Exclusive Interview with pplpleasr | How did the top DeFi protocol designer from Taiwan enter the world of crypto?

If you have even a little knowledge about DeFi or NFT, you must have heard of "pplpleasr." Her pioneering animation "x*y=k" for Uniswap v3 fetched a high price of 310 ETH in a charity NFT auction on the Foundation platform, nearly worth 880,000 USD at the time of writing. Prior to this, she had created animated videos for well-known DeFi protocols such as Aave, SushiSwap, Yearn, bringing more fun and aesthetics to the originally techy and masculine design style of the cryptocurrency world.

pplpleasr, hailing from Taiwan, has worked for Blizzard and has multiple digital art creations in movies and advertisements. Currently residing in Canada and the United States, she happened to be in Taiwan due to the pandemic, providing an exclusive opportunity for an interview with this talented designer.

Why is it called pplpleasr?

pplpleasr explained that she chose this name because she always tries to meet the expectations of those around her. The nickname "people pleaser" reflects her desire to be considerate and kind. Note: She kindly agreed to the interview.

How did pplpleasr enter the world of cryptocurrencies?

pplpleasr mentioned that she first learned about Bitcoin in 2014 but only bought cryptocurrency for the first time during the bull market in 2017. It was during the DeFi Summer of 2020 when the DeFi boom caught her interest and she found the DeFi community to be lacking in art and creativity-related projects. This led her to contribute her skills to the community and gain a better understanding of DeFi.

She found DeFi's community cohesion to be unique and resonated with its humor, which gave her a sense of belonging.

Regarding the allure of DeFi, pplpleasr emphasized the community's special bond and shared humor, which fostered a sense of identity.

As for the key to entering the cryptocurrency circle as a designer, she highlighted the importance of not only professional skills but also building relationships within the community. By getting to know others and participating actively, trust can be established, leading to more collaborative opportunities.

The first DeFi project she collaborated on was...

pplpleasr revealed that her first collaboration with the DeFi community was on one of Yearn's vaults, although it faced some issues and was never publicly released. However, following the success of her subsequent works, she mentioned that this initial unreleased project might see the light of day.

Style is not the focus, but the viewer's experience matters

pplpleasr has created visual content for various DeFi projects such as Uniswap, Aave, SushiSwap, Yearn, each with a unique style.

She believes that while some may emphasize having a distinct style to enhance a designer's recognition, her focus lies in evoking specific emotions in the audience. As long as the work is impactful, the creator's personal touch becomes a style in itself. She tends to use a more psychedelic or exaggerated and humorous approach, similar to Japanese advertisements, to resonate with the viewers.

Her favorite DeFi piece is a video for Pickle that aligns with her described Japanese humor. This work holds a special meaning for her as it was the first to gain widespread acclaim on Twitter:

If you are interested in the Pickle artwork, you can explore pplpleasr's design concept here.

How long does it take to research and produce DeFi-related videos?

Most of pplpleasr's works are solo projects, ranging from a week for smaller tasks to around a month and a half for larger projects like Uniswap's video, involving research and design for DeFi projects. She mentioned that at times, she collaborates with friends on certain tasks, and she does not rule out forming a team if there are more projects in the future.

Have you thought about how much "x*y=k" NFT should sell for?

pplpleasr stated that while she has sold some lower-priced NFTs before, this large-scale auction was a first. Prior to the auction, she speculated that the NFT should start at a single-digit Ether price, ideally reaching a value of over $100,000 in Ether. The final outcome, however, was beyond her expectations.

The "x*y=k" NFT auction aimed to support a charitable cause. pplpleasr and Uniswap intended to contribute to Chinese Americans who faced discrimination and financial hardships during the pandemic. The proceeds were to be collected with the volunteer group StandWithAsians and distributed to relevant charitable organizations, with each receiving $25,000. At the time of writing, pplpleasr had donated around $664,000 and was preparing for distribution.

What is the relationship with PleasrDAO?

PleasrDAO is the decentralized autonomous organization that acquired "x*y=k." Comprising influential figures from various online cryptocurrency communities, they named the organization after pplpleasr in support of her auction. pplpleasr mentioned that she was invited to join the organization post-auction but sees herself more as an honorary member. She participates in joint bidding only when PleasrDAO has auctions that interest her.

NFT is like a signature, its value comes from trust

pplpleasr views NFTs as electronic receipts created using blockchain technology. She likened them to digital ownership, bringing people closer to the concept of owning digital assets.

Regarding criticisms of NFTs such as buyers not truly owning the digital file, easy replication, and lack of decentralization, pplpleasr believes that NFTs and blockchain are evolving technologies, with their primary value derived from "trust."

For instance, with Uniswap's NFT artwork, people know she is the creator and trust her claim of issuing only one NFT. However, there are no mechanisms preventing her from issuing an identical NFT in the future. Therefore, the value of the NFT hinges on people's trust in the creator.

She anticipates that as the NFT industry matures, better solutions may emerge to address these concerns.

Challenges of NFTs: While the artwork's identity is on the blockchain, where is the essence of Beeple's art?

New NFTs set to be released

pplpleasr mentioned that she cannot disclose detailed information currently, but in May, she will collaborate with a major platform to launch another NFT charity auction.

pplpleasr's personal website: https://pplplsr.com/

pplpleasr on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pleasrDAO

pplpleasr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pplpleasr/

pplpleasr Foundation account: https://foundation.app/pplpleasr