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Cryptocurrencies, One-Sided Coins, and Religious Symbolism
The most common mistake of budding designers is to under-utilize whitespace, also called negative space. In so doing, their designs are cluttered and lack a sense of polished beauty. On the other hand, when whitespace is overused, you are left with the innate sense that something is missing. This seems to be the unspoken perception that most people have about cryptocurrencies.
Since its inception, Bitcoin has been touted as a commodity with intrinsic value such as gold and built on a platform that allows for trustless transactions. These are two great attributes, but I contend there is one ingredient missing. Currency has always been more than a commodity.
A Little History of Money (boring but necessary)
The origin of money is a much-contested subject. The most popular theories range from Barter Theory to Primordial Debt Theory. I will rely heavily on David Graeber’s book, Debt — The First 5000 Years, to explain the differences.
You were probably taught in school that money arose from the inconveniences of barter economies. I will spare you the details, but this theory has no precedence. As Graeber points outs, “The definitive anthropological work on barter, by Caroline Humphrey, of Cambridge, could not be more definitive in its…
