Banknote Design - Content Ideas

Content Ideas //

The next decision I need to make is what content my designs will include...

Occasions & Events

One idea I have had is to create a currency for a specific occasion.

This idea stemmed from a project I found on Behance that included designs for the Winter Olympics 2014.

The series of designs depicts the most popular events in the tournament whilst also including the existing original bank note design. 

Greed - The Ugly side of Money

A different, more abstract idea for the content is to focus on the ugly side of money. This is inspired by some of the illustrations I came across at the Human History museum visit in Manchester. 

Money can often be associated with greed and power. The power money can have on people can go two ways and more often than not it can turn people against on another. This ugly side of money is something that I could focus on in my designs. With this, I could use imagery often associated with over-the-top wealth and lavishness. 

This imagery may include jewellery, mansions, sports cars and many more. 

Tiger Economies

My third concept idea is to redesign the currency for one of the countries considered to have a Tiger Economy. These countries are the rapidly developing countries such as South Korea and Japan. 

The idea to focus on these countries in particular came from the thought that the speed at which these countries are growing suggests that in the near future these countries will over take the western world in terms of development, technology and standard of living.

All of the Tiger Economies are found in Southeast Asia.

Calligraphy

Another idea for content is to look into calligraphy, specifically that of south east Asia.

The Chinese name for calligraphy is shūfǎ  in Traditional Chinese, literally "the method or law of writing) 

The Japanese name shodō (書道) means "the way or principle of writing" 

The Korean is seoye (서예/書藝) means "the art of writing"

And the Vietnamese is Thư pháp (書法) means "the way of letters or words"). 

The calligraphy of East Asian characters is an important and appreciated aspect of East Asian culture.

Tiger Economies

Tiger Economies //

A tiger economy is the economy of a country which undergoes rapid economic growth, usually accompanied by an increase in standard of living

The next stage of my design decisions for the  money brief is to specify where my currency will be used.

Going back to something I learned about for Geography A level was Tiger Economies. The 4 Asian Tigers include Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. These economies are rapidly growing due to free markets and have all developed into advanced and high-income economies.

As these countries have a growing financial market, I will be exploring growing Asian economies and choosing one as my chosen currency to redesign. 

Japan

I am a huge fan of Asian culture and that is why I have booked a trip to japan in the summer. There are many things I like about the culture that include food, fashion and architecture.

The Japanese Yen banknotes to date are, in my opinion, slightly dull and understated. The imagery works well and is a great representation of their culture, however the design of the banknote means that the imagery is almost lost amongst the dull tones and overcomplicated patterns.

This is a redesign for the Japanese banknote. I think that these work a lot better as a series as they communicate key aspects of the culture whilst also using bright colours and bold text. These modern redesigns are similar to what I had in mind in terms of colour pallets, iconic imagery and typography. 

South Korea

The South Korean banknote is very similar to the current Japanese banknote. The colours work better with this design and the design isn't too overcomplicated. The imagery is quite ambiguous and so doesn't shout out anything specific about the culture apart from the iconic people used.

With my own designs I will be aiming to use a lot more obviously cultural imagery that will demonstrate key aspects of the culture of my chosen country. These aspects will include food, architecture and fashion.

Taiwan

Taiwan, being another Tiger economy, has a really nice existing banknote design. Being even less complicated than the two previous examples, the design is more clear and recognisable. 

I've found a project whereby someone has redesigned the Taiwan banknote but that also tackles biodiversity. The project has been designed with the use of stock in mind. 

One of the elements of banknotes that people prefer and that I will be focusing on throughout the project is the unique feel of the note. For this, I will be exploring a range of stock to print my design onto. I may also consider the carbon footprint of the production process. 

Cultural Imagery //

For the imagery in my designs, I will be exploring, in depth, all possible iconic imagery of the chosen country to use in my illustrations.

This imagery will include Food, Fashion and Architecture.

These three aspects of asian culture are what attracts me to the continent. They're all extremely unique to each country and hugely different from anything in the Western world.

Licence to Print Money

Licence to Print Money //

Money in the form of coins and banknotes has been around for centuries and had been a crucial element of human development. 

Before money, a bartering system was used as a means of trading both goods and services.

Asian Cutlery was a system used by the Chinese where miniature replicas of tools cast in bronze were then used as currency. However, the one major downfall of this system was that a lot of the tools were sharp and pointy and so people often reached into their pockets and injured themselves. Because of this, they were quickly reinvented as circles.

With the evolution of technology in recent times, virtual money such as Bitcoin have come about. 

Bitcoin is a digital asset and virtual payment system invented by Satoshi Nakamoto. There is no physical form of the currency as all transactions are done by computer. It has its own economy with millions of users around the world. This currency can even exchanged for other currencies. The money is described as 'decentralised virtual currency' as it is not government run or owned. The main advantage of the currency is the lower transaction fees which attracts large audiences that often make large transactions. 

It was inevitable that global super power Apple Inc. would get involved and so they did. There newest invention is Apple Pay, a virtual payment system that can be done using an iPhone 6 or later or even an apple watch. This has made it possible to pay for your everyday items using just your phone.

So with all these advancements in technology, the question arises of is there any future for real money such as coins and banknotes?

This is the question I aim to answer through my body of work. First I will be exploring all types of currency out there already. 

One major aspect of real money that I gathered through research online is that a huge number of people will always prefer to hand over real money as apposed to paying through a digital system. Reasons for this include the personal aspect of physically handing over the money. Another reason that is mentioned a lot is the actual feel of money. The feel of a banknote is very unique and so is a strong representation of wealth. People like to have money in their hands and in their wallets as it rewards them not only with wealth but with a sense of achievement in that they have earned it.

Cotton

Most banknotes are made from cotton paper with a weight of 80 to 90 grams per square meter. The cotton is sometimes mixed with linen, abaca or other textile fibres. This gives the banknote a very distinct feel as it is soft yet sturdy. 

There is also some satisfaction shared by everyone with a crisp bank note. When the ATM hands you a perfectly ironed £20 pound note, is almost gives the piece of cotton even more value somehow, even if its worth the same to anyone else.

Unique Design

Another aspect of money that I find fascinating is the fact that the production of the banknote has meant that it is almost impossible to replicate, this had to be achieved in order for the concept of money to work. With all the things achievable with technology these days, it's amazing that it is still so difficult to replicate and reproduce bank notes illegally, not that I'm interested in doing so.

Banknotes all over the world are unique to the country in which they are used. Euros, Dollars, Pound Sterling all have designs including famous buildings, iconic people in history etc. This gives the money a really personal and patriotic feel, which would be quickly lost if all money was handled with digitally. 

From this research, I have decided that there will always be a place for banknotes, even when up against technology. 

The main aspects of money that I will be focusing on in my own design work is the physical feel, weight and design. I will be exploring different stocks, drafting methods, tradtional techniques such as monoprint and etching. 

Thing to Think About //

Purpose - Will it act just as money? or will it have a secondary purpose?

Who will use/ receive the currency?

Where will the currency be used - Unique to a country? Global? will there only be one currency used by all in future?

What materials/ stock to be used? - e.g. cotton, plastic money etc

How many varitions? - e.g. £5, £10, £20, £50..., Larger numbers to communicate inflation that has reduced value of money

Imagery - Relevant to audience, relevant to country, Imagery relevant to value? e.g. the larger the value, the larger the animal etc.

Design my own currency? - e.g. design something with a similar purpose to £,€, $ etc.

Publication Design Ideas

Design Ideas

As my publication is all about simplifying piste maps, I have been brainstorming ideas on how to do this using design principles. One Idea I have had is to produce each map using only two colours or hues.

Existing piste maps use a huge range of different colours to represent each run as well as the colourful surroundings. As my maps won't include all the different difficulties of runs, it gives me the opportunity to take away the colour system and come up with my own, more simplified one; one example is to use stroke weight or style such as dashes.

Two-Tone Design //

As the aim of my publication is based around ease of use, I had the idea to simplify the book to just a few colours.

This idea came from the project below. The publication is actually only made up of one colour; purple. This also gives the publication consistency as well as making for an easy read.

Similarly, below is another example of how using a limited range of colours can be hugely successful in producing a consistent publication.

Inspiration for my contents page came from the publication below. I came across it whilst browsing Behance. 

The simple elegance of the large page numbers followed by a brief explanation of the content gives for an ease of use that supports my aim of simplifying piste maps.

My colour palette 

My chosen colour palette consists of Pantone 2645 C & Pantone 654 C.

I decided to use these two colours as they're very much suitable to the content of the book. Both colours can be related to the environment and temperature of a ski resort.