We are proud to announce the collaborative project between 0xhaiku and Hideki Inaba, titled “Hash” and “Preview”. “Hash” is a font designed by Hideki Inaba, and “Preview” is a customizable NFT by 0xhaiku. Using the permanently accessible font “Hash” engraved on the blockchain, we have created the NFT “Preview” to encourage co-creation and competition among collectors. We invite you to join this historic work, inspired by the comprehensive book “THE NEW CREATOR ECONOMY” that addressed the potential of NFTs released last year.

The Concept is “Font”

The word “font” is said to originate from the Latin word “font-” meaning a fountain or source, referring to a container for holding typefaces. The invention of fonts or movable type can be attributed to Johannes Gutenberg, a 15th-century German printer, marking the beginning of mass book printing using individually cast characters. The invention of printing brought about a revolution in information dissemination and preservation, laying the groundwork for modern media society.

Such “fonts”, with the advent of DTP (Desktop Publishing), have presented new opportunities for creators. For instance, Emigre, an American type foundry, introduced and sold radical and experimental fonts, pioneering a new visual communication style dubbed as postmodern design. Since then, various designed fonts have enlivened media such as magazines and posters. Fonts have become a medium for creative expression, not just conveying information but also the mood and style specific to an era.

The Blockchain-Engraved Font “Hash”

The font “Hash”, designed by Hideki Inaba, revisits the 90s design font movement. The new culture established by the spread of DTP and design fonts can also be considered as a precursor to the democratization of expression brought by NFTs. To celebrate the intersection of this past and present history, the font “Hash” has been engraved on the blockchain. Fonts engraved on the Ethereum chain are guaranteed to last as long as Ethereum persists.

Etherscan
https://etherscan.io/address/0x0341618d556e503c13887aa299a08d033c7ccbac#code

Being tamper-proof and fully transparent, the blockchain offers a space accessible to everyone without permission. Placing something there could be seen as creating a form of public good, akin to sowing seeds of creativity. “Hash” is open not just for the present generation but also for potential future users.

Customizable NFT “Preview”

The NFT artwork “Preview” by 0xhaiku utilizes the on-chain font “Hash” and is a customizable NFT. It’s conceived as an application for previewing the font. A unique feature of this artwork allows collectors to select their preferred “color”. The number of available colors is 4,096 (expressed in 3-digit color codes). Collectors can freely choose the font and background colors from these 4,096 options.

Every Piece Has a Unique Combination

There’s a single rule for this artwork: a color can only be used once across the entire collection. This ensures that each piece has a distinct color palette. Animation is also determined by the chosen color values, generating unique movement patterns from the selected colors. By exploring the mint site, one can experience how color and animation change in tandem.

Two colors, one for the font and one for the background, are needed per rule. Therefore, with every artwork minted, two color choices are taken out of the equation. While the first collector has 4,096 color choices, the available combinations decrease over time. As a result, “Preview” will have a maximum of 2,048 editions.

Though color choice is an important expression method, the “Preview” narrows down its freedom of expression, increasing the challenge to finalize an artwork. Collectors are challenged to explore combinations from the 4,096 colors and solidify them as NFTs before someone else uses them. This rule fosters co-creation between collectors and artists but also induces competition among collectors.

In Conclusion

The on-chain font “Hash”, designed to celebrate the creative culture and democratization of expression brought about by NFT technology, and the NFT “Preview” that visualizes the new relationship of “co-creation” and “competition” between collectors and artists, is a historic work brought to life by the collaboration between 0xhaiku and Hideki Inaba. We would be honored if you could participate in this historic endeavor.

Appendix: How to Use the “Hash” Font in p5.js

p5.js provides a function called loadFont(), which can be used to load fonts within the preload() function. preload() is a function designed to fully load files before the sketch runs.