Artists and collectors often ask us: “Are artworks created using your tools stored on-chain?” We answer this with an enthusiastic “It depends!” This is because we pride ourselves on providing options to artists instead of dictating a specific approach, including how they choose to bring their works on-chain. In this post and subsequent updates, we share the longer answer. It’s Not a Binary Question Many people consider “on-chain” as binary—an artwork is either on-chain or off-chain. But, as a...

Artists and collectors often ask us: “Are artworks created using your tools stored on-chain?” We answer this with an enthusiastic “It depends!” This is because we pride ourselves on providing options to artists instead of dictating a specific approach, including how they choose to bring their works on-chain. In this post and subsequent updates, we share the longer answer. It’s Not a Binary Question Many people consider “on-chain” as binary—an artwork is either on-chain or off-chain. But, as a...

We’re announcing a new generative developer platform today called Gengine™ and opening up private beta to interested artists and developers. If you’re interested in using Gengine, send us an email with details on your project to gm@highlight.xyz. The engineering team at Highlight has been hard at work on a brand new offering, aimed at artists, developers and platforms. We’re calling it Gengine (as in generative engine). It takes the fundamental components of Highlight’s generative art workflo...

We’re announcing a new generative developer platform today called Gengine™ and opening up private beta to interested artists and developers. If you’re interested in using Gengine, send us an email with details on your project to gm@highlight.xyz. The engineering team at Highlight has been hard at work on a brand new offering, aimed at artists, developers and platforms. We’re calling it Gengine (as in generative engine). It takes the fundamental components of Highlight’s generative art workflo...

This post is a companion to our marketplace launch announcement. In building our marketplace, on behalf of the community we did a deep-dive on royalties to bring transparency to them and hold ourselves accountable. See our public Dune dashboards, on which this analysis is based, here. Quick summary:Effective royalty rates for Ethereum NFTs have taken a nosedive in the past two years. Today, the average rate is about 0.8%, down 84% from about 5% just two years ago.Artists and creators have mis...

This post is a companion to our marketplace launch announcement. In building our marketplace, on behalf of the community we did a deep-dive on royalties to bring transparency to them and hold ourselves accountable. See our public Dune dashboards, on which this analysis is based, here. Quick summary:Effective royalty rates for Ethereum NFTs have taken a nosedive in the past two years. Today, the average rate is about 0.8%, down 84% from about 5% just two years ago.Artists and creators have mis...

Hey there! Today is the start of our effort to catalog and explain issues artists encounter during their creative journey while using Highlight. As such, please check out our new Github FAQ page, and play around with a brand new “advanced” p5.js example project featuring dice that have different rules when minting exactly 6 at once (how exciting!) The FAQ will be updated regularly when new questions surface, so when you encounter a problem, please check there first. Happy creative coding!

Hey there! Today is the start of our effort to catalog and explain issues artists encounter during their creative journey while using Highlight. As such, please check out our new Github FAQ page, and play around with a brand new “advanced” p5.js example project featuring dice that have different rules when minting exactly 6 at once (how exciting!) The FAQ will be updated regularly when new questions surface, so when you encounter a problem, please check there first. Happy creative coding!

We’re already a month into 2024 and the digital art world is moving as fast as ever. In no particular order, here are the most relevant trends to watch shaping the space in 2024. What did I miss or get wrong? Send me a DM on Farcaster. 1. Expansion of “generative” to encompass much more. In 2024, “generative” is no longer constrained to “long-form” projects and is rightly being used to define other types of dynamic, digitally native code-based works. This includes any project that involves au...

We’re already a month into 2024 and the digital art world is moving as fast as ever. In no particular order, here are the most relevant trends to watch shaping the space in 2024. What did I miss or get wrong? Send me a DM on Farcaster. 1. Expansion of “generative” to encompass much more. In 2024, “generative” is no longer constrained to “long-form” projects and is rightly being used to define other types of dynamic, digitally native code-based works. This includes any project that involves au...

Starting today, Generative Series collections created on Highlight can be imported into Foundation Worlds. This partnership is a milestone for several reasons. First, it’s clear that digital artists need more options when it comes to releasing their work. As the first open-access generative art platform on Ethereum, we’ve believed in open tooling and providing options to artists since our launch. Now, our partnership with Foundation allows artists to maintain full control over their work whil...

Starting today, Generative Series collections created on Highlight can be imported into Foundation Worlds. This partnership is a milestone for several reasons. First, it’s clear that digital artists need more options when it comes to releasing their work. As the first open-access generative art platform on Ethereum, we’ve believed in open tooling and providing options to artists since our launch. Now, our partnership with Foundation allows artists to maintain full control over their work whil...

The OMEGA Code goes live at 8am PT / 11am ET / 5pm CET on Highlight on December 8. Over a prolific 30-year career pioneering code-based artwork, Joshua Davis has evangelized creative coding as his North Star since glimpsing its potential in 1994. Known by his alias Praystation, Davis preached generative art’s promise at 2005’s TED Conference and then witnessed his fringe prophecy inch towards mainstream adoption. Now, amidst the digital art renaissance, Davis revisits a seminal project that h...

The OMEGA Code goes live at 8am PT / 11am ET / 5pm CET on Highlight on December 8. Over a prolific 30-year career pioneering code-based artwork, Joshua Davis has evangelized creative coding as his North Star since glimpsing its potential in 1994. Known by his alias Praystation, Davis preached generative art’s promise at 2005’s TED Conference and then witnessed his fringe prophecy inch towards mainstream adoption. Now, amidst the digital art renaissance, Davis revisits a seminal project that h...

A version of this post originally appeared on my website at philmohun.com Through my work with Bright Moments, I’ve spoken with numerous artists about how to sell long-form generative art collections. I have now put this advice into an essay to share with a wider audience.SupplySupply is the number of onchain outputs produced by a specific algorithm. Before launching a collection, artists often enforce a supply number that caps a collection to a certain number of mints. Knowing this number he...

A version of this post originally appeared on my website at philmohun.com Through my work with Bright Moments, I’ve spoken with numerous artists about how to sell long-form generative art collections. I have now put this advice into an essay to share with a wider audience.SupplySupply is the number of onchain outputs produced by a specific algorithm. Before launching a collection, artists often enforce a supply number that caps a collection to a certain number of mints. Knowing this number he...

Diaphanous goes live at 8am PT / 11am ET / 5pm CET on Highlight on December 8. Whether gazing at soaring Gothic cathedrals or a spider’s web, generative artist Landlines sees intricacy and wonder emerging from simple rules and repetition. He channels this appreciation into code, architecting layered systems that manifest mesmerizing digital artworks. Landlines has been investigating the intersection between code and various artistic mediums for over a decade, with a focus on music and visual ...

Diaphanous goes live at 8am PT / 11am ET / 5pm CET on Highlight on December 8. Whether gazing at soaring Gothic cathedrals or a spider’s web, generative artist Landlines sees intricacy and wonder emerging from simple rules and repetition. He channels this appreciation into code, architecting layered systems that manifest mesmerizing digital artworks. Landlines has been investigating the intersection between code and various artistic mediums for over a decade, with a focus on music and visual ...

Highlight’s Jake Allen reports from Berlin on AGH 1, a single-day exhibition with mints opening on December 13I just got back from Berlin for AGH 1—a collaborative show between Andreas Gysin, Kim Asendorf, and Leander Herzog, supported by Grailers, Fingerprints and Highlight. I wanted to share a bit about the experience and a few simple impressions of the show. The show itself took place at Funkhaus, which was apparently an old radio building at one point. There was a bit of disagreement abou...

Highlight’s Jake Allen reports from Berlin on AGH 1, a single-day exhibition with mints opening on December 13I just got back from Berlin for AGH 1—a collaborative show between Andreas Gysin, Kim Asendorf, and Leander Herzog, supported by Grailers, Fingerprints and Highlight. I wanted to share a bit about the experience and a few simple impressions of the show. The show itself took place at Funkhaus, which was apparently an old radio building at one point. There was a bit of disagreement abou...

Today, Highlight is launching a secondary marketplace for digital artworks created using our toolkit. Below is a detailed post explaining why and how we built it. Here’s a quick summary:Our marketplace offers artist- and collector-friendly features not found in any major marketplace. We have a lot more in store, but today’s launch includes:Rewards. To start, you’ll automatically be eligible for allow-list spots for curated primary drops by creating and/or buying Highlight-native listings.Conv...

Today, Highlight is launching a secondary marketplace for digital artworks created using our toolkit. Below is a detailed post explaining why and how we built it. Here’s a quick summary:Our marketplace offers artist- and collector-friendly features not found in any major marketplace. We have a lot more in store, but today’s launch includes:Rewards. To start, you’ll automatically be eligible for allow-list spots for curated primary drops by creating and/or buying Highlight-native listings.Conv...

“Sometimes I Sing Back“ begins minting on December 13th at 9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET / 5pm CET on Highlight. Adam Genlight translates code into inventive, interactive artwork focused on fostering wonder. Now, after almost a year of pruning, refining, and gardening, he’s set to release an expansive new generative series titled Sometimes I Sing Back. An open edition of responsive, generative, infinitely composable flowers that respond to user inputs, he sees the work as his own creative manife...

“Sometimes I Sing Back“ begins minting on December 13th at 9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET / 5pm CET on Highlight. Adam Genlight translates code into inventive, interactive artwork focused on fostering wonder. Now, after almost a year of pruning, refining, and gardening, he’s set to release an expansive new generative series titled Sometimes I Sing Back. An open edition of responsive, generative, infinitely composable flowers that respond to user inputs, he sees the work as his own creative manife...