The team that founded the Hydra Project met several times in the fall of 2008 at the University of Virginia. At their meeting in December of that year the name 'Hydra' was coined. Later that same day, a hydra toy was spotted, and subsequently purchased, in a local shop - this became part of the first design used on the project's documents and presentations.
The Hydra logo that was the branding for the Hydra Project throughout most of its existence under that name. It was dropped when the Community changed name to Samvera in order to avoid a trademark dispute.
For Hydra Connect 2016, the local organizers took the project's basic logo and extended it. It was used on large display screens adjacent to the conference's main auditorium.