editor's introduction: In 2017, two developers came to the Ethereum ecosystem by chance with more than 10,000 pixel avatars, and thus developed the world's first NFT project-CryptoPunks. So far, what influential virtual images have been born? This article introduces twelve distinctive NFT image works, let’s take a look.
01 Virtual image
1. The birth of virtual image - CryptoPunks
In 2017, when the Ethereum ecosystem began to gain momentum, two developers who were not in the cryptocurrency circle came to this ecosystem by chance with more than 10,000 pixel avatars. Among them, the world's first NFT project-CryptoPunks was developed.
was originally developed by two people, John and Matt, who were engaged in mobile app development. They worked on various projects from mobile games and utilities to network infrastructure to digital design and art. In early 2017, the team of
drew inspiration from the London Punks scene and cyberpunk movies and novels to develop a diversified pixel character generator and created many pixel character avatars full of punk spirit. When they were thinking about these When the avatar could do something further, they paid attention to the blockchain and Ethereum, which was becoming increasingly popular at the time.
So they decided to put these pixel avatars on the blockchain, so that these pixel avatars, which are also very personalized, can be verified through the characteristics of the blockchain, and allow them to be owned by others or allowed to be transferred to others. people.
As a result, CryptoPunks, the world’s first truly NFT image project, was born. Once
CryptoPunks was released, it attracted global attention and frantic grabs. Although CryptoPunks were initially available for free, the rarity and artistry of the digital portraits increased demand from NFT players, causing prices to soar.
pioneered the use of images as encrypted assets into the field of cryptocurrency. At a time when various Tokens were flying all over the sky, it served as a breath of fresh air and gave new inspiration to many practitioners. At the same time, different images are used as features, so that collectors no longer sell based on price from a single dimension, but appreciate it from more dimensions of art or life.
2. The value of virtual images
Now the NFT image has begun to take off, and artists and creators have turned their attention to NFT for creation.
Artists or creators who are devoted to NFT can upload and certify any digital assets to the Ethereum blockchain for minting, and create an NFT coded and verifiable file containing price, ownership and transfer records. This method allows artists or creators to not only show their ideas and creativity to the world through NFT, expand their influence, but also bring considerable sales revenue to themselves through the entire NFT sales model. The
NFT image generates a unique image by randomly combining multiple individual elements, so its uniqueness and rarity make one image more valuable than other images.
The price of images with more rare attributes in the same project will continue to rise. At the same time, for collectors, rarity is not the only factor that determines the value of NFT. The price of some images may soar because collectors like the appearance or have the popularity of the collector. The image of
NFT has also slowly transformed from a relatively marginal collection to a mainstream art. Some of the collections have been auctioned at Christie's and Sotheby's venues. This behavior will undoubtedly bring higher positioning and commercial value to NFT.
NFT market has gone through the baptism of 2021 and has become more and more mature under the constant ups and downs.
It is not difficult for careful collectors to find that more and more professional artists and creative teams are beginning to participate. They bring Hollywood-level NFT works and also bring rich artistic enjoyment to collectors.
For example, the CLONE The handmade non-generated Smircs series, the Godpod series based on mythological characters from around the world, etc. Next, we will introduce the twelve distinctive NFT image works one by one.
02 Influential virtual image
1. CLONE X-RTFKT Studios Murakami Takashi
CLONE
CLONE X is an Avatar project with 19211 3D characters and a clear tribute to CryptoPunks. The difference is that CLONE This means that owners can use them in AR filters, Zoom video conferencing or games, etc., or as images to enter the " metaverse " in the future.
In this design, each character has an appearance that is a combination of randomly assigned characteristics. At the same time, Murakami specially designed the characters' eyes, mouth, head decoration and other parts with his own unique style of cartoon aesthetics, creating a "characteristic" dress up". Collectors who own CLONE X blind boxes can randomly generate NFT images through the casting page of the official website. Currently, 8,900+ users own this product, and the cheapest avatar is 18.5 ETH.
Clone They plan to transform all human consciousness into advanced cloned forms to create the ultimate Metaverse. Therefore, they extracted people's consciousness from their original bodies, and then put the extracted consciousness into digital CloneX avatars, allowing humans to evolve to the next stage, so that people have more time and The physical strength allows you to explore farther planets or galaxies without having to worry about life, old age, illness and death.
The holder of the NFT image will own an independent space capsule NFT. According to information, Clone X will soon be able to create a community platform of its own, and the Clone At the same time, the platform may have major co-branded trendy content products, or provide players with the ability to create or use 3D files in the metaverse, personalized Clone fashion accessories, and participate in various activities such as fashion weeks by wearing distinctive images...
is in this story In the background, different CLONE X have different DNA characteristics and also represent different races.
Humans account for about 50% of the circulation, but a small number of them have special skin traits, and 10% of humans can get the "Murakami trait." Robots account for 25%, demons and angels each account for 8.5%, reptilian races account for about 1%, and undead account for 0.5% of the circulation. The rarest aliens account for 0.13%, of which 15% will receive the "Murakami Trait". In addition,
will also have 16 artist versions, which will appear randomly in the casting.
Among these images, if the NFT does not have "Murakami characteristics", it can be used for commercial purposes of US$1 million. If you have "Murakami characteristics", you are not allowed to use it for commercial purposes. It is not difficult to imagine that in real-life scenarios, people who own Clone X images can create secondary creations or commercial releases based on the original images. In the metaverse, holders of Clone XNFT can increase their own value and popularity, and will also have corresponding business opportunities.
The ten most expensive clone The selling price is ETH 100,000,000,000,000, which is equivalent to RMB ¥1924,769,769,700,000,000.00. It has reached the point where it is necessary to continuously calculate 0 to confirm the total price.
trend inspiration:
- The popularity of the NFT image production company and the creative artist can greatly affect whether the image attracts everyone's attention. The writer's own traffic can bring a huge number of fans to the project, and the production company's previous high-quality works can also It can greatly increase players’ expectations for new projects.
- Interesting project stories can expand the operation of NFT images. Based on the original popularity, the unique attributes of each image can be rationalized and interesting through stories. From the preview to the sense of ritual of ownership, players can experience the fine polishing and enhanced attention of NFT in more detail.
- When the original artist or designer is very famous, adding or strengthening the creator's personal label or characteristics in the NFT image can bring the recognition and popularity of the NFT to a higher level, and can also enhance the owner's sense of value and The same rationality satisfies the owner's sense of superiority and belonging. Draw the attention and sensitivity of onlookers to the project.
2. HAPE PRIME-Digimental
HAPE PRIME is designed by the well-known 3D art studio Digimental, with a total of 8192. The design of these 3D monkey NFTs is very clever and incorporates many common street elements. After the first draft of the HAPE NFT design was released online, it was immediately loved by all walks of life and aroused heated discussions. Just like its own introduction: high-definition, trendy visuals, making Ape Universe even more popular around the world.
adds unique personality and characteristics to the ape by wearing clothes of different textures. Due to the popularity of HAPE PRIME, the image of NFT has gradually shifted from 2D to 3D design. 8200+ users own this product, and the cheapest avatar is 0.74ETH.
HAPE PRIME sports fashion featuring street fashion and athleisure wear. It's the embodiment of 90s hip-hop and very popular fashion culture, with different apes randomly assigned colors and various textural features. Even though each image does not clearly show the characteristics of male or female, the randomly assigned clothes and hairstyles allow the characters to show obvious male or female or personality tendencies.
This is a set of black and white posters, which are free and pure as a whole. It gives people a domineering yet calm and restrained feeling.
Next is a set of colorful shapes. The image elements vividly show the different personalities of each image.
Thousands of people have different views, but that’s all. Although everyone has the same basic character with superimposed changes, the random elements give the characters more possibilities and unique personalities. The background also has a banana background that is strongly related to the character. The overall lighting and material rendering make the banana background not obtrusive, but full of fun.
Ten trendy ape images with expensive prices:
Among them, 4269 wearing a hat and a white baseball uniform is the HAPE PRIME NFT image that many players are most concerned about.
Trend inspiration:
- highlighted the impact of different fashionable clothing on NFT in HAPE PRIME. People will buy based on the uniformity or personality of the clothing trend and image, and thus lead the purchasing trend. Combining actual clothing with the image, expressing an image attitude through the NFT image, thereby strengthening the NFT image memory point and commercial value.
- has multiple styles and has a wider audience. Although the designer prefers street style, it can also be seen from the various images that Eastern culture is taken into consideration. In the early prototype projects, designers tested multiple styles, so the design direction of HAPE PRIME will be more precise and more popular with the public.
3. SMIRICS-Combrisi Flatizy
Smircs is a non-generated series hand-made by combrisi Very strong. The different novel realistic rendering textures and design concepts make each Smircs unique.
There is a very cool and unique design background behind each Smirc. You can learn more about it on the official insgram. By telling their different stories, you can feel the unique and vivid personality of each character.
The following introduces several types of more distinctive smircs. For example, the Hyggel Smircs series launched last winter is a group of Smircs with a furry texture. The rich and fluffy fluff gives people a sense of comfort.
Retro-style smircs:
combines the image of smircs with well-known art styles, such as Van Gogh smircs and Pop smircs:
Natura Smirc is covered with small flowers and grass, just like being integrated with nature, and with nature The world is closely symbiotic.
Trend inspiration:
- Make the story scene-like and visualize the scene. An NFT image with a story allows the holder to have a deeper understanding of the story behind the image while owning it, thereby deepening the memory point and branding of the NFT.
- uses a unified image structure, combined with clothing of different textures, so that the image is not just a picture, but a rich multi-dimensional texture and story, thus becoming a lively and vivid case, giving the holder depth and connotation, and enhancing Image thickness.
4. GODPOD-muzixiiistudio
NFT work from Taiwanese studio muzixiii studio, providing the latest belief system services in response to the metaverse. Based on mythological characters from all over the world, simple and cute images are created.
Muzixiii studio is a professional 3D imaging team that has cooperated with Marvel, Disney and other companies, and has produced videos for ASUS , Acer , MSI Technology and other well-known information brands.
will use the image of gods to create NFT because Amber observed that modern people pay more attention to healing, faith and spiritual health because of high pressure, and GodPod is a new belief system, and everyone no longer needs to be attached to a religious system. Instead of seeking comfort, you can find spiritual sustenance in a decentralized world.
The image of the little gods includes not only the well-known gods in Taiwan, but also more beliefs from all over the world that everyone may not be familiar with. We even invite everyone to create their own, so that the beliefs in their hearts can be embodied, and we hope that the little gods can be Bringing spiritual balance and health to everyone.
In addition to cute god NFTs, the Discord community will also be equipped with diverse healing themes, such as tarot cards, human diagrams, horoscopes, etc. Everyone can also draw cards and measure fortune in the community every day. There are many suggestions and encouragements in the cards, which bring goodies full of chicken soup for the soul and positive energy, so that tired souls can get a small sense of redemption.
These dynamic emoji also bring these cute gods to life and are used in chats between Discord community members.
So even before Godpod was officially released, nearly 10,000 people were following it on the Discord community.
Trend inspiration:
- The early warm-up of interesting materials, as well as the detailed display and funny stories of animated pictures, can bring great attraction to unreleased NFTs and drive users' continued attention.
- Image NFT is not limited to the craze of external avatars or clothing, but can also reflect more possibilities in NTF images. The image of the Yuan Universe can exert force on the heart or pressure, or guide users to understand their inner self, so that beliefs can lose their original old-fashioned style and be reflected in a new feeling that is more in line with young people's expectations. When operating,
- fully demonstrates the unique advantages of NFT images and conducts targeted gameplay to expand brand influence. Extend the application of brand derivatives in real life and spread the image more widely.
5. AZUKI-TeamAzuki
Azuki is a blue chip NFT project with a large volume of transactions in the market. The characters and elements are deeply influenced by Japanese animation. The background of his world is based on "The Garden", and he hopes that users can participate in the construction and operation of this world by holding his NFT. The early characters of
were created by Arnold Tsang, the character designer of "Overwatch", in his spare time. Most of Azuki's characters are skateboarding boys with unique styles, and some of them are rebellious and pursue self-worth.
Azuki’s painting style is also rare in the current market. It uses clean and capable brushstrokes from Japanese comics to widen the gap between other three-dimensional and meme NFT painting styles, which is impressive. Character styles are divided into four categories - human, blue, red, and soul, and their transaction prices are positively correlated with scarcity.
The picture below shows two of the characters:
Although the overall NFT is mainly based on 2D painting style, some clothes are still multi-dimensionally created to give the holder a three-dimensional feeling, and at the same time, the physical clothing entity The production of NFT brings the empathy of NFT images into real life.
The picture above is an interview photo of someone wearing an Azuki jacket in real life.
BeanZ is also an NFT project created by the Azuki team based on the world of The Garden. It means seeds in the garden and has a cute shape.
Azuki is the same as Mekavers. It also has a reduced version of the NFT shape, but the overall style also continues the 2D effect, making it unique among the 3D NFT images.
Trend inspiration:
Everyone has had the dream of being an anime character, and the image of this NFT allows users to better integrate into the world view of The Garden, allowing everyone to realize their anime dream. At the same time, multi-dimensional picture materials and Physical clothing also makes the holder feel more involved.
And users also spontaneously perform cosplay behaviors of virtual image materialization.
6. The Sheep Fellas - Metaverse
The Sheep Fellas is a new brand of Metaverse, a collection of furry 3d Sheep NFTs curated by tribes and gangs in the BSC blockchain (pentas.io). Each clan has its own story and purpose, which is to unite all sheep across multiple breeds across the metaverse. This is not just an NFT, it is a culture.
Rarity: In each clan they are led by 1 Alpha, supported by Genesis and Superiors. All soldiers of each clan are not from the Korleno family. They were introduced into the clan. Each sheep is unique as it is non-generated 3d and purely 1 to 1 hand crafted and rendered (four levels Alpha/Genesis/Superiors/Soldiers).
Rarity 1 [Alpha]: Alpha is the leader of each clan. There is only 1 alpha per clan. It has its own story and personality. It has a 3d background that represents its characters.
Rarity 2 [Genesis]: Each clan has 5 – 8 Genesis. They are the most powerful characters among the others. They work closely with their Alpha. Each character has their own characteristics, and their main purpose is to serve and protect their Alpha. They also have their own 3d background, individually designed and rendered according to their personality.
Rarity 3 [Superiors]: Superior Sheep is Genesis' assistant. They will act according to the order of their origin. Their main purpose is to protect Alpha and the clan. Their backgrounds are two-dimensional graphics.
Rarity 4 [Soldiers]: Soldiers are the most common character in the flock. Their main purpose is to serve and protect their clan, just to survive within the clan. It has a versatile and clean background.
Trend inspiration:
The Sheep Fellas has opened up a new way of playing. It is no longer an NFT with a single different image. They use a family as the image structure. The image of each NFT has its own mission, which is extended to different image display focuses, giving the entire project consistency and structure. This also expands everyone's structural thinking in creating NFT. It is no longer about creating different images because of the world, but about creating design refinements and a sense of belonging based on gangs or families.
7. INTO THE METAVERSE - Adidas Originals
Adidas has created an NFT with the team behind Bored Ape Yacht Club, Gmoney and Punks Comic. The owner of the adidas NFT named "Into the Metaverse" will gain exclusive access to various adidas Originals experiences and products. As the NFT serves as a pass to virtual land and free collaboration items, the owner can gain access to block-based Chain’s game “The Sandbox” wears related virtual devices.
This is adidas’ first series of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens—essentially verified digital collectibles. NFTs act as blockchain-based certificates of ownership, allowing works to be authenticated, purchased and collected. The brand has partnered with some of the biggest names in NFTs to create the collection: Bored Ape Yacht Club, gmoney, and Punk Comics creators.
adidas, whose collaborators on Into the Metaverse include Bored Ape Yacht Club, which created the ape head, are positioning the release as a way to engage with fans and join the "creative frontier."
As part of the launch, adidas also purchased its first NFT – Ape #8774. The club offers some perks to its owners, which are now available to Adidas. Adidas has also acquired a virtual land within The Sandbox, which it plans to populate with "exclusive content and experiences."
The artists behind Punks Comic, an NFT comic with physical elements, are also involved in the adidas collection. Digital products will be used in The Sandbox’s blockchain-based gaming world and other platforms, while physical products will include hoodies, sportswear and more. suit and gmoney’s signature orange beanie. While Adidas has embraced NFTs, the technology is controversial because of the amount of content and cutting-edge technology it requires.
trend inspiration:
makes 2D three-dimensional, combines the goods purchased by users with NFT, and can obtain the virtual image of NFT while purchasing the goods, and attempts to break through the commercial promotion. It is not only a business alliance, but also expands the interaction between products and virtual characters, satisfying the sense of connection between the owner and the brand.
03 Future Enlightenment
As the popularity of NFT characters increases, different painting style dimensions and visual display methods allow users to expand and expand countless reveries while browsing. Maybe you are just an ordinary person in this world, but in the metaverse you are a famous person with super powers who amazes the world. Perhaps one day soon, everyone will be able to enter different metaverses and have different images in different metaverses to satisfy their own infinite possibilities and creativity.
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source public account: Tencent ISUX (ID: tencent_isux), Tencent Social User Experience Design, referred to as ISUX (Internet Social User Experience), is the core design team of Tencent , responsible for the user experience design and research of Tencent social network related products.
This article is published by Everyone is a Product Manager cooperative media @Tencent ISUX with the authorization of Everyone is a Product Manager. Reprinting without permission is prohibited. The
title picture comes from Unsplash and is based on the CC0 license.
