Avalanche, and general EVM & ZK Rollup compatibility on the way.
IBC transfers a staggering $30 billion in asset value per year and processes over 30 million token transfer transactions annually. Furthermore, the protocol has never been exploited, which is exceedingly rare within the realm of blockchain interoperability solutions.
These milestones are more than just numbers; they are indicative of IBC’s growing role in expanding heterogenous blockchain interoperability. The flexibility, security, and customization offered by IBC’s permissionless and trust-minimized architecture are recognized by developers worldwide as best-in-class.
Realigning the IBC Brand
While past achievements are worth celebrating, it’s important to recognize the need for evolution. IBC is undergoing a rebranding process that marks the first formal marketing efforts for the protocol. The rebranding is aligned with IBC’s core mission to provide a universal framework of abstractions for blockchains to communicate so that chain and application developers can build without boundaries.
Updating the brand gives us a way to connect future generations of developers with our protocol’s proven track record and technical promise. We hope that by shifting the brand’s identity, IBC becomes more accessible and appealing to the developer audience, thereby accelerating product adoption.
Shifts to the Brand’s Visual Identity
The updated IBC logo and visual identity borrow equity from the celestial branding of Cosmos and the circles and lines of the original IBC logo, and incorporates technological and organic elements to create a look that is intellectual, of-the-moment, and distinct from competitors. Key design elements include:
- The Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol logo lockup, including a refreshed “IBC” brandmark.
- An updated color palette that introduces blue and green to bring vibrancy and differentiation versus common blockchain industry colors, as well as a yellow accent.
- A new typeface, Public Sans, which is open source and available on Google Fonts to make it easy for the interchain communities to use.
Transition to a New Website & Docs Site
Concurrent with the rebranding, we are moving to an updated website layout & updated docs sites that are more user-friendly, intuitive, and informative.
The new website aims to serve as a resource for educational content, technical resources, protocol updates, and community engagement. The biggest goals for the website are increasing accessibility to educational content and improving communication lines to share the work completed by the distributed development teams.
The new website includes a technical resource catalog, an on-site blog, information about real-world use cases of IBC, and a description of how IBC works. More pages will be coming, starting with educational blog content.
The IBC documentation site has been reorganized to improve usability & a refreshed UI. You can view it at https://ibc.cosmos.network/.
Both sites are actively being optimized. You can expect tweaks in the coming days, as well as significant amounts of new content. Your feedback is welcome via the website feedback form.
As part of this effort, we are moving the IBC protocol website to ibcprotocol.dev, instead of ibcprotocol.org. The .dev URL is accessible and editable by the team, while the .org website is not. Please update your links to reflect the new ibcprotocol.dev website.
Future Directions: IBC’s Expansion and Enhanced Interoperability
The rebranding and website update are part of a broader strategy aimed at expanding IBC’s capabilities and user base. The IBC 2024 Roadmap focuses on the increasing usability of the product for developers and expanding its compatibility to other blockchain types, including decoupling the IBC protocol from the Cosmos SDK, scoping of a generic ibc-go and an OP Stack integration, and integrating ibc-rs with the Sovereign SDK for ZK rollup compatibility.
Thus, the updated logo, visual identity, and site aim to start the journey towards a cohesive narrative that accelerates the adoption of IBC as the standard for blockchain interoperability. The Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol remains committed to creating seamless pathways for adaptable cross-chain products, smart contracts, and applications.
To Conclude… We’re Moving!
We’ll be posting future updates for IBC on the new IBC protocol website blog at https://www.ibcprotocol.dev/. Make sure to follow us there for educational content from the distributed development teams.
Thank you for being a part of the journey. You can contribute to the evolution by providing feedback on the feedback form or reaching out to us at ibc@interchain.io.
About IBC:
The inter-blockchain communication protocol (IBC) is the most widely adopted trust-minimized, permissionless, and general messaging-passing protocol. IBC connects 100+ chains for cross-chain activities such as token transfers, inter-chain account control, shared security, data queries, and much more. Build using IBC or join us on Discord.
