In a time when everything is being overwhelmed by 'running fast, issuing tokens early, and KOL endorsements', some projects choose to slow down and return to their original intentions. They are not so eager to shout, nor are they in a hurry to tell grand stories; instead, they quietly build one 'seemingly slow but particularly stable' foundational module after another. Sign Protocol is an exception among these projects - it is also the warmest note in this crypto Renaissance.
One, from VC narratives to community poetry.
In the past few years, there has been an unspoken rule in the Web3 world: you need to have a renowned VC to be respectable. Funding is the stepping stone, and market value is the footnote of the story. But now more and more people are starting to question: 'If this project has no community, even if it has raised angel rounds, A rounds, B rounds, or X rounds, what does it matter?'
Sign's answer is direct action - 'We decided to start from scratch, drop the Eth prefix, and reinvent ourselves.' Co-founder Xin's words sound like a declaration of a young artist, but they carry a heavy judgment: rather than being empowered by capital, it is better to return to the users.
Thus, the 'Orange Dynasty' was born. It is not the kind of 'fan-based community', but a true builders' group that can draw, write copy, and run events together. You might see them at a charity event in the Philippines, at an offline event in South Korea, or in a meme workshop. The creativity of this kind of community is the real cornerstone of the Web3 world.
Two, a love letter to the 'super-sovereign future'.
If DeFi and NFT are representative products of the previous generation of Web3, then what Sign is doing is writing a 'super-sovereign love letter' to the future.
In Sierra Leone in Africa, in the UAE in the Middle East, and in several countries in Asia, they use SignPass and TokenTable to help users manage identities, distribute assets, and build trust. These places are not all crypto hotspots, but precisely because of this, they need a truly 'neutral, trustworthy, and not dependent on any country's regulations' infrastructure.
This is not just a simple 'on-chain tool', but a value stance: the world should not be ruled by a few giants; on-chain should belong to everyone.
Three, on-chain AI also needs a pen and a signature.
When it comes to AI, you might think of Agents, Prompts, and inference models - but what Sign thinks about is not these. They are more concerned with 'If AI wants to 'sign' on-chain, how should it do it?'
This sounds like a philosophical question, but they are genuinely doing it. Through the design of zkSIGN and the interface of smart contracts, AI can autonomously sign on-chain operations, even automatically distribute tokens and complete process governance. This 'on-chain writing capability' allows AI to be not just a bystander, but a writer in Web3.
While others are doing 'L2 for AI', Sign is doing 'Sign for AI'. This is their romance.
Four, the true Renaissance is about rediscovering why we set out.
Ultimately, the Renaissance is not about reconstruction, but about 'rediscovering who we are'. The initial vision of the crypto industry was decentralization, freedom, and consensus, allowing individuals to participate in the creation of foundational rules.
But in recent years, many people have forgotten their original intentions. Dragged along by the bull market and pushed by capital, both projects and individuals have become too utilitarian.
And projects like Sign choose to slow down. They didn't rely on 'airdrop hooks', nor did they invite celebrities to endorse; instead, they built a solid wall piece by piece with 'users, technology, and community'.
Xin said: 'We are building an infrastructure that serves this super-sovereign world.'
This sentence sounds very 'techie', but it is actually quite romantic.
It sounds like a poem, but also like a road sign.