06/08/2021 Fortune is dropping its latest cover as NFTs

Fortune is selling 256 limited edition NFTs of its latest cover art, plus three special editions, designed by the artist pplpleaser.

When we at Fortune were discussing the possibility of publishing a crypto-themed issue, there was no doubt about who should design the cover: pplpleasr, the graphic artist whose work has defined the look of the “decentralized finance” movement. (She ranked No. 5 on Fortune’s inaugural NFTy 50 list of the industry’s top influencers.)

For the August/September 2021 issue, titled “Crypto vs. Wall Street,” pplpleasr depicted the down-the-rabbit-hole world of so-called DeFi in all its playful vitality. Mascots of popular projects—like Uniswap (the unicorn), Aave (ghost), and MetaMask (fox)—are partying on the cover alongside various crypto influencers. An Alice-in-Wonderland-like crypto-portal towers above the legacy financial system, dwarfing silhouettes of banks, skyscrapers, and the iconic stock market bull. It’s a stunning—and statement-making—piece.

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The message? Crypto is here, whether or not Wall Street is prepared for it.

True to her nom de pixel, pplpleasr pleas’d the ppl. Based on the cover’s ecstatic reception, we decided to mint 256 limited editions of pplpleasr’s animated art as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. The number is a nod to the 256 bits that make up the cryptographic keys associated with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether. The NFTs will sell at a fixed price of 1 Ether (ETH) each, rather than auctioning off a single, one-of-a-kind NFT for a large sum, and thereby giving more people access to the series.

In addition to supporting democratization, we believe in the power of open markets, cutting edge tech, and fun—so, as an added perk, we worked with the tech wizards at Manifold on custom smart contracts to enhance the bidding experience for three additional, rarer NFTs. These bonus versions feature more in-depth graphics, and they are programmed to react to a certain list of “buyer” Ethereum addresses.

Here’s how it works. If a bid comes from one of the listed buyer’s addresses, the NFT will update to a special edition artwork designed specifically for the target buyer. If a non-targeted buyer out-bids a targeted one, then the NFT reverts to its original artwork. In case you find that confusing, pplpleasr has a lucid video explanation here.

Bottom line: This is a crazy experiment and even we don’t know what’s going to happen.

What is clear to us is, however, that decentralization and digitization are profound forces that are fundamentally reshaping the world of business—and beyond. We believe the technology behind NFTs could shift power away from an oligopoly of corporate giants and back into the hands of creators and fans alike. It has the potential to be a great equalizer.

If you want to join Fortune for the journey, we are dropping our first-ever NFTs on the marketplace OpenSea on Friday starting at 12 p.m. ET. The auction is set to last through Monday at 9 p.m. ET. You can place a bid, or watch the action, here.

At Fortune, home of the Fortune 500 list, we don’t just chronicle big industrial transformations. We live them.

Robert Hackett
@rhhackett
[email protected]

Arts

https://fortune.com/2021/08/05/nft-drop-pplpleasr-cover-art-opensea-auction-ethereum/amp/

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