Why Ƀ?

Why should the Bitcoin community adopt this symbol?

Since the birth of Bitcoin, a large number of logos and symbols have been introduced. The most popular is a bold falling serif B, intersected by two vertical dashes à la U.S. dollar.

The current Bitcoin logo

Bitcoin symbol: the Ƀ character

The problem is that the image on the left is a logo! It’s a unique image file, just like it could be used by a company to sell or promote a product. Currencies are represented by symbols like $, € or ¥, aiming to be used everywhere by everybody. The Thai Baht (฿) is sometimes used to represent Bitcoin, but this certainly raises a problem of differenciation between the Thai Baht and Bitcoin.

Ƀ is not a logo but a symbol: Unicode Character U+0243 can be used any Unicode text editor.

This unicode character was originally used as a phonetic symbol to represent or transcribe the sound [β]. Thus the context of this use does not allow any confusion with the Bitcoin currency.

The idea to use Ƀ as a symbol for Bitcoin is not new ; this character was one of the original candidates to represent Bitcoin, but most of the community’s proposals were more fancy logos than a manifesto for the usage of a symbol. A logo is defined as a centralized graphic identity composed of colors, fonts, and shapes chosen by a small group of individuals. Bitcoin, however, is a decentralized currency – it’s neither a brand nor a product or company, and what we need for representing Bitcoin is a symbol rather than a logo.

Examples of Unicode Character U+0243 in different typefaces

The Ƀ symbol can be displayed in many fonts, some of which may already be installed on your computer. Here is a list of freely downloadable libre fonts that support the Ƀ symbol:

Arial and Times New Roman both support the Ƀ symbol as well. They are not libre fonts but they can be found on almost every systems.

Help us popularize Ƀ!

Create images, and use Ƀ in Bitcoin-related apps, websites and paper.

As a widely distributed, peer-to-peer digital currency, Bitcoin needs an open-source graphic identity, designed with open source software by and for the community. It has to be as minimal as possible to allow further adaptations. Because Ƀ is simple, extendable and perennial, it fulfills all those requirements.