Dollar ReDe$ign Project

[vangogh]

I came across an interesting site a week or so ago called the Dollar ReDe$ign Project (http://richardsmith.posterous.com/). It's a project for anyone to redesign U.S. currency. Here's what the site says about why it exists.


The Dollar ReDe$ign Project hopes to bring about change for everyone. We want to rebrand the US Dollar, rebuild financial confidence and revive our failing economy.

It looks like the competition ends in about a week and they have a poll set up for voting.

Most of the designs are really interesting, maybe not all appropriate for currency, but still quite interesting. Most are also very modern. I have to say I'd much rather see a few of these than I would the money we currently have, though some I could never see on our currency.

Try to hold your political views while looking at some of the designs. Since many designers went modern you'll see some recent presidents. President Obama shows up a few times, which I imagine won't be to the liking of the Republicans we have here, though you probably will like the design featuring Ronald Reagan. There's a fair amount of the usual Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and some using famous people from outside of the government.

I was just reading over some of the comments about the designs and the Obama $1 bill definitely made quite a few people unhappy as you might expect. Again I'd try to look at these designs less for any politics associated with them and more for the designs and the ideas.

The designers also share a few words about their though process behind the designs. Some are very interesting and have some good ideas in general. For example the Obama design causing controversy has bills of different sizes. I'm not sure how practical that would be, but one of the ideas was to make it easier for the blind to distinguish one bill from another. So, yeah, Obama maybe not the best choice for our money (I think we need to stick to less polarizing figures), but the idea of different size bills is an interesting one.

There are a lot of pages of designs to go through so the site can keep you busy for awhile. I think this is also something that's been going on since last year and will probably continue into next year.

Anyway enjoy. There really are some very nice designs and odds are you'll find at least one you prefer to the bills we're currently using. You'll also find a few you don't care for at all and some that will probably make you anger at the people chosen to be on the bills.

Please Read: One last thing. I don't want this thread turning into a political battle where half of us choose one party and the other half choose the other party to be represented. Try to keep the discussion in the context of the designs themselves. There's a good chance I'll delete any post that starts trying to debate politics in general here.

[Spider]

For all the concern about the "varously"-impaired in the USA, I am surprised the currency, at least, isn't more accessible to the blind. British paper money has been different sizes so blind people can recognize the denominations since the 1920s, I think. The blind in America are almost ignored. (After you have walked up the wheelchair ram to the front door, how does a blind person know the entry from the exit, and don't even try approaching a revolving door with your eyes closed!)

I hope, whichever currency design is chosen, even one with a "wrong" president, the note sizes are strategically different so blind people can have access to the their own money.

[Harold Mansfield]

I'm not sure but I think the blind can tell the bills by the different consistencies in the paper of each denomination, or they have someone initially help them, and then they fold them differently to tell them apart on the street.

Of course none of that is accessibility, it's just ingenuity to get around the inaccessibility.

[Patrysha]

Don't you have tactile features on your bills for the blind? Our money is all different colours, so that helps with the differentiation on sight, but for the blind the corner of each bill has a series of raised bumps. It's not in braille because they found that was too fragile or something for bills, so they went with a series of bumps (which also makes it easier to identify counterfeit bills)

[vangogh]

Patrysha I'm not sure. I think there may be something different in the texture, but I really don't know.

The designer who created the different sized bills design is from the U.K. I think, which is probably where the idea for different sizes came from. He also went with a vertical design since his research indicated we mostly hold bills vertically when using them.

What do you all think of the idea of having people like Martin Luther King Jr on our currency as opposed Presidents? I guess Ben Franklin is the lone non-president who sets the precedent. There aren't too many non-presidents though that I could think of who might make sense on a bill. MLK, yes, but I'm not sure who else. Take someone like Neil Armstrong. Certainly famous for a monumental achievement, but does that deserve being on money. Or maybe I'm so locked in to seeing political figures on money it's hard to consider anyone else.

[Harold Mansfield]

I think we should just stick to the Presidents for now. We haven't evolved or matured enough to go any other way. No matter who you choose, there is going to be someone or some group that doesn't like it and someone is going to cry... "How come Billy got a new toy and I didn't?"

And Obama? Probably too soon to even think about bringing that up and I really don't feel like hearing the Conservatives whine about that one right now..just the mention of it will launch weeks of worthless bitching and whining all over the media..as it is pretty much with anything with just the letter "O" in it.

If you put MLK on a bill, first we'll have to deal with the ethnic issue because MLK happened to be Black...so every Latino American, Native American, Asian American, and "White" people will argue why him and not one of "our people". "Why do Black people get something and we don't?" ...as if the country is separated into tribal sects like Iraq or Afghanistan. A few smart ones may say "Yay, another Conservative Republican on the money!" but doubtful..most don't even know that.

I say lets just keep the current group of slave owners on the bills for now (that was really meant to just be funny), and not open up another can of worms that we don't have time for. I'm more concerned about how much the money is actually worth, than who is on it.

Besides, we don't need more money or more denominations printed and I don't see a reason to remove anyone from where they are, although Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson are on multiple denominations.
Who ever you choose, it will be a political issue. Most would probably not have an issue with someone safe like Armstrong, but MLK will surely get a lot of groups in an uproar.
Sucks, but that's America. Paranoia and Propaganda.

(Man, I really have to start blogging again...i obviously need an outlet. What a venomous rant that was)

[Spider]

Why not show your national magnanimity and put George III on all notes. He was the first "#1 person," after all!

At least you would have a consensus - I mean, EVERYONE hates him!

[vangogh]

Why not show your national magnanimity and put George III

You mean George Steinbrenner? :) What he did for the Yankees was much appreciated. Revived the franchise after CBS nearly destroyed it.

Harold that's what I think would happen too and I think it's sad. I understand where people would be coming from and how they'd feel slighted, but at some point people need to understand you can't honor every possible group instantly. Someone ends u being first, which sets the precedent for the rest. Personally I think MLK would be a good person to honor, but I agree it's likely to generate as much complaints as positive comments.

The founding fathers are generally good choices. Our current parties didn't really exists then so they aren't affiliate with one or the other. We can all get behind George Washington. I wonder though if honoring others and one or two more modern figures would be appropriate. The same people on the bills are on the coins too after all. Why not honor more people who have made significant contributions to the country?

[Harold Mansfield]

It's only like that because we are still a racist, selfish nation. We still can't look at a person for his accomplishments, contributions and as an American first and have his race or religion be secondary or not even a consideration. For all the whining we do about separation of religion, and ethnicity from our common areas, it's still the first thing we see and judge other people on.

I don't know how long it will be in this country until we can stop looking at an individual person without saying "they".

[Spider]

See? I think George III would be a great choice!

[KristineS]

The one thing I notice is that they look a lot more like European money. I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm guessing if we did change, there would be people decrying the fact that American money isn't unique anymore.

[vangogh]

A few of the designers are European, which probably explains some of the design. I think it's also a more modern look, which is something designers would more likely go for. I do like that more modern European look. I think the newest bills here have been an improvement with the slight introduction of color, but our money still looks so plain. Then again all it really needs to do is hold it's value and it can look however it wants.


if we did change, there would be people decrying the fact that American money isn't unique anymore

You're probably right. Let's face it someone's going to complain no matter what happens.

[KristineS]

You're probably right about someone complaining no matter what is done. I can't disagree with that.

I think some of the designs were cool and I'm not against our money looking more like every other country's money. It would be a bit weird though. Our money has looked the same for quite a while. Doing a wholesale change would require some work. I'm assuming the old money would just go out of circulation gradually.

[vangogh]

It would be weird. One of the designers actually made that point saying you can't completely change what the money looks like. Her (I think it was a her) design tried to stay true to our current money, while adding color and a slightly more modern design. Yes it was a she. Here's Karen McAniff's design (http://richardsmith.posterous.com/balancing-act-karen-mcaniff-dollar-redeign-20). I could see us using something with that kind of look. I'm not crazy about the blue. If it's going to be mostly a single color, I say we stick with green.

The site publishes a feed so I subscribed and see a couple or three new designs every day. Some I could see us using, some I really like the design, but don't think it would work, some I don't care for, and some strike me more as being submitted as a joke. It's a really interesting project and I'm enjoying getting a few new designs every day.

[Chimpie]

I have to say that I am impressed with the quality of the images.

[Chimpie]

I got bored after about 10 pages, but this one caught my eye.
Iconic But Modern : Catherine Dickens Kirkpatrick : Dollar ReDe$ign 2010 - Dollar ReDe$ign Project (http://richardsmith.posterous.com/iconic-but-modern-catherine-dickens-kirkpatri)

[vangogh]

Yeah that one doesn't stray too far from what we have now. Instead of looking through all the pages, I subscribed to the feed. I get a few new designs most every day.