Before diving in, check out the first article in our Kraken NFT Behind the Build Series, The NFT Frontier, and our second article, Kraken NFT’s Behind the Build: Global Ingenuity.
NFTs go far beyond simple JPEGs. Kraken NFT helps lay the groundwork for what’s to come for DeFi and the crypto space.
This vision of the future means that eventually everything we own and sell will be tied to an NFT in some way. NFTs have unlimited possibilities in a multitude of markets. Whether you’re buying a car, a house, a pair of shoes, or just a few JPEGs, we believe it’ll all be tied to an NFT.
Design Kraken NFT
The Kraken design team wanted to celebrate the visual vibrancy of NFTs and bring it to life with their NFT artwork and custom Kraken artwork.
“People are really passionate about NFTs here,” said Jack Haslehurst, senior director of product design and research at Kraken. “Whether you’re an engineer, customer engagement specialist, or designer, we get suggestions and feedback from everyone at Kraken. There was excitement no matter what team they were on.
Haslehurst has been with Kraken since September 2021. Prior to Kraken, Haslehurst worked in the design industry for 15 years, including as Senior Design Manager at IDEO.
Haslehurst is actually a huge fan of NFTs. His favourites? Chromie Squiggles by Snowfro.
“It’s the original Art blocks generative art collection that really created a new movement in art. Each one is uniquely beautiful and I truly consider them to stand the test of time and be considered very special pieces in the history of art going forward,” he said.
NFTs are also about collaboration and fun. Haslehurst pointed out CryptoToadz as a striking example.
“I love each unique toad and the fact that the creative commons allows the collection to be remixed and shared,” he said. “Things like Toadz glasses have become a meme on their own.”
With the NFT space moving at an incredible speed, the Krakenites on the design team have to keep up with the latest and greatest in product enhancements.
“When you’re designing visual products, sometimes things fail in crypto – the crypto industry moves faster and innovates faster than almost any other,” Haslehurst said. “New projects are launched quickly and the whole space changes. As a design team, we need to keep abreast of these trends and changes. We share daily inspiration and work together on rapid iteration cycles to keep our products leading the market.
“NFTs are no different here. We had to approach the design with love and thought to work well for those already invested in the world of NFTs while being welcoming and educational for new investors,” he said.
In fact, the NFT Marketplace announcement video included original NFT animations of the Kraken logo created by Krakenites.
Haslehurst saw the effort as a chance to grow and learn in an entirely new environment.
“We haven’t done anything of this magnitude” he said. “For example, this launch movie was something we wanted to do internally because now we have an expanded team of fantastic creators.ou. Along with the Marketplace, we have a fantastic team of creators and designers who each bring a unique aspect when designing a product of this scale.
With a growing team, including an in-house research function, Kraken’s design department was able to understand customer needs and how they impact product design.
“Right now, we have crypto-based natives using Kraken’s tools, but as we grow, we also want to welcome more mass-market customers to experience and unlock the power of crypto,” said Haslehurst said. “That means we have to develop an understanding of our customers’ needs by talking to them and combining that knowledge with how we design.”
Beyond building
Kraken NFT is the first phase of an ongoing roadmap that will continue to evolve into true Web3.
To achieve this, a diversity of perspectives is needed to give Kraken a realistic look at the use cases for a global market. The future of crypto is unity and sharing.
So where do we go from here?
Kraken NFT will provide a place where no matter where or who you are, you can be part of a digital economy. And our amazing team has contributed to this mission every step of the way.
These materials are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell or hold any crypto-asset or to engage in any specific trading strategy. . Some crypto products and markets are unregulated and you may not be protected by government indemnities and/or regulatory protection schemes. The unpredictable nature of crypto-asset markets can lead to loss of funds. Tax may be due on any return and/or increase in value of your crypto-assets and you should seek independent advice on your tax position. For more information, please see our Terms of use.
