The modern look of money

So the weekend is almost over and I’m still working on my 7 currency design ideas. It’s been a lot harder than I had even thought to come up with ideas that I feel are suitable. The way i see it currency is a unique design challenge because unlike many of the other projects I work on this item isn’t intended to persuade others to purchase or to act. There are two main functions, that must be constantly under consideration. First the US dollar, more than anything, is a representation of trust. The actual dollar has next to no intrinsic value. It’s really just fancy ink on compressed cotton fibers. What the dollar represents is the peoples faith in the promise the government stamps onto each bill. When most people think of money they visualize coinage and dollar bills but in reality the idea of money goes far beyond these simple properties.  IOU’s, contracts, credit card reciepts, etc are also examples of this same promise but are not usually concidered currency. In the late 19th century African tribes of in Liberia, Siera Leone and Guinea began using a form of currency that is known in the west as the Kissi Penny.  Shown below

Forged from iron the distinctively, twisted forms of the Kissi penny were used much the same way that we use the dollar today. The pennies came in different lengths (the longer the more valuable) The pennies were bound together to represent different denominations. A cow would cost about 100 bundles of Kissi Pennies at the beginning of the 20th century, a virgin bride 200 bundles and a slave 300 bundles. The twisted structure might have been and anti counterfeiting measure that made tampering evident. What is most interesting about Kissi pennies, however, is that each piece was believed to have a soul. The money in its whole form could be used to purchase many things but if the bar were to break it was immediately worthless. For a small fee, the owner of the broken penny could hire the traditional witchdoctor, called a Zoe (most often also a blacksmith) to reincarnate the escaped soul and renew the value of the piece. To me the Kissi penny has many lessons to teach the modern currency designer. Money isn’t just a decorated piece of paper. It’s the physical manifestation of a promise between two people. It’s very important, in my opinion, for my redesign to take this incredibly important idea into account. The notes i design are symbolic of a binding and sacred contract between two entities. Money is responsible for a large portion of human interaction and the responsibility to hold true to the agreements forged within these interactions can’t be taken lightly. For more information on Kissi Money please check out the Fagalde Collection Web site where i got all of my source materials.

The second consideration that I must always have in mind is actually an extension of the first. U.S. currency is a representation is an agreement between a person and the government of the United States of America. Despite who is using and who is receiving the currency the promise that is contained with in the notes is that of the US treasury. So in designing the note, it is important to show the reasons why this trust is warranted. The money is only as good as the faith of the receiver. It is my job to showcase the trustworthy nature of the United States (the elements of the US that will instill in the worlds people a piece of mind that the services or goods they exchanged for currency maintain their value within the coinage or paper. Current currency, according to my syllabus for the class “was designed with icons and illustrations to represent strength, stability, the union of the states, the power of peace and war and the beginning of the new American era in 1776.  These are all very powerful ideas that in many ways make up the foundation of the American image.

So then my job is to make this all relevant today. What today provides the American image with strength, respect and trust? What ideas and what images are both distinctly American as well as powerful enough to hold the promises of value?  I’ll keep you posted as to what i discover.

In other news, I am sad to say that the internship didn’t pan out. I am comforted by the fact that I view both the students who did get the position as talented and deserving individuals and I happily wish them the best of luck.

Oh, and look how cool the new UK coinage is. The design was created by a 26 year old designer who won a nationwide competition. This was his first attempt at currency design (which gives me a lot of hope when it comes to my own first attempts). It’s really a visually exciting idea and a new way of looking at an old problem.