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The Noun Project: Creating The World’s Visual Language

Designer Fund
2 min read

Communication is the glue that holds society together by enabling us to interact. It’s societal impact is fundamental. However, there are so many diverse types of communication forms that we’ve yet to truly have a global language. Until now.

The Noun Project is becoming a platform for the world’s visual language that everyone can understand. Symbols, in particular, have the ability to transcend cultural and language barriers and deliver concise information effortlessly and instantaneously, like the recent UN symbol library.

We Share A Mission

At the Designer Fund our mission is to invest in designers creating businesses with positive social impact. Based on The Noun Project’s vision, we believe they have the intention to do good and do well as a company. One of their founders, Scott Thomas, has a track record of meaningful design work such as his branding of Barack Obama’s  2008 Presidential Campaign. We echo his belief that the tools through which we live should improve life.

Making Impact

The Noun Project continues to empower their international community with over 3.5 million symbol downloads and an ever-growing community of 12,000+ users contributing. This is just the beginning of the value they’re creating.

Evolving A Platform

The Noun Project has recently introduced new features that will enable contributors to gain recognition as well as earn money for their designs. Launching these features answers the on-going requests from The Noun Project’s passionate community while furthering its mission of creating, sharing and celebrating the world’s visual language.

  • Community-Driven Earning: With the most recent release designers can now earn money by allowing users to pay a small fee instead of following the attribution requirement when using their symbols. Including proper attribution isn’t always easy or possible, especially when trying to unobtrusively place credits in commercial or artistic work.
Introducing this alternative for attributing a symbol gives more people access to the symbols no matter where they’re used, and provides an additional incentive for talented designers to contribute to the collection. Sofya Polyakov, cofounder and CEO of The Noun Project

Image of Attribution Waver, ability to purchase

Wave attribution by purchasing the symbol

  • Bolstering The Community: The Noun Project has also added user profiles. These profiles are also now available for contributors to showcase and promote their designs.  This makes for a more efficient and fun way to view the collection, enabling the community to discover all the symbols created by their favorite designers in one place.

Image of an example of a Profile on The Noun Project

 Get Involved

If you’re looking to improve your visual communication, or if you’re a designer looking to contribute, join our community and let’s improve the world’s visual language together.