OUGD406: License to Print Money - Intro

Currency Design

29 / 02 / 16

Brief

In an age of Apple Pay, Bitcoin, contactless, Paypal and other options for the transferring of funds, is there a future for "real" money?

Undertake research into the development of coinage and banknotes while also exploring the cultural understandings of legal tender. 

Following this initial engagement, begin a more developed interrogation of financial transactions in order to complete your own proposal for the future of the banknote.

Research & Initial Thoughts

Money is seen as any 'clearly identifiable object of value that is accepted as payment for goods and services'. 

For the most part each country has their own currency, some share the same currency e.g. the euro. There are ways to exchange a certain amount of one currency for another to use within another country, known as 'exchange rates'.

But this hasn't always been the case, before money, goods were generally exchanged for other goods. Those goods being anything from cattle, to wheat, to expensive beads and were used as currency before money came about.

Given how the world revolves around money I should adapt it into something universal and could even be versatile enough to allow for use by anyone. Even those visually impaired.. so incorporating something such as braille or different note sizes such as BPS.

My favourite currency examples (real or concept design)...

danish krone - I'm very fond of Scandinavian design and especially in Denmark and Norway, their note designs are very beautiful aesthetically. Considering the balance of colour and image. I love the strip of colour on each and then how the design seems to spread out from there.

Bhutanese ngultrum -  The ngultrum has been the currency of Bhutan since 1974, replacing the rupee at par. The ngultrum is equal in value to the Indian rupee.

India was key in assisting the Bhutanese government as it developed its economy in the early 1960s. When the ngultrum was introduced, it retained the peg to the Indian rupee which the Bhutanese rupee had maintained. The ngultrum does not exchange independently with other nations' currencies but is interchangeable with the Indian rupee.

The design is very intricate and the symmetrical patterning reflects  an almost mandala design to me, which could point me towards redesigning more Buddhist cultures currency perhaps?

israel shekel - this is an unconfirmed new design for currency in israel. It does appear very modern, which upon first viewings for me, I would not have associated with a country such as Israel. However upon doing some research into the country I found the main cities are actually quite developed and the standard of living is high. I love the different shades of colour in blocks across the note, it has all the needed detailing on the note whilst still appearing quite minimalist for a bank note. This is because it doesn't use much microprinting patterning but more block colour, minimising this traditional approach.

Norwegian krona - My other favourite Scandinavian currency design - Norway. Again I love the layout of this currency designing making use of the more traditional processes and patterns but it still appears a more modern updated version of the bank note, because of this structure and layout.

At its simplest, currency design should accomplish three things: allow the currency to serve it’s intended function, represent the country it’s legal tender in, and also protect against counterfeiting. Combining all three to make aesthetically appealing currency, specifically of the paper variety.

Here are a couple of concepts were designers has taken a crack at redesigning our banknotes with new colors, images, and overall theme while still employing some of the standard counterfeiting measures like colors-shifting ink, embossed printing, watermarks and microprinting. Those listed are all things I need to consider when designing and will carry out research on. 

Each designer attempts to not only redesign the currency, but in many ways rebrand America by choosing new symbols to represent the country on the various denominations. This is something I aim to do once I have decided on a currency. 

Again, it is the contemporary layout of this bank note involving geometric shapes which makes it so appealing. I am unsure whether I like the colour of this note design as I feel like more vibrant colours would suit better for currency. 

I love the portrait design on these notes, and the layout of having the colour within a box and then detailing being present at the bottom looks very professional and structured for banknote design. The next is another very attractive portrait design which uses more iconic imagery and brighter colours which is something I would take inspiration from.

                              

Lastly, this design represents the traditional methods of microprinting pattern design making up the background, but then makes use of an almost surrealist collage design which is something I am currently very in sync with and am fond of. The imagery reflects iconic landmarks and items of the US, still giving an authentic feel, but proposing something new at the same time. I understand this style would be very specific, but is a design I want to play with...