OUGD406
Studio Brief 02
Research

I decided to research into currency redesigns to see processes and influences they followed. Not all the redesigns I looked at were actually picked to be used but it was interesting to see some paths designers chose to use as a subject matter for money when normally you'd expect former presidents or monarchy members but some are not what you'd expect.

Melbourne based artist believed that Australian notes were relevant in the past but don't strike a chord with modern Australia. In his own words he said "Money is the foundation and fabric that holds society and civilisation together. If someone's face is stamped on that money, it's a pretty big deal, right? So why don't we know who's on ours?" So he took it upon himself to reimagine the Australian note and firstly came up with a list of 100 famous Australians that had a connection with modern Australia and when researching he realised that not many people actually knew who it was on the notes, not only young people but also old didn't know who the faces on the notes were. This is a big consideration for designs as picking traditional names from notes could prove a step back for money as it'll just be repeating the same thing once again. 

This was a competition entry for the redesign of US banknotes by Michael Tyznik. His proposed designs kept the important green colour of the US Dollar but introduces a brightly coloured strip to each denomination to make it easier to tell the difference between each. A subtle change but a change that solves a problem the US dollar currently has,as all denominations are the same, as the colour green is deeply interwoven into the nations culture. The designs rely heavily on type but what I like the most is the small anecdote on the back as it may help the owner of the note know a little bit more about the face on the banknote.

This design is all about seeing money as an educational tool, the dollar design is given a complete overhaul with usual faces of Lincoln and co gone. Purrington the designer wanted to introduce imagery that actually showed systems and not dated iconography. Each of his design has a etch esque feel to it to show scientific systems to educate. I took a lot from researching this redesign as it gave me the idea of maybe looking at a nations main sources of income to determine the designs on the notes, informing people of what funds the nation and what the money is really all about.

Lastly is actually a proposal that was accepted, the brief was to design submit designs for a sea themed Krone. The standout proposal was by Snohetta design who used abstracted language and pixels to depict the Norwegian coast. The pixelated banknotes are an example of how exciting future money can be with the use of subtle design. The notes are to be released in 2017 and will surely be most aesthetically pleasing bank note not only in Scandinavia but the world in my opinion.