Dollar ReDe$ign Project

Astonishing! The 'Art' of Bank Note Design (by committee) : Treasury Dept Podcast

Watch this snoring podcast from the Treasury Dept on how the new $100 bill was 'designed' (by committee). It's astonishing the amount of time and effort the Bureau and the Treasury spent on developing their ideas. Really. But what did the research show? That people can't deal with change and are unable to let go of the past. Get comfy now because this really is a 'design for dummies' show and tell. It's also important to note that not one actual designer was consulted in the project's development, in fact the printer was left in charge of that responsibility. Need we say any more.

Susan Witt : What is Money? : BerkShares Local Currency

The Opposition Strikes Back : Treasury Dept : Dollar ReDe$ign – Not!

In response to our recent call for entries, the Treasury Department just sent in some quick fix solutions. Utilizing a rogue's gallery of dead Presidents and Masonic iconography, their ideas are vintage in every respect. Clearly this is a joke but unfortunately the Bureau for Printing and Engraving was unavailable for comment at press time. And where's the $1 bill? Curious ... 

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The_Opposition_Strikes_Back_Tr.zip (495 KB)

New $100 Bill – A Hard Act to Follow

Today, April 21, 2010, the Treasury Department of the United States of America announced the launch of the new $100 bill - Woooo-hooo! What a doozy! ;) Wow, the ‘design‘ department really went to town this time. Clearly feeling the heat from the DRP the Treasury Department has obviously spent the last year passing round PowerPoint presentations outlining their planned retaliation. Pathetic really that this is all they could come up with, I mean, Joe-Criminal is always going to be ahead of the technology curve when it comes to finding ways to work this shit around - ie counterfeiters will always find a way to break the code. But really who gives a hoot – sure security is important, but what really counts is what our currency has come to represent, which honestly is Jack-Shit. And until the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, and the rest of those folks on Capitol Hill realize that this is a brand issue – not a paranoid security driven issue – the quicker we, the People, will get back what we deserve – our homes, our cars, our savings, our livelihood, and most importantly our individual self-respect. Period.

Ameros Rule : Federal Reserve Showcases New US Dollar Design

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Ameros_Rule_Federal_Reserve_Sh.zip (4.37 MB)

In Our Constitution We Trust : The Liberty Bill

American Pride / Brand Manifesto
The Liberty Bill Act is an initiative started by teachers and students at Liberty Middle School, VA, which aims to amend the US currency to include an abridge version of the American constitution on the reverse of every single one Dollar bill: "Imagine seven billion one Dollar bills exchanging hands each day among the six billion people around the world ... the democracy, freedom and goodwill of the Constitution - America’s pride - on every single one." Backed by Congressmen Eric Cantor (R-VA) and endorsed by Ralph Nadar, the Liberty Bill Act is slowly moving its way up the Congressional ladder. Conceptually this act has much merit and we applaud the teachers and students of Liberty Middle School for pursuing their cause and for also gaining such widespread Congressional recognition too - its highly impressive to say the least. But what really makes this initiative interesting is that on many levels the Constitution represents America's 'brand values,' and it also outlines what defines America's 'brand personality.' Therefore, essentially the Constitution is the 'brand platform' from which any rebranding initiative could begin. And perhaps rather than including all seven articles and every 27 amendments on one bill, it might be clearer to communicate each one - or include a summary or use a visual metaphor instead - across several bills of every denomination. Then occasionally interject those with bills including visual representations of various national achievements - man on the moon and so on - and hey presto we have a complete 'brand communication program' based on what makes this country great. A communication program that represents a set of beliefs and values that we all - more or less - adhere to and believe in. Wow! I'm really beginning to see the 'light.' Next stop Washington.

Currency : A Usability Study : Another 'Kick' in the Teeth for Bill

Is our currency really that practical? Not only is the design ‘ancient’ in its ‘look and feel,’ a recent ‘study’ (http://tinyurl.com/lfww7j) claims that it’s also not very easy to use. Uselog.com, the product usability weblog, compares the US currency with some other currencies from around the world and concludes that, sadly, the problem lies in the fact that ‘there’s really no incentive’ to make the US currency more practical because people ‘have no alternative.’ Clearly, the Federal Reserve’s ‘monopoly’ on this situation is an out-of-order ‘kick’ in the teeth for civil liberties. In any other situation ‘the people’ would have the right to challenge such a situation, clearly it’s time for a public ‘uprising,’ it’s time for the monetary revolution to get ‘organized’ ...

Isaac Gertman : The Sky's the (Federal) Limit : Dollar ReDe$ign

“The organizing principal of my design is the Federal Reserve. The bill is broken into 12 vertical sections which represent the 12 cities that house a Federal Reserve bank. I then took typical skyline shots of each city, and then lined them up horizontally to make up a composite skyline. The daytime skyline is on the recto side, and a nighttime skyline is on the verso. The security mark on each bill is a GIS map of the city grid. The bill size matches the 100 Euro bill, and is marked ‘100 USD’ because the value of the US Dollar is so inextricably linked to international finance markets.”

© Copyright 2009 The ‘Author’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit
to learn how to submit your ideas.

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Isaac_Gertman_The_Skys_the_Fed.zip (598 KB)

Great Minds Think Alike : House Whip Wants to Redesign the Dollar Too!

THE LIST GOES ON ...

House Whip, Eric Cantor, the Right Honorable Congressional Member for Virginia's 7th District, has recently proposed legislation to redesign the one dollar bill. Specifically, the "Liberty Bill Act" – as it's officially known, or H.R. 2854 if you really want to get specific –anyway, the legislation would “require the Secretary of the Treasury to redesign $1 Federal Reserve notes so as to incorporate the preamble to the Constitution of the United States," plus it should include "a list describing the Articles of the Constitution," as well as "a list describing the Amendments to the Constitution, on the reverse side of such notes,” and, a list of the top 10 grossing movies of all time, a list of everyone at REO Speedwagon's farewell concert, AND a Twitter link so you can track how your Dollar's are actually being spent these days ... actually we made those last few things up. Sorry!

However, according to the Conservative Compendium blog "the bill states that Congress finds that 'many Americans are unaware of the provisions of the Constitution of the United States, one of the most remarkable and important documents in world history'.” Which is true enough. In "fact" Mr Cantor would also like every American to read the constitution to their children each and every night and implores each and every one of us to ensure their child can recite the 'preamble' word for word by the age of 5 ... just kidding, we made that last lot up too. Sorry :-( ... just kidding ...

But seriously, in response, earlier today we reached out to the Right Honorable Members, Mr Cantor and Barney Frank (D-MA) – who chairs the House Financial Services Committee – to ask them to perhaps consider going a little further. Even though we applaud their move and believe their idea to include the preamble etc is a good one, we urged both Mr Cantor and Mr Frank to reconsider the proposed legislature, completely. We suggested that maybe they think about the bigger picture too for a moment.

Imagine a nation standing behind a common goal, contributing towards a common interest, believing in a common ideal – and believing that our country is "broke" but "we" can fix it – it just seems "we're" running out of time (and money too).

Yet, we truly believe that rebranding the world's most powerful brand – the mighty Dollar bill – is the catalyst this country needs to get itself restarted, and inviting every American into that conversation is an exciting possibility that really must come to fruition. Mr Cantor, Mr Frank, we look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Does the Federal Reserve Need a Makeover Too?

In a recent article in The Atlantic magazine, Derek Thompson reports that apparently 'the Fed is getting a makeover and also seeking image-softening advice from a former Enron lobbyist.' Go figure! Clearly it seems what's good for the goose, in this case, is NOT good for the gander. Or ... perhaps, (we HOPE) this is the beginning of an overall rebranding initiative that eventually will see the mighty mother-of-all-brands – the grand old US of A – and the humble Dollar bill, getting a ‘makeover’ too? You never know – like they say, 'from small beginnings come great things.' We truly HOPE so, we really do. Read original Atlantic story here ...