[intro]
IN LATE 2020, NFTS EXPLODED IN POPULARITY. BUT MOST NFTS WERE STILL JUST STATIC JPEGS. EVERYONE KEPT ASKING THE SAME THING:
“WHY PAY FOR AN NFT IF YOU CAN JUST COPY THE IMAGE?”
IT WAS A FAIR QUESTION. BUT I BELIEVED THERE WAS MORE TO IT. THAT PIXELS AND TECHNOLOGY COULD TURN DATA INTO A LIVING STORY.
[opportunity]
In 2022, that idea finally became a reality.
At Zerion, we were preparing to launch the Wallet. It was a major release, and we wanted to support it with an NFT campaign. We kicked off planning in early January with a tight deadline to finish everything by the wallet launch in June.
I gathered all ideas from our previous NFT projects, and we started shaping the foundation. The first task was essential: define a clear vision.
After several discussions, we landed on this guiding idea:
The NFT should intuitively onboard users. It should evolve as they explore Web3. Every action should shape their on-chain identity, making it visible to the world.
This idea changed how we saw the wallet and users. Every onchain interaction became a signal. Some users transact often. Others hold many tokens. Everyone uses different chains. Together, these behaviors form a pattern — a living digital identity.
[structure]
With the vision set, we moved to the logic. Six core attributes emerged as a reflection of on-chain identity:
NFT age
Gas spent
Number of transactions
Wallet balance
Number of tokens
Network balance
These signals matched how users interact with Web3 and aligned with one of Zerion’s biggest strengths: interpreting blockchain data.
The hardest part was visualizing this evolution. Everyone imagined it differently, from branching lines to abstract shapes and entire ecosystems. We agreed that the system had to be visually strong, instantly readable, and usable as a profile picture (PFP).
After several iterations, we found the structure and grouped the attributes into two types:
3 progressive attributes that only moved upward
3 dynamic attributes that could rise or fall
Each attribute is mapped directly to a visual layer. Onchain data drove every visual change, making the identity readable at a glance. It worked as a PFP where each layer told a clear story about its owner.
[principle]
[exploration]
With the concept defined, I started looking for a creative partner who could bring it to life.
I reached out through Instagram and contacted dozens of studios. Eventually, I found artists, and while the results were interesting, they didn’t match the abstract, emotional tone I had in mind.
After a few rounds of iteration, it became clear that we needed a different approach and a more experienced team.
[limits]
As more time passed, the technical limitations became obvious. At that point, there was only a basic understanding of how evolving NFTs worked at scale. Every expert I spoke with said the same thing:
Our original idea would require far more time, budget, and computational power than we had.
The deeper the exploration went, the more impossible it seemed.
During these conversations, I heard the advice. “You need Houdini.” At first, I thought we needed a magician… But Houdini turned out to be software used for generative 3D visuals, used in complex digital art projects. That was my first real clue about where to go next.
Understanding generative art helped me see how logic and visuals could work together, which shaped the next search for a team capable of building it.
[breakthrough]
One of our founders connected me with Snark.art. They loved the concept, but the good news ended with a simple “but.” Pure procedural generation would require enormous compute power, and rendering a single NFT could take hours.
During the call, we stumbled onto an idea that changed everything.
Instead of generating each NFT entirely through code, we could pre-generate the visual levels and states, upload them as PNG layers, and assemble each NFT image dynamically on our backend. Some parts would appear at mint. Others would evolve over time based on the wallet state. The NFT would still feel unique and alive, without the heavy computational cost.
It was the breakthrough we needed. Not fully decentralized, but practical, scalable, and true to the spirit of the idea.
[execution]
With this refined plan, I contacted Shuka, the studio that had helped with Zerion’s rebranding. After presenting the updated concept, they agreed to join the project. For the first time in months, momentum returned to the project. We had about three months left to produce everything: visuals, backend, protocol, integration, product, and marketing.
On this project, I worked closely with their Design Director, and it was an absolute pleasure. The amount of work ahead was huge, but the process felt structured and collaborative.
Still, one challenge stood above all: the body. The body was the core of the onchain identity. The idea of transparency evolving over time sounded simple, but it was technically the hardest part.
A shape was needed that could grow across multiple levels, remain visually consistent, and allow other layers to sit on top with proper shadows, depth, and dimension. The most intense debates centered around the body. There was a strong design vision, but it had to coexist with the realities of 3D production.
Finding balance took dozens of experiments and unexpected solutions.
[sketches]
TO KEEP THE SYSTEM COHERENT, WE DEFINED THE EMOTIONAL TONE OF EACH BODY TYPE BEFORE GOING DEEPER INTO PRODUCTION WITH OTHER LAYERS.
EXTRAVERT
CHEERFUL, SOFT, BRIGHT, ACTIVE, ROUNDED, PUFFY SHAPES
INTROVERT
SERIOUS, SYMMETRICAL, GEOMETRIC FORMS, DENSE SURFACES
BALANCE
LIGHT, AIRY, GENTLE, CAPES AND LIGHT MATERIALS
[BODY LAYER]
We found the final pose and shape for the body and added levels to it. Over time, the body would evolve from solid to fully transparent. The concept came from the idea of blockchain transparency.
[HEAD LAYER]
Then we started with the Head. The head evolved based on your total number of transactions. It was a static attribute, since transaction count only grows.
[CLOTHING LAYER]
Wallet balance defines the complexity of clothing. The higher the balance, the more complex the style. Pure dynamic attribute, because balances naturally rise and fall.
[FILLING LAYER]
This layer reflected how many different tokens you held. It sat within the body, becoming more visible as the body grew transparent. More tokens created more internal elements.
[BACKGROUND LAYER]
The background represented the total gas spent and visualized the intensity of your onchain activity.
[COLOR LAYER]
We noticed that Web3 communities often express their identity through colors. We wanted the NFT to capture that feeling of belonging. Since Zerion supported about eleven networks at launch, the NFT’s dominant color matched the network where you held the highest balance.
[website]
The launch of Zerion DNA far exceeded our expectations. In the first hours after minting opened in May 2022, the smart contract became the 4th biggest gas consumer on Ethereum. It was right behind giants like USDT, Uniswap, and OpenSea.
To bring DNA to life, we created thousands of unique visual layers, and it took an entire week to render and optimize everything.
More than 35,000 DNAs were minted in the first 2 weeks. By 2025, the collection grew to over 349,000 unique holders, at one point becoming the second-largest NFT collection on Ethereum by unique owners.
The reaction from the community was incredible. People immediately connected with the idea of a living onchain identity. Many users proudly showed off their DNA as PFP. 750k+ impressions from viral tweets!
The free mint lowered the barrier to entry. The mint became one of the most effective user acquisition tools we ever built: the NFT required users to download and use the wallet. What started as an idea about dynamic identity became a long-term system with engagement that lasted years.
Zerion DNA became the first scalable user-centric representation of an entire onchain life. Even well-known KOLs were amazed by it, calling it one of the freshest ideas in the space at that time.
[reflection]
[thanks]
I am deeply grateful to everyone at Zerion who contributed to this project. It was a truly collective effort. Everyone was passionate, involved, and committed to bringing it to life. Without your talent and hard work, this project would not have been possible.
For me, this remains one of the most inspiring projects of my career. What started as a campaign for the wallet release grew into something much bigger, not only for Zerion but for Web3 community.