What is TheNounProject.com?

TheNounProject.com, also known as the Noun Project, is a website that aggregates and catalogs symbols created and uploaded by graphic designers around the world. It's a resource for people in search of typographic symbols and a design history of the genre.
The Noun Project features a diverse collection of free icons and stock photos. It offers over 5 million art-quality icons and free photos available for download in SVG and PNG formats. The platform supports a global visual language that unites us.
Users can drag and drop icons into the software they use, and access vector, png, & pdf from Mac, PowerPoint, Adobe, Google, and more. All images are available as free downloads, but users can also purchase a royalty-free license to support artists and get more options.
The Noun Project also provides access to the entire icon collection via their REST API. It's a valuable resource for anyone needing icons or visual representations for their projects.

How do I contribute to The Noun Project?

Contributing to The Noun Project involves the following steps:

1. Create Your Icons: Design your icons following the guidelines provided by The Noun Project.
2. Upload Your Icons: Easily upload your icons and define them on The Noun Project platform.
3. Add Search Words: Make your icons discoverable by adding relevant search words.
4. Choose a License: License your icons under Creative Commons or Public Domain.
5. Moderation and Curation: Once uploaded, icons are put through The Noun Project's moderation and curation process. If they meet the standards, they will be accepted as part of the visual language.
6. Earn Royalties: Earn money each time your icons get purchased. You earn 60% royalties when someone pays for your icon through a single purchase. If a user pays for a subscription, pre-pays for future icons, or uses The Noun Project's API, 40% of their payment is added to each royalty pool.
   As a contributor, you will have your own Noun Profile to showcase your work and promote your design talents. You can also earn some cash with your icons!
   Please note that currently, photo contribution is by invitation only. If you're interested in contributing photos, you can apply through the form provided on their website.

What are the guidelines for designing icons?

The Noun Project has specific design and technical guidelines for creating icons. Here are the key points:

1. Artboard: Create a 100px by 100px artboard in your design software.
2. Color: The color of your icon should be true black. Use hex value #000000.
3. Strokes: There should be no strokes in the final icon design. Strokes may be used during the design process, but should be converted to compound paths once completed.
4. Merge Shapes: Merge all shapes using the Unite tool, sometimes called “Add to Shape Area.” This should remove faint lines that appear in your design.
5. Center Your Icon: Always center your icon using the vertical and horizontal centering tools. Give your icon a 2–5px buffer to prevent it from falling off the edges of the artboard.
6. Grouping: Once you have completed your icon design, ungroup any shapes in your icon and use compound paths.
7. Remove Hidden Artifacts and Scraps: Remove any hidden artifacts that may appear on or off the artboard.
8. Technical Guidelines: Icons should be all fill without any strokes. Overlapping shapes should be merged together and separate shapes should be ungrouped. The design must use only black and not apply gradients. The largest dimension (width or length) must be 100px, and the file must be formatted as a Scalable Vector Graphic (.SVG).
   Remember, all icons go through a moderation and curation process before they’re approved on the website. Following these guidelines will help you create clean files that look their best, optimize how your icon functions, and makes the file easier to use.

Can I use The Noun Project's API to access their icon collection?

Yes, you can use The Noun Project's API to access their extensive icon collection. The Noun Project's REST API, secured with OAuth, is built on AWS, has excellent documentation, customization features, and a dashboard with real-time updates.
Here are some key features of the API:

• Huge Icon Collection: The API gives you access to a library of 5 million+ icons in SVG & PNG image formats.
• Rich Metadata Details: Each icon comes with rich metadata details.
• Color and Size: Icons are available in basic black/transparent and can be easily recolored to any hex. They are also simple to resize.
• Advanced Search Tools: The API provides powerful relevancy search suggestions and custom blocklist tools.
  The API can be used to customize physical products, in design and collaboration tools, and more. However, you may not use the API to replicate The Noun Project, to distribute or resell unmodified icons, or any use against their Terms.
  You can start with a Free API Plan, which allows up to 5,000 calls per month. If you need more, there's a Pro API Plan that offers unlimited calls and additional features.
  Remember, using the API to make requests will count against your hourly, daily, and monthly API call limits. So, please be aware of your usage.

How do I get started with The Noun Project's API?

To get started with The Noun Project's API, follow these steps:

1. Create an Account: Register an account on The Noun Project.
2. Generate API Key: Once you have logged in, visit the app management page to generate a new API key or manage existing keys. Treat this key as if it were a secret password.
3. Authentication: The API is secured with OAuth 1.0a. You must use your client key and secret to sign requests when accessing the API. There are many established libraries that can help with this.
4. Making Requests: After authenticating, you can make requests. To make a request, you simply need to point to https://api.thenounproject.com.
5. Supported File Formats and HTTP Responses: Every request will return a JSON response or an error response.
6. Pricing: They have plans of all sizes, and can customize plans to meet your needs. You can start with a Free API Plan, which allows up to 5,000 calls per month.
   Here is a sample code in Python for making a request:

pythonCopy codeimport requests from requests_oauthlib import OAuth1 auth = OAuth1("your-api-key", "your-api-secret") endpoint = "https://api.thenounproject.com/v2/icon/1" response = requests.get(endpoint, auth=auth) print(response.content)

Remember, using the API to make requests will count against your hourly, daily, and monthly API call limits. So, please be aware of your usage.