Solaris is the name of the software, which was originally developed by Sun in 1992, and acquired by Oracle in 2010. The operating system was created for Unix and based on the GNOME interface. The last update of the Solaris was in 2018.
The visual identity history of the Solaris Operating System can be divided into two periods — the beginning, when it was created and owned by Sun Microsystems, and the new era, which started in 2010, after the acquisition of the software by Oracle.
The badge for Solaris was introduced in 1998. It was a simple yet bright and elegant badge with a light purple background and thin three-dimensional lettering placed under the emblem. Both elements were executed in a light silver color, which looked tender and clean. The Solaris emblem featured five thin elongated triangles arched above a smooth swoosh, and symbolizing the sun.
As for the inscription, it was written in the uppercase century with the first letter slightly enlarged, and executed in a sophisticated medium-weight serif typeface. The wordmark got a delicate and light gray shadow, which added a sense of air and lightness to the image.
The redesign of 2005 kept the “sun” idea but completely changed both emblem and lettering in the logo. The new concept consisted of a smooth lowercase lettering executed in a bold sans-serif typeface, in a calm blue color. As for the emblem, it was now half-sun, placed above the right part of the inscription and formed by seven flame-line orange elements with smooth surges peaks. This was the last emblem, created for Solaris under the Sun Microsystems management.
After the acquisition of the software by Oracle, the new logo was designed in 2010. The badge is simple yet very modern and powerful. It consists of two levels of lettering, separated by a thin horizontal line in black. The upper level of the logo features a red enlarged “Oracle” inscription in a custom sans-serif typeface with smooth lines and sharp diagonal cuts of the tails. As for the “Solaris” part, it is set under the black line, and drawn in black color, using a simple yet stable and confident sans-serif font with traditional contours.