US paper currency is so ubiquitous that to really look at its graphic design with fresh eyes requires some deliberate and focused attention. So pull out a greenback from your wallet (or look at a picture online) and really take it in. All the fonts, the busy filigree, the micro patterns…it’s just dreadful.
Even though paper currency itself, just idea of money, is a massive, world changing technology, the look and feel of US paper money is very stagnant. Richard Smith is the founder of the Dollar ReDe$ign Project and in an article in the New York Times, he pointed out five major areas where the design of US currency could improve: color, size, functionality, composition, and symbolism.
The worst aspects of the design of the greenback are illustrated in this video by Blind Film Critic Tommy Edison.
It just so happens that Australian currency addresses each and every one of the points made by Richard Smith. Tristan Cooke and Tom Nelson of the blog Humans in Design are big fans of all the design innovations in Australian money. Aussie polymer notes are varied in color, get larger with each denomination, are more durable and are generally considered better and easier to use than US currency.
But there are some interesting reasons why the greenback is the way it is. David Wolman, author of The End of Money, explains that the legacy features that make US paper money look stale and anachronistic are meant to convey stability and timelessness. Since the US economy is so important in the world economy, why mess with it? Some fear that changing the design of the currency significantly (or eliminating the penny) could undermine the faith in the federal reserve note.
Even though Tristan and Tom are fans of the Australian polymer bills, they share Wolman’s view that the more interesting future innovations are not going to have anything to do with physical cash. Clever user interfaces that help us manage our money better, while providing even greater convenience, are getting more refined and accepted. So that ugly $20 in your wallet may never actually get prettier and more functional, it’ll just be gone.
Extra: Below is the 2010 winner of Richard Smith’s Dollar ReDe$ign Project, submitted by Dowling Duncan.
Mark Lukach wrote a very kind piece about the show for The Awl (which is a favorite site of mine). Cheers, Mark!
If you have a friend who won’t listen because they still think the program is about Occupy, this might finally do the trick. Spread the word! Thanks.
Hi Team! A bunch of interviews I did over the past couple months all came out at once last week, so if you want to hear all about me and the show go listen.
Hear how Ray Suarez inadvertently got me started in radio (twice)! Hear about my early days in plant genetics! Hear about how I’m basically nonfunctional in real life and require radio to be a complete person!
Design Matters with Debbie Millman
The Conversation Hub with Marc Vaillancourt
SoundCloud Speaks – #2 with Evan Tenenbaum
Thanks to Debbie, Marc, and Evan for talking with me. It was really fun (and frightening) to be on the other side of the mic.
-r
After 15 hours of downtime, the podcast is available again.
I’ve talked to PRX and we’re working on getting the show moved over to a more reliable host. It may be a painful transition, but I’d hate to keep growing the program and have it not be available for long stretches like this. I’ll let you know what happens.
Thanks for your patience, everyone!