CTRL is a Bitcoin native brand evolving culture for the post-fiat future. But…what does that mean? Well, Bitcoin was the start of a financial revolution – leading the decentralisation of currency. Whilst other projects and networks followed but built more functionality into their offering, Bitcoin remained purely a decentralised currency. That is, until, Ordinals came along.
Ordinal Inscriptions, similar to NFTs, are digital assets inscribed on a satoshi, the lowest denomination of a Bitcoin (BTC). Inscribing on satoshis, named after the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, is possible thanks to the Taproot upgrade launched on the Bitcoin network on November 14, 2021. Ordinals are basically, NFTs on the Bitcoin network.
The inception of Ordinals meant that the leader of decentralised currency, now had an opportunity to expand its culture beyond just currency. Known for its loyal community, Bitcoin has had limited options for fans to express their identity. In the bull runs of yore, this may have been in the form of a laser eyes display picture on your favourite social network, or in earlier days, using the Bitcoin logo as your display pic. Both were ways to signal you were part of the community. However, there wasn't much more available to fans or different subcultures within Bitcoins community, to show their support for the brand.
Enter CTRL – a collection of 404 Ordinals based on artwork created by artist and currency sabotuer, Penny, and the first Ordinals project to inscribe an entire collection of this size on Uncommon Satoshi's (the first Satoshi mined in a block).
Based on the premise that our financial systems are out of control and have failed us multiple times, every generative piece expounds on the nature of money, financial repression, overreach from centralized authorities, and social unrest driven by wealth inequality.
The first Ordinals project to inscribe an entire collection of this size on Uncommon Satoshi's
– CTRL
There wasn't much more available to fans or different subcultures within Bitcoins community, to show their support for the brand...
– CTRL
We needed to be articulate in how the work spoke without being too complex for the man on the street
– Liam
The Challenge
Strategy
Design
Impact
Credit
CTRL was one of a number of projects utilising Ordinals. As with any new(ish) space, projects were flooding the market, trying to gain traction. Some of these projects were good, some were (really) bad, but most were just replicas of NFTs from other networks.
With so many active projects on the go, it would have been easy for CTRL to become lost in the noise. For this to happen to a well-conceived collection, created in partnership with a notable artist, the likes of Penny, would have been a travesty.
With a near immediate launch date, they needed a refined and bold narrative to help people understand and get excited about their unique position in the ordinals scene.
With time being of the absolute essence, it took pragmatic and creative thinking to bring about a solution.
We had a sense for what they needed from the get go, and our delivery and process reflected this. The CTRL team provided us with the bones of their concept deck and a few core ideas that they wanted to land. Our strategy team got to work assembling CTRL’s concept deck, creating a clear and strong narrative for investors.
Strategist, Zakiah, used her understanding of blockchain, NFTs, and Ordinals (specifically) to bridge the gap between the message the CTRL team was trying to land and what potential investors needed to understand.
In parallel to strategy, Senior Designer, Liam, balanced the complexity of CTRL’s message with a strong brand that the man-on-the-street could rally behind. The CTRL brand needed to play both sides of the coin. We needed people to get behind the idea that traditional currency was not as safe as it used to be, whilst also feeling safe enough to be a part of, and invest in, this new project. This was brought to life by leaning into global sentiment – that the majority of us are in the same boat, disenfranchised by the state of conventional currency.
We flipped the script on the ‘old guard’ of currency to ask the question, who is the villain?
Using ‘the face’ of traditional currency, we added a layer of commentary, building the narrative of CTRL, what the project means, and the story we wanted to tell. Acid green and gold resemble a gold standard and mocked the ‘green’ connotations of bank notes, whilst plain black and white hint at the banality of fiat currency.
We’d managed to keep to the project's tight deadlines, providing everything the CTRL team needed for pitches to potential investors and a successful launch.
The team at CTRL liked our approach. We had struck a balance between something that the man on the street could rally behind, but wasn’t overtly underground or illegal – a project that promises to rally against current systems but still keeps everything above board.
CTRL expands Bitcoin’s culture, providing visual representation for collectors, investors, and the man on the street to make a statement about their discontent with the current state of the financial system.
Creative Director: Shannon Davis
Designer: Liam McAlpine
Strategist: Jason Tuohy, Zakiah Courtney
Animation: David Hillier
Project Manager: Naledi Mokhele