A country’s currency speaks of its history, ideals, and ambitions. The design of America’s money should resemble not only its history, but also the progressive nature of the country. Many have criticized the current design as being overly drab and presidential. Some speculate that the Puritan colonists influenced the design of money through their notion that money is filthy lucre and should not be something lovely or sought after.
American money is in need of a redesign to become more synonymous with the ideals of this nation. Good design entails accurate execution of appropriate relationships. These relationships involve concept, color, tone, imagery, vocabulary, etc. An appropriate design of American money will take each of these relationships into consideration, and execute the final design in a way that establishes both form and function.
As part of the Graphic Design program at BYU, each student is asked to develop a project of individual interest. I decided to redesign the American currency. My design offers a possible solution for the concept and visual direction of the money. I choose to use historic American imagery, including Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe, the Wright brothers and Martin Luther King Jr. In contrast to the history, I used contemporary design elements to give the bills a modern feel. After nearly eight months of research and designing, I believe my work offers a tasteful, relevant and progressive solution for the American currency.
