From Google to Web3: A Design Star's Leap Signals a New Era for Crypto

TORONTO – December 04, 2025 – In a move that sends a clear signal about the future of digital commerce, award-winning designer Nick Ace has been named Executive Creative Director of Otherlife, the creative agency powerhouse owned by Web3 infrastructure leader MoonPay. For an industry often criticized for its complexity and clunky user interfaces, the appointment of a creative who has shaped the brand identities of NASA, Google, Ford, and Tiffany & Co. is more than just a new hire; it's a strategic declaration of intent.

Ace, who previously served as Chief Creative Officer at the prestigious design agency COLLINS and Head of Brand Design at Cash App, brings a portfolio that reads like a who's who of global influence. His work on Cash App's "That's Money" campaign, featuring figures as diverse as Kendrick Lamar and Ray Dalio, demonstrated a rare ability to make complex financial concepts culturally resonant and accessible. Now, he is tasked with bringing that same magic to the burgeoning, and often bewildering, world of Web3.

This appointment isn't just about one person's impressive career trajectory. It represents a critical milestone in the maturation of the digital asset space. For years, the crypto industry has been driven by engineering prowess and financial speculation. Today, the battle for dominance is shifting to a new front: user experience. Ace's decision to join Otherlife suggests that the gravitational pull of Web3 is finally strong enough to attract the kind of elite creative talent that has traditionally built the world's most beloved mainstream brands.

MoonPay's Blueprint for a User-Friendly Frontier

To understand the significance of this hire, one must look at the broader strategy of Otherlife's parent company, MoonPay. Since its inception, MoonPay has positioned itself as the essential bridge between the traditional economy and the decentralized future, aiming to be the "express checkout for the crypto world." Its core mission has been to abstract away the intimidating technical hurdles that prevent mass adoption, a goal reflected in its pursuit of a "buttery smooth user experience."

The company's acquisition of the creative agency Nightshift in early 2023, which was subsequently rebranded as Otherlife, was the first major piece of this strategic puzzle. Before the acquisition, Nightshift had already built a formidable reputation working with Web3 natives like Coinbase and OpenSea alongside global brands like Shopify and Adobe. By bringing this expertise in-house, MoonPay created a one-stop shop for corporations looking to make a meaningful and well-executed entry into Web3. It could now offer not just the payment rails, but the end-to-end creative and strategic support to build products, experiences, and marketing campaigns on top of them.

Hiring Nick Ace is the logical and powerful next step in that strategy. It injects world-class brand-building and design thinking directly into the heart of MoonPay's ecosystem. As Executive Creative Director, Ace will not only oversee creative for Otherlife’s impressive client roster—which includes PayPal, Bitcoin.com, and Zengo—but will also contribute to creative initiatives for MoonPay itself. This dual role ensures that a philosophy of premium, human-centered design permeates both the agency's external work and the parent company's core products.

"Nick has a strong record of pushing creative boundaries and working with some of the world's biggest brands," said Michael Moodie, Chief Creative Officer of Otherlife and Executive Creative Director of MoonPay. "His experience will bring a fresh perspective to Otherlife as we continue building next-generation digital experiences."

Crafting the 'Next-Generation' Experience

The phrase "next-generation digital experiences" is ubiquitous in tech, but in the context of Web3, it carries specific weight. It means solving tangible problems: transforming the anxiety-inducing process of connecting a crypto wallet into a seamless, secure interaction; designing interfaces for decentralized applications (dApps) that are as intuitive as the best mobile banking apps; and telling brand stories that demystify concepts like NFTs and self-custody.

This is where Ace’s expertise becomes critical. His background at COLLINS involved helping giants like Google Cloud and Coinbase articulate complex value propositions with clarity and emotional resonance. At Otherlife, he will be applying those skills to a landscape ripe for reinvention. The challenge is no longer just about making Web3 functional; it's about making it desirable, trustworthy, and even delightful for the next billion users.

Otherlife is uniquely positioned for this task. The agency has already garnered significant accolades, including being named Small Business of the Year in 2024 and receiving multiple Awwwards for its innovative digital work. Now, with Ace at the creative helm, it gains a competitive edge in a crowded market of Web3-focused agencies. While many competitors focus on the technical niche, Otherlife, backed by MoonPay, is aiming to set the industry standard for creative excellence and mainstream appeal.

In his own words, Ace sees a unique opportunity, stating, "Otherlife and MoonPay have created the perfect climate for invention." This points to an environment where the fusion of finance, technology, and top-tier design is not just encouraged but is the central thesis of the business.

An Industry at its Inflection Point

Ace's comment that he is energized by the "inflection point we all find ourselves within" is perhaps the most telling observation. The Web3 industry is indeed at a crossroads, moving away from its speculative, early-adopter phase and toward a future defined by utility and integration with the global economy. At this juncture, design is not a luxury; it is the fundamental catalyst for growth.

Companies are realizing that a brilliant technical solution is worthless if users can't figure out how to use it or don't trust it. MoonPay's strategic investments in creative talent and infrastructure—from its HyperMint NFT platform to its experiential marketing partnerships with Universal and Mastercard—underscore this understanding. The goal is to build an ecosystem where interacting with digital assets feels as natural as tapping a credit card or logging into a social media account.

The arrival of a creative leader of Nick Ace's caliber at a key Web3 player is a powerful indicator that this transition is well underway. It signifies that the foundational work of building the decentralized internet's plumbing is now giving way to the crucial work of designing the beautiful, functional, and inspiring cities that will be built on top of it. This move isn't just about one company's ambition; it reflects a broader industry-wide maturation, where the principles of great design are finally being recognized as the key to unlocking the true potential of a decentralized world.