Above JoonOng: Blossom(Spring), Cat Republic Seasons (Copyright © JoonOng, 2021)

Cat Republic’s latest work features a seasonal collection of animated NFT cats.

Friend of felines and digital designer, JoonOng, might be a new face to the NFT art scene but his brand Cat Republic is already showing the makings of a successful collection.

With a clean look and solid aesthetics derived from years of experience working in the design field, the animated cats are a cut above their competitors.

We speak with JoonOng to discover the inspiration behind his latest piece and what he has in mind for these computer-rendered kitties.

View JoonOng’s Niftyzone-exclusive NFTs Cat Republic Seasons now in the Niftyzone Shop.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you would describe your work.

I’m a digital designer currently in the throes of a deeper journey with motion graphics. That’s part of the reason Cat Republic was born — I wanted to do something that could improve my skills in Adobe After Effects.

Cat Republic is a collection with cats of all shapes and sizes, because all cats are unique! I tend to gravitate towards such light-hearted pieces as I hope that the thought of seeing each cat would bring a smile to someone’s face.

Tell us about something you love and why.

Cats of course! I am passionate about gaming and drawing too but right now, the thing I love the most is having a long, restful sleep. Having a busy work life makes me appreciate that so much more.

Above JoonOng: Turkey(Autumn), Cat Republic Seasons (Copyright © JoonOng, 2021)

Has it been difficult getting into NFTs? What are some of the challenges you’ve faced so far?

I just got to know about NFTs last month so I’m still getting the hang of them. I’d tried selling some other work then but hadn’t grasped how to market them at the time.

Besides that, I did not put too much thought into the art either so the results weren’t good but things are changing slowly. The challenge now is optimising the marketing, research and artwork all at once.

What inspired you to start Cat Republic? What’s special about it compared to other NFT series?

I’m a cat person so I decided it made sense to work with cats! I’ve researched other cat NFT artworks before and I’d say a key difference is that other collections don’t fully use After Effects. It’s easy to find NFT GIFs made with a few frames but Cat Republic is the only one I’ve seen that takes animation more seriously — it makes us stand out.

Where do you see Cat Republic heading in the future and do you envisage an expansion beyond NFTs?

I’m really open to all kinds of collaborations. I have many more exciting expansions in store: charity projects, Cat Republic merchandise, YouTube videos, and collection games — the list goes on. I’m also planning on starting a cat NFT community for both my Cat Republic collectors and other cat NFT creators to obsess over cats! Keep your eyes peeled!