Yuga Labs, a prominent player in the web3 industry, renowned for its notable projects such as CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), and Meebits, has announced its partnership with Zak Group, a globally recognized design firm. The partnership aims to encapsulate CryptoPunks, one of the earliest NFT collections, in a comprehensive book on their legacy.
The CryptoPunks collection comprises 10,000 distinct, generatively created avatars whose ownership proof resides on the Ethereum blockchain. Matt Hall and John Watkinson, the technological minds behind Larva Labs, conceived this project, which many say sparked the contemporary CryptoArt movement and fostering a consistent community around it.
An Intimate Glimpse into the World of CryptoPunks
The collaboration between Yuga Labs and Zak Group aims to illuminate the CryptoPunks collection’s untold narratives, inviting the community to reflect on their experiences as CryptoPunks ascended to cultural prominence.
The proposed catalog will detail every Punk. It will also feature contributions from renowned figures in web3, digital art, design, and techs such as SnowFro, Beeple, 6529, Deafbeef, and even the Larva Labs founders themselves. Moreover, it promises to showcase content from the CryptoPunks community Discord and Twitter, offering an authentic record of the dynamic community that shaped CryptoPunks.
“CryptoPunks is an iconic collection that has transcended crypto into broader culture,” stated Greg Solano, Co-Founder of Yuga Labs. “This book is a catalog of that rich history, in the highest quality rendering, that we hope will serve as a source of inspiration for the Punks community and beyond.”
Echoing this sentiment, Zak Kyes, Creative Director of Zak Group, stated, “CryptoPunks is a collision between art, design, and the internet in the 21st century. This book is an opportunity to give shape to culture in real time. Together with Yuga Labs, we have invited artists, technologists, curators– and, of course, the Punks themselves– to create an all-in-one DIY user manual, archive, and catalogue raisonnè.”
Community Involvement and Future Trajectory
CryptoPunks is taking a unique approach towards publishing this book, prioritizing transparency in its creative process. The community, a significant driving force for the brand’s evolution, is offered the opportunity to provide direct input as the project progresses. Anticipated pre-sales of the catalog are scheduled to kick-off in the autumn of 2023, with the completed publication targeted for a winter release.
Yuga Labs’ initiatives aim to reinvent what real-world utility for NFTs looks like. They strive to push the space forward as a whole by starting with imagination, not limitations.
Their Bored Ape Yacht Club collection, launched in April 2021, has made headlines as one of the first companies to release IP licenses to NFT holders. They have also acquired and released rights to other top collections, such as CryptoPunks and Meebits.
