Looking for the best NFT to buy? We pick our favourite new projects and artists to support.
(Image credit: Chums)
The best NFT to buy will be personal to everyone, whether it's an experimental video, photo or new artwork. In this feature we'll aim to pick some of the best new NFTs that we like, but keep in mind this isn't financial or investor advice. In our opinion the best NFTs to buy are ones that have a purpose and a cause, as well as being good artistically.
So what are NFTs? These non-fungible tokens are a way of registering digital files on a blockchain, which creates scarcity and uniqueness. If you want to create an NFT for free, we have a guide; we also have a feature of NFT trends and have had a great interview with VFX supervisor Bilali Mack on NFT art: how the future of NFTs will empower artists.
While NFTs grab the headlines for selling for silly amounts of money behind the big name projects are new and interesting NFTs that have broader aims, to help and support communities and artists. These NFTs with utility are an excellent place to start if you've never looked at an NFT before. So, let's have a look at our picks.
This NFT will promote a physical work-space and gallery, a digital community, a charity fund and more (Image credit: World of Alidia)
01. World of Alidia
This female focused, and female led profile pic project aims to be different from the rest by empowering female artists; 10% of all sales from the 10k images being minted in May will go into a secure wallet and used as a fund to help businesses and artists. World of Alidia is also billed as Scandinavia's first serious NFT project.
Holders of World of Alidia NFTs will get access to an WoA Hub, and this will be a digital and physical space based in Stockholm. The WoA Hub will offer a co-working space for new businesses, freelancers and artists as well as fund a gallery space and free concerts for World of Alidia owners. If you can't come in person then events will be live-streamed over Web 3.0.
World of Alidia will also give 5 % of all royalties from the secondary sales to charity. This fund will go towards research for ME/CFS, a cause close to the hearts of founders Vanja Wikström and Niklas Malmqvist.
So let's talk about the art: each NFT is hand-drawn by artist Fanny Schultz and the 10k variants are created from 450 possible character traits, including skin type, clothing, facial expressions and more. These are unique, beautiful illustrations inspired by nature.
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Buying a Mavion NFT gets you digital art and a related physical accessory in order to support independent designers (Image credit: Mavion)
02. Mavion
This new fashion NFT aims to be one of the first to combine physical and digital items in one release; Mavion will offer in real like fashion accessories such as earrings, rings, necklaces and bags as well as digital assets. The aim is to offer new revenue streams for both NFT holders and independent designers.
Mavion has been founded by Michelle Reeves and Andrea Siegel, Reeves has history with NFTs after launching the website wagmi.nft to help newcomers understand non-fungible tokens and promote vetted projects. In a similar vein Mavion's 5000 unique NFTs give independent designers and artists greater visibility and offers a secure platform to scale their fashion brands.
Each NFT holder from this first collection will receive a limited physical accessory, the same one as seen in their artwork, as well as an AR version. NFT owners also gain 1% royalties of all future sales as well as rights to the fashion accessories if used in the metaverse, video games, or commercials.
Dippies promises to promote a generous community and fund metaverse projects from within (Image credit: Dippies)
The cute hippie illustrations are attempting to build a new free world in Web 3.0. The 8,888 unique digital hippies can be bought and sold on OpenSea and Rarible, and each one offers access into the Dippie community.
There are a number of interesting ideas in the Dippies NFT that could be interesting. For example, The Fire Pit is a communal space all Dippies have access to where owners can decide the future of the NFT. Each Dippie offers one vote. (The hippie dream could be offset slightly by early adopters owning more Dippies than newcomers.)
Dippies have been around for some time but this year will see the second leg of this NFT's roadmap; 25% of all sales has gone into a Dippie Stash that will fund new projects, including a VR experience, potential metaverse projects and in real life events. The fund is also being used to pay for jobs within the community.
Proof of Beauty turns moments on the Ethereum blockchain into digital artwork (Image credit: Proof of Beauty)
04. Proof of Beauty
The art project Proof of Beauty aims to turn nostalgia into art by turning historic blockchain data into works of art, or "Archiving Ethereum's units of history" as the studio puts it. It's an experimental NFT art studio with a ramshackle lo-fi aesthetic, but the idea is interesting. It's not a fad, either, as Proof of Beauty is already into its fourth project.
Each project – Hash, London, etc – celebrates moments in Ethereum's life. The price of Proof of Beauty NFTs vary wildly, we guess depending on the moment on the blockchain they represent. Pandemic Sunset is priced at over $30 million while most come in around $140. If you do buy one, there's a print option on the Proof of Beauty site.
The interest in Proof of Beauty is not monetary, however, but conceptual. This is an interesting NFT project that aims to visualise a mood or feeling for something lost or a moment in time through generative art; in that respect it's quite personal. Are NFTs art? Perhaps.
The Chum Chums promise an art fund to support artists, charities and carbon offsetting (Image credit: Chum Chums)
05. Chum Chums
There's a whimsical sense of nostalgia to the Chum Chums collection of 5,700 character illustrations inspired by Kawaii art; a Japanese artistic and cultural style that emphasises the quality of cuteness through simple yet bold lineart and vibrant colours.
Each Chum Chums character is designed to celebrate "creativity, belonging and inclusivity" according to the collection's website. Each Chum hugs a little Chum, hence the name, kind of. Given the pitch, building a strong and friendly community is central to this NFT collection.
A portion of each Chum Chums sale goes into an art fund designed to support under-represented artists from around the world. The plans for the future of this NFT include, collaborations, charitable support, carbon offsetting, and the creation of an education hub. As well as this, let's not forget Chum Chums look absolutely adorable. If you do get one, why not look at one of the best NFT displays to show it off.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific financial or investment advice or recommendations for any individual for any investment product. The article is only intended to provide general information and opinions about NFTs. The views reflected in this article are subject to change at any time without notice.
Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.
