If you’ve been in the NFT space, you’ve probably seen Nouns’ playful pixel art graphics with signature bright colors and simple blocky designs. As time goes by, you will surely see more and more of these unique characters. Unlike most NFT projects that have a set amount of stock before release, Nouns is an infinite piece of art. One noun NFT is generated “forever” each day.
As a community-driven brand, Nouns aims to leverage its open-source IP to empower holders to fund their most ambitious dreams and business ideas with their NFTs as the face of the projects. Nouns are already making their mark as brand ambassadors at innovative companies – they represent everything from clothing brands Unpleasant chocolate bars to extreme sports clubs.
Here’s what you need to know about the Nouns project, the ecosystem and the community.
What are Nouns NFTs?
Nouns is a generative non-fungible token project on the Ethereum blockchain. Each noun is a 32×32 pixel character made up of nearly endless combinations of bodies and accessories, including 242 heads, 140 accessories, 30 bodies, 23 glasses, and two backgrounds.
The very first noun was auctioned on August 8, 2021 and features a fox head and pink and purple two-tone glasses.
Nouns operate under a CC0 license, which places the artwork in the public domain and grants users unlimited access and usage rights.
Every day, the nouns DAO generates and mints a new noun, adding to its ever-expanding collection. The noun is then put up for auction to the highest bidder. This process ensures that the Nouns ecosystem remains dynamic and constantly evolving, while providing community members with a means to acquire and trade unique NFTs.
One hundred percent of the money from the sale goes directly to the project’s common treasury. Ownership of a Noun NFT also grants membership to the Nouns DAO, allowing the holder to participate in the governance and decision-making process. Each noun represents one voice.
How many nouns are there?
Nouns will generate forever, resulting in a never-ending supply. At the time of writing, there are 765 noun NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. Currently, 396 owners have at least one noun in their wallet.
How can I buy a noun?
Anyone can participate in Noun auctions at nouns.wtf, a website built and maintained by the founders of the project. Fans are also welcome to create their own Noun and play with the properties on the Nouns Playground. All nouns created so far can be viewed and purchased on secondary on OpenSea.
Who created nouns?
The original founders of Nouns, affectionately known as ‘Nounders’, are a group of 10 builders, makers and NFT thought leaders who first initiated the concept of nouns and nouns DAO. This includes the founder of CrypToadz Gremplinco-founder of Vine Dom Hoffmanfounder of Chimpers TimersAnd Punk4156. Include Extra Nounders lastpunk9999, devcarrot, cryptoseneca, eboyarts, punk4464And _soliander.
To ensure that all proceeds from Noun auctions support the Nouns DAO ecosystem, the Nounders have chosen to receive compensation in the form of nouns. Every tenth Noun generated during the first five years of the project will automatically be sent to Nounder’s multisig wallet where they will be awarded and distributed to the project founders.
In particular, the distribution of nouns to the Nounders does not disrupt the regular cadence of 24-hour noun auctions. Once a noun is generated, it is sent directly to the Nounder’s multisig and the next available noun ID is made available for auction as scheduled. This approach helps ensure that the Nouns ecosystem remains fair and accessible to all participants, while also providing a means of compensation and support for the founding members of the project.
What is the Nouns DAO?
Possession of a noun allows holders to participate in the governance of the noun DAO. This includes the ability to propose new initiatives and vote on proposals submitted by other members. If a proposal is approved, it will automatically be executed as a transaction on the Ethereum blockchain.
Nouns can vote on proposals or delegate their vote to a third party. A minimum of two nouns are required to submit proposals. Nouns DAO has funded countless creative ideas, including fashion collections, Super Bowl commercials and more. The active list of proposals voted for by the nouns DAO can be viewed here.
Remarkable proposals
The Rise of Blus: A Noun Movie
In June 2023, Nouns DAO and Atrium released part one of The Rise of Blus: A Noun Movie, featuring popular NFT characters from the Nouns community. This was the first ever animated film to be financed by a DAO.
The plot of The rise of Blus revolves around the vibrant floating cloud city of Blus, in which a daring 13-year-old Noun discovers an evil plot by the city’s aristocrats. The young hero must team up with a motley crew of unlikely allies (other nouns) to thwart the threat and protect those they hold dear.
Danit Peleg x nouns
Danit Peleg is a designer who made headlines when she printed the world’s first 3D-printed ready-to-wear collection in 2015. Most recently, the Tel Aviv-based designer teamed up with Nouns to create five 3D-printed outfits inspired by the NFTs and funded entirely by Nouns DAO. The collection debuted on NFT Paris in March 2023 and includes Queencrown, Loading, Snowglobe, Crt BSOD, And Checkout.
Nouns x Fitz Frames
Nouns × Fitz Frames Prescription Subscription works with screening and testing partners to get kids glasses if they lose them, break them, grow out of them, or just want a new pair to compliment their style. To date, Nouns DAO has funded more than 3,000 children’s prescription glasses and a specialist research vehicle delivered December 2022.
Bud Light Superbowl commercial
In January 2022, the beer giant acquired Noun #179 for 127 ETH. After submitting and approving a proposal, Bud Light showcased the Nouns ecosystem’s iconic goggles (known as “Noggles”) in a commercial that aired during Super Bowl LVI. This demonstrated the growing appeal of NFTs and the Nouns ecosystem as major companies begin to recognize the unique value of these digital assets.
In addition, the brand has also temporarily changed its Twitter avatar to Noun glasses. The proposal states that Bud Light “intends to allow holders of the brand’s proprietary NFT to vote jointly with their noun on future governance proposals.” In the future, Bud Light will even produce a limited edition of cans with custom Noun packaging for noun holders.
The Birth of ‘Lil Nouns’
Lil nouns, a project created within Nouns DAO, offers a collection of cute and whimsical nouns at a more affordable price. It was founded by 0xsvg And adelidusiam.
These nouns are smaller than traditional nouns, measuring just 16×16 pixels, and have unique and playful designs that are meant to evoke a sense of cuteness and charm. They are generated every 15 minutes, but anyone can make a Lil Noun here.
Similar to traditional nouns, Lil nouns are represented on the Ethereum blockchain. However, artists create Lil Nouns by submitting their designs to the Nouns DAO. This process differs from traditional noun generation, which is randomly generated through a unique algorithm. Once a design is approved, the Nouns DAO mints the new Lil Noun and adds it to the collection.
For those interested in joining the DAO community of nouns but can’t afford a traditional noun, Lil Nouns provide an accessible entry point.
The future of the Nouns ecosystem
Nouns has come a long way since launching in 2021, but the team behind the project has even more in store. On ETH Denver in 2023, Nouns DAO Developers David Brailovsky And Elad Mallell announced that the team plans to implement new features such as private voting, enhanced security controls, and a more dynamic user experience to further strengthen the Nouns ecosystem. Examples include dynamic quorum, ragequit design space, a conditional objection period, and more.
Every day, as new nouns are created, the DAO forms partnerships with brands and creators to fund new and innovative projects. The growing community of members submitting and approving proposals will continue to increase the influence of the Nouns ecosystem.