CryptoPunks: Free to Claim

2024 A comprehensive monograph.
Worked with Zak Group to explore the meteoric rise of a preeminent NFT collectible. Published by Phaidon 

hub.cryptopunks.app/goods

Created with Zak Group and published by Phaidon, CryptoPunks: Free to Claim explores the meteoric rise of a pre-eminent NFT collectible: what began as an experiment in digital ownership has become the catalyst for a digital art movement and a dynamic subculture synonymous with a new age of the internet.

The book is a comprehensive monograph that includes all 10,000 CryptoPunks presented in a special 400+ page catalogue raisonné, a timeline providing a zine-like assemblage of community member posts and tweets as they happened; and an extensive glossary that defines more than 100 anonymously-authored terms and ideas.

With an in-depth interview between Hans Ulrich Obrist (Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries) and CryptoPunks founders Matt Hall and John Watkinson, this cult and category-defining book features a kaleidoscopic collection of texts, interviews, and visual essays exploring this emerging world of web3 and digital culture at large – inspiring a first wave of visual books on this groundbreaking subject.

The book is for all levels of knowledge and features unique contributions from fascinating figures in tech, design, fashion, finance, and contemporary art including: Alexis Ohanian (Reddit), Mat Dryhurst, Noam Segal (Guggenheim), Philippe Bettinelli and Marcella Lista (Centre Pompidou), Michael Connor (Rhizome), Mindy Seu, Chris Lyons (a16z), Salome Asega (NEW INC), Simon Denny, Shumon Basar, Martina Tiefenthaler (Balenciaga), NEW MODELS, Rival Strategy, among others.

CRYPTOPUNKS BRAND + WEBSITE

01-2024

An archive and living source of truth for project info and initiatives — the new CryptoPunks brand hub was launched as part of a greater objective to reach a wider audience and deliver more up-to-date messaging on future-facing developments.

The CryptoPunks project started with its marketplace app in 2017, which is often considered a work of art to blockchain enthusiasts and revered for its technological innovation at the time and cruciality for the current trading ecosystem. Up until recently, that was the only central source of information for the project, leaving out a number of years since its inception and preventing more current updates due to the historical importance of its code.

Through design and development partners Alright Studio, the new website became a reflection of both the past and future of the project, and will function as a key touchpoint for both existing community members and new blockchain-curious viewership.

It’s a meaningful interpretation of early internet culture and modern brutalism, filled with subtle nods to the pixel origins of the art. The design is intentional and direct, grounded in a grid system that creates a museum-quality gravitas and playful dynamism, and a visual aesthetic that balances the tension between nostalgia and innovation.

Live Site