Protocol this, business model that. The last couple of issues got a little too intellectual, so this week I want to talk about something wayyy more creative and fun: squares.
It's no secret that Zora wants to be the onchain Instagram. I've been known to complain frequently about this strategy, but have since taken my pills and arrived at acceptance. While most of their design decisions purely frustrate me, the power user, their most recent move not only has me frustrated, but oddly intrigued.
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Zora profiles and collections are now presented in a very familiar 3-by-whatever grid of squares. The Capital 'A' Artist in me is not jazzed. Believe it or not, most of us who make things don't do so in a square format. Seeing our work cropped by default is kinda yucky. Sometimes it works out, other times, the crop butchers the work.
All that said, I get it. Going all-in on mainstream means going all-in on mobile, and squares are unquestionably the best format for mobile. Horizontal crops display small. Vertical crops can display great, but most apps don't support them in their full glory. Squares display supreme.
Will this be another turn-off for serious creators? Time will tell, but I'm willing to lean in. My latest collection, 'still life', is produced in 1:1. If most people are exposed to my work via Zora, Warpcast, and X, I figured I'd experiment and optimize for those very vertical screens.
Speaking of art on screens:
After years of elevating onchain art through real-world experiences, we've created this simple tool.
Curate and showcase onchain art anywhere.
tinyrainboot is also interested in enjoyoor economics and formats! I love hearing other artists' perspectives in more detail:
Yes please. Curation good. Enjoy build more ways to curate soon.
We're getting verrrry close to launching some new tech to accelerate enjoyment of our community's creativity. In the meantime, some open mints to collect and tip...
Zora may have compressed this to hell but I still enjoyed:
Idk what the title of this is but I like it:
You like sunsets. I like sunsets. Dan likes sunsets:
You are what you drink. Or, you drink what you are:
The !!! Airdrop 2 Season 3 earning window closes Monday, August 26 at 3pm EST. Stay tuned to /enjoy-updates or X for a reminder when claims open!!!
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