Created: April 27, 2022 07:48 AM
Shanna Hollis, graphic designer and owner of Shanna Hollis Designs (file photo)
The Belmudian artist gained a lot of attention in the world of graphic design after helping design R & B superstar Ashanti’s digital artwork.
Shanna Hollis, 25, has worked with New York-based agency iO Visual to create a non-fungible token (NFT) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the musician’s self-titled debut album.
Ms. Hollis said meeting Ashanti and participating in the singer’s project was “surreal,” especially as someone who grew up in her music.
She added: She said, “Ashanti’s team was great and she was a very beautiful person to work with herself.
“She was great personally and everyone was friendly, so it was great to work in this woman-led, empowering space.”
Ashanti’s new non-fungible token (NFT) designed by Bermuda artist Shanna Hollis and New York agency iOVisual (pictured)
Shanna Hollis Designs’ Ms Hollis said that EQ Exchange, a promotion company with which Ms Hollis had previously collaborated, was offered part of the project after presenting her name to another project, including Ashanti.
She added that the Ashanti team was so impressed with her work that she invited her to design the singer’s NFT.
Hollis said: “At first I was told that I was going to design an event, but I didn’t know that it would end up being an Ashanti design.”
She added: “My first thought on the NFT project was” I’m very excited “, but then my second thought was” You should give it the best shot “.
What is an NFT?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital assets that reside on the blockchain and often represent real items.
Each NFT has a unique identification code that prevents it from being exchanged or exchanged for another item, unlike cryptocurrencies, which are alternative tokens that represent cash.
NFTs can represent physical assets such as music and real estate, but often take the form of artwork.
Purchasing an NFT reflects ownership of the artwork, regardless of how often it is copied. This is the same as if someone else has the print but still owns the original artwork.
Ms Hollis designed the NFT background and logo, recreated the cover of Ashanti’s debut album, and iOVisual edited the photo.
She said she was particularly excited when she started seeing her logo used in NFT ads.
Ms. Hollis added: “It’s crazy to see my work in all these areas.
“It’s a kind of surreal because I’m looking at the brands I admire and shopping and working together. It’s really exciting.”
Ms. Hollis is not a stranger in the limelight. She and another artist, Kendra Earls, were asked to create a mural by the Hamilton Post Office in honor of Flora Duffy, who won the gold medal at the Bermuda Olympics.
She said she had been involved in international corporate projects in the past, but added that she “did nothing on this scale.”
Ms. Hollis added:
“Until recently I went, it didn’t hit me.” Wait a minute, Shana, you created her logo with a great, great artist, really an icon. You designed the first gold Olympic mural in Bermuda.
“It was just a moment of distrust that I sat still and began to appreciate what I did.”
Hollis said he plans to work with other companies to create more works of art. Her latest work is a painted pony from the clothing store TABS.
She added that she hopes to someday create her own NFT with the help of other Bermuda artists and give them more exposure and awareness.
Ashanti has released six studio albums and has been nominated for 35 awards and eight Grammy Awards for her music.
She is also a seasoned actor who has appeared in movies and television since 1989.
Her Grammy-winning debut album, AshantiWas released on April 2, 2002 and received Triple Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America by the end of the year.
Album lead single, StupidWas the third best-selling physical single in the 21st century as of June 2012.
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