The American dollar is in bad need of a makeover. Thanks to the Dollar ReDe$ign Project, we may now have some options.
Organized by creative strategy consultant Richard Smith, the Dollar ReDe$ign Project is soliciting ideas for the dollar bill of the future. “Our great ‘rival’, the Euro, looks so spanky in comparison it seems the only clear way to revive this global recession is to rebrand and redesign,” the project notes on its website.
Fisher started the project in with the intent of “trying to find a catalyst to restart our economy” he told Fox News. The recent competition is now closed, and voting ends on September 30. “This has touched people’s hearts,” Fisher said, and “people feel the dollar touches their lives.”
The leading vote-getter for this year’s competition (pictured below) was submitted by British duo Dowling Duncan, which features a unique vertical design.
Relative Value : Dowling Duncan
“Why the size? – We have kept the width the same as the existing dollars. However we have changed the size of the note so that the one dollar is shorter and the 100 dollar is the longest. When stacked on top of each other it is easy to see how much money you have. It also makes it easier for the visually impaired to distinguish between notes.
Other entries include:
America Today : Mark Gartland
“Although the cosmetic drabness of the currency is apparent, what is more distressing is that it ignores the country that America has become. In an attempt to bring the currency into the present I’ve selected American icons and their famous quotes to illustrate the diverse fabric that is the US today. The quotes are inspirational and attempt to define the qualities of present day America. Most importantly, the photographic quality brings the currency into the modern era. Each bill has a watermark in the broad white stripe and metallic and holographic stamps to deter counterfeiting.”
50 Dollar: Featuring Sakajawea – ‘Everything I did, I did for my people.’
The Great Compromise : Reid Collier/Evan Cotter
“Despite some recent successful progressive ideas resonating in this country, there are still some significant conservative elements to our nation’s identity. A good example of how this conservative element effects our daily lives is this very project; we have seen only very small changes in our currency over the years. With this idea in mind, I decided to take a pragmatic approach to the redesign. I tweaked the relationship between all of the graphic elements on the current notes but kept the president’s as they are currently featured.
Game Over : Jose Hernandez
“The idea behind these was to create currency that reflected the United States in the 21st century as well as keep it’s heritage and “‘brand’ of the Dollar intact. By brand I mean the look and feel of what Americans are used to seeing as the United States Dollar. For the past few years and decades American currency hasn’t kept up to the changes the country has made.
That’s Amore : Riccardo Cerrone
The Economy, It’s an Environmental Issue : Evan Brogan
“My overall theme for this project is environmental in concern. In brief, my concept for a new set of American currency is to restore our national identity as a land of wilderness immeasurable, and through a celebration of the environment, remind us all to be good stewards of our land, water, and air.
Clair Tinajero
“The redesign of US currency serves two purposes. One, use the Dollar bill to symbolize the ideals of American society and two, to try and make the use of cash easier or improved.
The Dollar bills here have been designed based on one of the backbones of this country – transportation. The front of the bills represent a time line – from covered wagons to airplanes. The back of the bills follow a similar thread, however they are based on the modern equivalents of the front’s mode of transportation.
Bluebacks : Juan Arreguin
“We have a lot of tourists in our country and one thing to keep an excitement about locations is buying/purchasing items from well-known locations. Keeping this in mind, I felt like money is traded yet is just used as an item of trade. Using the Dollar bill we can educate those who are not familiar with our culture. One important fact is that our country has a lot of history that we can share.
And the winner is:
Full Chorus : Gardiner Moody : Dollar ReDe$ign
Gardiner Moody is the technical director/webmaster at http://www.belslowstudios.org, a non-profit organization whose main goal is to spur creativity in the surrounding areas of Belfast, Maine. They are also leading the restoration of the Belfast Opera House.
See more of these amazing designs at the home of the Dollar Rede$ign Project
