Money, Money, Money and a bright shiny new quarter

Day two of the fourth quarter and I can already see tumultuous waves of opportunity coming my way. Yesterday was my interview at Unboundary, which was both interesting and unexpected. I can’t say that it went well but neither can I say that it went abysmally either. My expectations are realistic as I await the final decision but I am certain that either way it was a learning experience that I won’t soon forget.
On another note I also worked out my class schedule and have a very interesting set of classes this quarter. The roster includes Currency Design (which I went to last night for the first time (this blog entry is a break from the homework given in this class)), Strategic Branding (which I am unable even to guess at what might be entailed in this class), Motion 1 (which I’m incredibly, stupendously excited about (my first foray into video editing and 2D animation) and lastly Message and Content (with Melissa Kuperminc who has a sparkling reputation for being a fantastic teacher as well as a brilliant type instructor (which is timely indeed)). So heres an optimistic beginning to the last quarter of the first year.

Today I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the assignment in my currency class. The premise of the class is to develop a strong concept that can be carried visually over a series of pieces with firm restrictions, critical heirarchy needs and small spaces. I can’t say I was terribly excited about this class from the beginning but a pessimistic attitude never a good deliverable makes. I’m determined to look at this class as both a challenge and an opportunity to stretch my creative scope and take a few conceptual risks. The assignment is to create a new design system for the paper currency of the United States. We are responsible for creating a $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills in addition to a pseudo systems book and a promotional piece of our choice. The instructor urged us not to fall prey to any preconceived notions of what money has to be. She was also eager to point out that the system didn’t have entirely reverent but was open to personal perspectives as to what the United States means and stands for today. This afternoon I’ve been perusing the internet in an attempt to lay down a basic foundation of what money is and what it represents in modern American society. Though my research has yet to even scratch the surface I thought I would post a few examples of currency from around the world that I found interesting. I don’t thin, at this point, that I will be taking a traditional route with this project but I still feel like it is a good idea to see what is already out there and i’m enjoying the elegant solutions that i am finding. For more information on global currency check out Banknotes of the Modern World.

Here are a few of my favorites:

of course I would put Australia. I’ve always loved this currency because of it’s strong use of color. Also intresting the bills are not made of a paper but are acctually a very difficult to tear clear plastic. The black spaces around the windmill in the lower right are actually transparent in the real bill.

a note from Egypt

The Euro…though I think it is an interesting design solution it’s not my favorite.

switzerland uses a vertical format and a delicate collage effect. very nice

beautiful line work in Myanmar

and finally a quick video about the new $5 bill. This video talks about the new security features the US treasury is including in new bill to prevent counterfeiting.This is also something i will need to research and take into account for the final product.