A picture is worth a thousand words and then some at The Noun Project. The project has a simple platform and a straightforward revenue model: symbols are free to use if the author is credited. If the user wants an uncredited symbol, then the user pays a fee. It is an idea that has taken off and has expanded.

“The audience applies to anyone that needs to visually communicate,” said Sofya Polyakov, co-founder and CEO. The Noun Project knew their initial target market would be designers. But, that market customer has expanded in surprising ways; from teachers and designers to FEMA and the New York Times.

amputee by christ- opher anderson from the noun project

code by buzzy- robot from the noun project

With a brief concept presentation and modest goal of $1,500, the concept was funded at Kickstarter 2011, The Noun Project has built a unique niche for itself: creating, capturing and selling licenses for the world’s symbols. Headquartered in Chicago, The Noun Project is part of a Chicago design exhibit [ CHGODSGN ] thru 2 November 2014.
magnifying glass by jakob vogel from the noun project

twitter by factor[e] design initiative from the noun project