The internet was set abuzz by Norway’s kroner redesign that were literally works of art which got us thinking:
Why don’t we have those with the Dollar?
The US Dollar is in dire need of a redesign, not only for rebranding but also for the possible restoration and strengthening of confidence on the US economy.
Or, because designing currency is just plain fun.
The aesthetics of American banknotes stems way back from when currency was first issued during the American Civil war. Symbolism was pretty much in the minds of the first US currency designers.
For example, the color green—which is the major color for US currency, even today—was selected as a symbol of stability.The spikes on the Treasury seal back then was 34, corresponding to the number of states in the Union.
The Great Seal of the United States featured in US Currency includes details that for some may be trivial but actually have symbolical meanings. The olive branch and the arrows, for example, represent peace and war, respectively. The right side signifies dominance, thus making peace of greater significance.
The aim of conceptualizing the US dollar design then isn’t really just to make an aesthetically-pleasing form, but also to create a symbolic and functional idea. Thus, it can be a good practice for aspiring graphic designers.
Check out some of these US dollar redesigns taken from around the web:
From Letter Society
From Nokutulo
From Travis Purrington
From Cecil Dunston
From Nemalki
From Mispeld
From Sam Watola
Unfortunately, the US government is yet to take concepts such as these into consideration. Although the latest redesign on a US currency happened last year, this was more of a security redesign than an aesthetic one. The latest design changes were more of a subtle background change, watermarks, and microprinting kind of thing.
CHECK OUT: Top 10 Coolest Original Banknote Graphics
So what do you think of these bank note designs? How about redesigning one yourself? Post your work in the comments!