Dollar ReDe$ign Project

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Beverly Thomas : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T11:15:00.001-08:00

"These are my dollar redesigns. When thinking about what to do for this project I had in mind freedom and liberty. With my redesigns I tried to keep it simple, but with some detail. For the backgrounds I kept the same design to show consistency, yet changing them up with different colors."

Beverly Thomas, Student at South Hills School of Business & Technology, PA

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Elliott Henry : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T11:12:00.001-08:00

"I chose to redesign the one hundred, fifty, and twenty dollar bills of the U.S. currency. In my designs I started with choosing a character for each of the bills in order of importance to modern day culture. So Eminem is more important than Tupac therefor he is on the 100. Once I Chose a character for the front of the bill I decided to use the corresponding city that each one of these icons are from for the back. Next I chose a color pallet for each different bill. I also decided to make the size of the bills 2.61" x 5.14". I used a fractal brush for the background of the bills that would be printed in a metallic ink to prevent counterfeiting. Another method I used to prevent counterfeiting was placing a watermark seal on the top left of the front of each note. To help the visually impaired i placed braille on the front of each bill and also made the colors for each bill bright and different from each other so that one could separate the bills by color alone."

Elliott Henry, Student at South Hills School of Business & Technology, PA

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Brythan Benfer : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T11:04:00.001-08:00

"For my money redesign, I chose to do people who have stood up for people rights, wether they be civil or women's. I chose John F. Kennedy for my one dollar bill. He stood up for civil rights along with Martin Luther King Jr., at his high position of our President. Martin Luther King Jr. graces the five dollar bill. He has become the national icon for civil rights movements, and claiming the bill held by Abraham Lincoln is fitting. I have Susan B. Anthony on my ten dollar bill. She has fought for women's right and helped to introduce women's suffrage in the US. I believe these three people have made a very large impact on our world and society as we know it today. I have also placed the corresponding memorials on the back of the bills. The small number in the upper left hand corner on the face of each of the bills would be a hologram or a metallic type ink to help thwart counterfeiters."

Brythan Benfer, Student at South Hills School of Business and Technology, PA

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Kellie Altland : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T11:03:00.001-08:00

"For my design, I wanted to keep a patriotic feel to the money because someone coming from another country would know that it is completely U.S. money. I used a popular U.S. icon, the American Eagle, and a representation of the American Flag because they are very well known. On the back of the dollar, I included a picture of the White House. The two circles that are slightly transparent, on top of the white house, help make it harder so that you can't counterfeit it."

Kellie Altland, Student at South Hills School of Business & Technology, PA

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Jessica Beichner : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T11:02:00.001-08:00

"For my designs, I went with the theme of famous US inventors. I wanted to keep the designs simple and eye catching, and make it so each denomination is easy to distinguish from the others. Sometimes with our current bills, it is hard to tell which one you have at first glance, so by giving each bill its own color, it would make telling your money apart faster and easier. Plus the colors and large text makes it much easier to see."

Jessica Beichner, Student at South Hills School of Business & Technology

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Stormi Rebo : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T10:59:00.001-08:00

"I chose to redesign the American dollar bill using American accomplishments in space. My one dollar bill represents the moon landing, my five dollar bill represents the first American Mars orbiter, and my ten dollar bill represents Explorer1. I kept my color scheme for the most part red white and blue."

Stormi Rebo, Philipsburg, PA, Student at South Hills School of Business & Technology

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Daniel Bourne : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T10:57:00.001-08:00

"I don’t see the U.S. keeping with the current style of dollar for much longer. I see it changing into more of a European look which is what I have tried to represent here. I believe that people won’t be as iconic as places, images, or buildings, so I went with a word and then used meaningful images to depict what that word means for the U.S."

Daniel Bourne, Student at South Hills School of Business and Technology

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Matt Narehood : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T10:54:00.001-08:00

"For my dollar redesign project, based my theme on three major wars that our country has been involved in. I used the Revolutionary War, Civil War and World War Two. On each bill I included the President that was serving during that war, an image that is well known from each war and the American Flag as a background on each bill. The backs also includes another image from the war, the President and the state/states the war took place in. I used bright colors that have a faded look that still give each bill a warn feel to each one. Each President is also bigger in size and cropped off some, allowing each to pop off the bill."

Matt Narehood, McVeytown, PA, Student at South Hills School of Business & Technology

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Alicia Nocket : Dollar ReDe$ign : South Hills School of Business, PA

2012-01-29T10:50:00.001-08:00

"My theme for the dollar bill redesign project is the heroes of America. When thinking about what people I would use for this theme is was obvious that the US Military would best fit this description. I decided to go with the army, the marines, and the air force on my dollar bills. Each section of the military has and is doing its job to help protect all of us and I truly believe that they deserve to be honored for it. I used a picture of a man in his uniform on the front and then the logo for that section of the military on the back. On all the dollar bills is the American flag and eagle representing America and its freedom."

Alicia Nocket, Bellefonte, PA, Student at South Hills School of Business & Technology

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Let's Get Crazy! Rebranding Greece : Listen and Learn America

2012-01-19T06:37:00.001-08:00

In Denial : GOP Candidate Ron Paul Denies New Money Conspiracy : via Mail Online

2011-12-25T08:39:00.001-08:00

via dailymail.co.uk

A letter signed by GOP candidate Ron Paul urges readers to subscribe to Paul's newsletters so that he could 'tell you how you can save yourself and your family' from an overbearing government. It also warns that the U.S. government's redesign of currency to include different colors - a move aimed at thwarting counterfeiters - actually was part of a plot to allow the government to track Americans. Read more here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2078217/Newly-uncovered-videos-letter...

Peace is the Word : Aehad Haque : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-11-05T06:46:00.001-07:00

"Let's spread peace in the USA with Peace Dollars."

Aehad Haque, Somewhere, Planet Earth

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Tumble !!! : Jeanne Verdoux #OccupyWallStreet

2011-10-16T07:18:00.001-07:00

Greek It Out : New Greek Banknote Design : Pavlos Vatikiotis via Flickr

2011-10-16T07:10:00.001-07:00

via flickr.com

In For A Pound ... : Aehad Haque : Sterling ReDe$ign

2011-10-15T07:00:00.001-07:00

Aehad Haque, location unknown.

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Spread The Word : James Klum : Dollar ReDe$ign : #OccupyWallStreet

2011-10-15T06:55:00.001-07:00

"What if people started making their own designs and distributing them with legal tender as a backing? People could also share designs, trade them, and use them in a variety of situations. In one way, it can be used to challenge the monetary status quo; it can also convey a political message and represent a shift in power from the bankers to the people. This could be a constructive way to spread any message. My submission folds up long and thin like an 8 section miniature magazine, only with longer and skinnier proportions, enabling it to fit inside any standard money holder such as a cash register or wallet. Other ideas, make a torrent with all the images for easy download & viewing. Ask contributors to give permission to use their currency as a backing to legal tender as seen in the picture this is possible by folding long-ways, then making an L with a diagonal fold near the middle, then folding over and inward from both ends until you slide both ends in a pocket in the middle. see if you can, its pretty easy."

James Klum, location undisclosed.

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes : David Bowie Takes a Pounding

2011-10-05T12:30:00.001-07:00

London Boy: The official David Bowie Brixton Ten Pound note is revealed. Learn more here.

Moon Money : Vladislav Novikov-Barkovsky : via Behance.net

2011-07-26T06:02:00.001-07:00

See more here.

Chopped $alad : Mark Wagner : Currency Collages

2011-07-20T05:39:00.001-07:00

via smokeinmydreams.com

Ker-Ching! : Guido Mocafico : One Thousand Dollars

2011-07-19T15:03:00.001-07:00

View portfolio.

James Joyce : Illustrating the Dollar

2011-07-15T10:59:00.001-07:00

via Breed London

Money and Life | A story about money that will change your life.

2011-07-13T05:52:00.001-07:00

via moneyandlifemovie.com

Dollar ReDe$ign : Brownies For The Dead : deviantART

2011-07-09T16:44:00.001-07:00

via browniesforthedead.deviantart.com

A Sense of History : Paul Nylund : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-07-08T17:25:00.001-07:00

“I wanted to create a design that wouldn't completely do away with all the history that helped to bring the original design into existence. It is not very easy to counterfeit and has a simple, modern, and recognizable look with much aesthetic appeal.”

Paul Nylund lives in Los Angeles, CA, and is in 10th grade. This is a link to his blog http://ciktproject.blogspot.com
© Copyright 2011 The ‘Author’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit
to learn how to submit your ideas.

See the full gallery on Posterous

It's Not Rocket Science : Andrew 'the genius' : Dollar ReDe$ign ((tag: Dollar ReDe$ign)

2011-07-06T22:20:00.001-07:00

'Instead of really changing banknotes, I just wanted to move things around a little. If I were to do all the bills, I would color code them, say, 5 red, 10 yellow. For security purposes, my Dollar would have a magnet (like on a credit card) in the white space.'

Andrew 'the genius' is a middle school student from Missoula, MT.

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

The Obama Wallet : Scott Michalik : Dowling Duncan Re$pect

2011-06-28T17:15:00.001-07:00

Scott Michalik makes wallets based on currency designs. Inspired by last year's winning entry designed by Dowling Duncan (featuring an image of Barack Obama on the one Dollar bill), Michalik produced 'the Obama wallet' above. Some might say he's cashing in but Michalik's ideas are really a mark of true respect and we hope to see them available at Target stores nationwide very soon.

Something Boring is Going on Across the Boarder

2011-06-24T06:43:00.001-07:00

New Canadian $100 Bill Unvelied.

The Bank of Canada has just released a new $100 bill design that is about as dull as Canada's reputation but at least it's made of plastic. Fantastic! Watch the video to learn bore ...

Age Appropriate : Julia Perry : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-06-11T12:59:00.001-07:00

"As a student I participated in a Dollar Redesign project at The Pacific Northwest College of Art here in Portland, Oregon. For each denomination I chose an American of corresponding age. I relied on my background in American Cultural Studies to make gender and nationality choices that didn't reinforce negative stereotypes. I chose to create decorative elements that reflect both American folk traditions and simple, modern patterns. The arrow motif is a nod to the fact that money is always in a state of motion."

Julia Perry is a "strategist and problem-solver" from Oregon who is interested in "making creative, thoughtful and effective design." You can view more of her work here.

© Copyright 2011 The ‘Author’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit

Rogue's Gallery : Make Your Own Benjamin Project

2011-05-25T16:12:00.001-07:00

via makeyourfranklin.com

Want : Dorothy : Yankee Doodle Dollar

2011-04-21T20:04:00.001-07:00

via wearedorothy.com

Familiar Faces : Julie Gratz : Dollar ReDe$ign : via Behance Network

2011-04-20T16:58:00.001-07:00

Fantastic : Hoyt Haffelder : Dollar ReDe$ign : via Behance Network

2011-04-20T16:30:00.001-07:00

There's More! : AJ Getz : Dollar ReDe$ign : via Behance Network

2011-04-20T16:20:00.001-07:00

Front of Bill

Details of the front of the Bill

Rachel Brunette : Dollar ReDe$ign : via Behance Network

2011-04-20T16:18:00.001-07:00

Is It Time (Again) To Rebrand The Buck? : New York Sun

2011-04-20T16:12:00.001-07:00

One of the questions hanging over our politics today is whether President Obama appreciates the impact on his own legacy of the collapsing dollar. The futures market yesterday was putting the value of the dollar below a 1,500^th of an ounce of gold on what the Bloomberg News attributed to concerns about “escalating U.S. debt.” There’s a lot of blame to go around in respect of the debt, including to Congress, which has the constitutional authority to regulate the value of the dollar. But it is not the portraits of the leaders of Congress that are put on America’s currency. The portraits that normally go on our currency are portraits of the presidents,* whose treasury secretary signs the American scrip.

Yet as president, Mr. Obama has never given us a major speech in which he talks about how he views money or what he thinks of what has become of the dollar during his presidency. The value of the greenback has, for the record, fallen more than 43% from the 853^rd of an ounce of gold that it was worth at the end of the day on which Mr. Obama acceded to the presidency. That is less of a decline than the 68% slide in the value of the dollar under President George W. Bush. But Mr. Bush was in office eight years. The steepness of the plunge under Mr. Obama is breathtaking.

via nysun.com

Be There or Be Square : Baltimore B-Note

2011-04-16T06:11:00.001-07:00

via baltimoregreencurrency.org

Today the Baltimore Green Currency Association is set to officially launch Baltimore's first local currency called the B-Note. Follow the link for details.

Nick Smith : What Have You Done Lately ? : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-04-15T17:29:00.001-07:00

© Copyright 2011 The ‘Author’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit
to learn how to submit your ideas.

Raymond Sizemore : Presidents Only : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-04-15T17:24:00.001-07:00

“With the exception of making sure Washington was on the 100, I had no set bill for each President. I just gathered Presidents I thought deserved to be on the currency and put them on it. I believe that only our Presidents ought to be on the money. For the background of the front I chose an important event that the President played a major role in, either during his presidency or some other time during his career in public service. For the back I simply chose something essential to American Culture.”

Raymond Sizemore, is a high school student from New Haven, CT.

© Copyright 2011 The ‘Author’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit
to learn how to submit your ideas.

Yenny Rua : Bon Voyage : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-04-15T17:20:00.001-07:00

“The basic idea behind my currency is a voyage through American history, beginning with its colonial roots illustrated in the one Dollar bill, continuing with the revolutionary war when we became the nation we are now on the five Dollar bill, on the twenty I placed Abraham Lincoln in front of the emancipation proclamation as yet another milestone in American history, and lastly on the one hundred Dollar bill I placed the Statue of Liberty on the front and Ellis Island on the back to symbolize the influx of immigration experienced in the 1900's and serves as a link between pilgrim and modern immigration making the bills and history a type of cycle. I decided to use different colors for each bill to make them easily distinguishable.”

Yenny Rua is a high school junior at Metropolitan Business Academy, CT.

© Copyright 2011 The ‘Author’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit
to learn how to submit your ideas.

Scott Michalik : Cash Cow

2011-04-15T17:17:00.001-07:00

“I work with leather and often use the artwork of banknotes on my products. All the products are 100% leather and the image is printed on to them.”

Paper vs Coins : The Hidden Cost of the Dollar : Bloomberg

2011-04-09T05:29:00.001-07:00

via bloomberg.com

On March 9 the US Government recommended replacing the $1 bill with a coin! Watch & Learn ...

Just For Fun : John K Addis : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-03-10T18:31:00.001-08:00

John K Addis is a national award-winning web designer and video producer from Lansing, Michigan.

© Copyright 2011 The ‘Author’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit

Power of Invention : Justin McTurnan : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-03-05T06:41:00.001-08:00

It is definitely a fact that currency represents art from specific countries. Our money is very artistic. Over time it gets boring though. So I decided to make my own set of money. It includes inventors I feel that shaped the United States as it is today. The Dollar bills also include a Braille strip for those who can't see.

Justin McTurnan is a 20 year old glazier from St. Louis Missouri. He is also going to school to become a history and maybe Spanish teacher and designing currency is just one of his many hobbies.

© Copyright 2011 The ‘Author’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit
to learn how to submit your ideas.

Class Act : South Hills College, PA : Dollar ReDe$ign

2011-02-19T21:20:00.001-08:00

Students at South Hills School of Business & Technology, Pennsylvania, decided recently to take matters into their own hands and rise to the Dollar ReDe$ign challenge en masse.

Luciano Sormani

The theme I picked for my dollar redesign is: America, its women and its ships. It focuses on strong, iconic women and their naval counterparts. My goal was to make money sexy again, do away with the monochromatic, antiquated feel of the current currency, but instead create a design for the new century, in which women play an ever increasing role. The design tries to bring back the positive feelings once associated with money. Instead of seeing it as a source of woe and misery, this curren cy design says it’s fun to make money, and to spend money. The front sides show us iconic role models from different age groups, professions and race. They inspire confidence and at the same time remind us that anything is possible.

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]The design is based on an embedded barcode that not only lends consistency, but also works as a tracking method. Bright colors and patterns enhance the ‘good vibe’ associated with having and spending money. Large type, Braille code and multilingual denomination make sure that most people will be able to use this currency without problems.

The bill redesign features many safety features, from a traceable barcode, micro type that’s not legible with the naked eye and an image created out of dots that only appears in the right printing configuration.

Joshua Lamey

I decided to focus my designs on scientists. I thought it would be nice to dedicate it to people who have made advancements to society,

[[posterous-content:pid___1]]There is a consistency in color and the chosen scientist. I chose violet for Einstein because i thought it best visualizes space and physics.

For Darwin, I chose green because I thought it best represents life and biology. For Tesla, I chose blue to illustrate electrical engineering.

Kayleigh Mital

[[posterous-content:pid___2]]Jorge Jovel

Here is my one dollar, five dollar, and ten dollar redesign. When we were asked to redesign the American dollar, I thought the Native Americans deserved a chance to be displayed on one of this countries most viewed item; the one dollar bill. After all the Native Americans are the true Americans. I wanted the five dollar bill to represent the world and remind us of what could happen if we don't take care of our pollution and waste.

[[posterous-content:pid___3]]If you notice the bill has a green feel to it, but you can see smog start to cover part of it; these bills go through so many hands and I figured why not advertise a green new world. The ten dollar bill was dedicated to our first African American president. President Obama made history by becoming the first Black American to become a president of the United States after years of slavery the African American people have gotten something back.

Alissa Pendorf

My currency is based on the theme of transportation that changed America. Though the airplane, steam locomotive, and automobile were first invented in Europe, they were highly experimental. Four American men — Orville and George Wright, John Stevens, and Henry Ford — further advanced these designs into fully functional, widely used machines that revolutionized American infrastructure.

[[posterous-content:pid___4]]The airplane was quickly adopted by the military and was a major contributor to the future of space exploration. The steam train was used to efficiently transport large quantities of people and heavy building supplies to undeveloped parts of the country. The automobile, of course, transformed personal transportation. These three modes of transportation changed the way America functioned and were vital to its growth of technology and culture in the 18th and 19th century.

Daron Coine

[[posterous-content:pid___5]]Kali Phillips

For my dollar bills, I chose to keep them clean and simple. I did not want to go too crazy with decorations, but I wanted each bill to stand out. I used different vibrant colors for each bill.

For the one dollar bill, I chose to use a lime green background. The strip of green is a different shade from the background. I used a texture tool on it to make it have a used feel. I only used the President, serial number, Federal Reserve circle, the Eagle circle and the Pyramid circle.

[[posterous-content:pid___6]]On the five dollar bill, I used a dark blue/purple color for the background. I also used the texture tool on this to give it some definition. For the strip, I used a lighter blue color to make it stand out. For the President, I put a drop shadow behind him to make him stand out more as well.

On the twenty dollar bill, I used a hot pink background. I used the texture tool on this as well. I made the opacity on the President a little less so that you could still see him, but not completely. I did that for counterfeiting issues.

I used the texture tool on each bill because I thought that it would make counterfeiting more complicated because each bill has a different level of the texture. Also, each President has different levels of opacity, which I thought would be a good idea to prevent counterfeiting.

Maggie Harbison

For my dollar bill redesign I decided to use animals that have come to be associated with the US. For the one dollar bill, I chose the bald eagle since it's a widely recognized symbol of the country.

[[posterous-content:pid___7]]I used mustangs and buffalo for the other two bills because of the role both animals played in our history, especially as we began expanding westward. I tried to keep the design fairly simple and straightforward and used the different colors to help differentiate between the bills more easily.

Nick Anna

[[posterous-content:pid___8]]© Copyright 2011 The ‘Authors’. All rights reserved.
These designs are NOT legal tender.
Visit: http://www.DollarReDesign.com/submit

Greece Is The Word : DRP Hits Panic Stricken Euro Zone : via Casa Viva

2011-01-15T13:29:00.001-08:00

Greece, a country in massive financial crisis, turns to the DRP for inspiration: "In this age of depreciation of money, the American brand strategist Richard Smith attempts for the second time to renew the face of dollars together with Dowling Duncan studio, which depicts critically the history of the USA."

Going Dutch : Holland's Design Legend Jaap Drusteen Critics the Dollar Redesign Competition

2010-10-24T10:06:00.001-07:00

Dutch newspaper "Het Financieele Dagblad" ran an in depth feature about our humble competition a few weekends back. The article included a mini history of the Dollar as well as the story behind the bald eagle – apparently Franklin wanted a Turkey (?) – gobble gobble. The article also included some other "fun currency facts" and they even roped in Dutch graphic design legend, Jaap Drusteen (who was responsible for the design of the last series of Dutch guilders), to give a critic of some of our submissions. Drusteen says, "the essence of good paper [currency] design is the organization and ordering of the elements that define the bills authenticity, and for the user to also be able to distinguish false from real – if that also results in something that is nice to look at, then you can say it is a good design." We say "we are not worthy" of such honorable words, especially coming from one of currency designs most distinguished pioneers. Thank you Mr Drusteen and the kind folks at "Het Financieele Dagblad" for even thinking we were on to something.

The Value of Money : One Man's Grapefruit, Another Man's Bread

2010-10-20T17:18:00.001-07:00

"I’m interested in the way photography is used to deceive. Millions, if not billions of advertising dollars are spent annually photographing food and obfuscating reality. Fast food conglomerates are certainly the worst culprits, but everywhere we see glamorized versions of what we eat.

Food is clearly a potent symbol of wealth, power, health, and globalization for the 21st Century. Its value is determined by the price of oil, its transnational transport contributes to Global Warming, its ingredients entice America into obesity, and its production processes animals into floss and mush.

The photographs in this project attempt to strip back the artifice; to depict food items as they were sold, (minus packaging,) without styling, retouching, or artificial lighting. Each image represents a dollar’s worth of food purchased from various markets in New Mexico. The subjects exist as equivalent amounts of commodity, and nothing more. The resulting images allow for a meditation on the power and seductive nature of the photographic medium itself."

View more images by Jonathan Blaustein here.

See the full gallery on posterous

Micah Perez : El Paso Pound Local Currency Project

2010-10-19T19:01:00.001-07:00

Right now, there is some consideration being put into the creation of a local currency for El Paso County in Colorado. It would operate in a similar manner to Berkshares, the Plenty, The Lewes Pound, and The Icatha Hour. Please contact me if you have any ideas suggestions or comments, please email me. If you are from el paso County, tell me what you think and what should be done in order to implement it.

The goal of the El Paso Pound Project is to establish a local currency for El Paso County, Colorado. A person would be able to trade in $0.90 for every £1.00, participating businesses would accept the Pound at face value, which gives the customer a built in 10% discount.

There are numerous benefits of implementing a local currency system and the El Paso Pound would have these following benefits:

Vision: We envision a strengthened and self-reliant local economy that provides essential goods and services to local consumers, resulting in the creation of a greater sense of community within the citizens of El Paso County.

Mission: To strengthen the Local Economy through a local currency program that gradually replaces imported goods with locally produced items, giving Local businesses a chance to effectively compete with national organizations.

See the full gallery on posterous

Benefits to Local Businesses

Local Businesses would benefit from increased revenue as a result of advertisement on the notes and due to the built in 10% discount. Each participating business would be listed in a directory that would be available to El Paso Pound Users.

Why sign up now? If you are one of the first 30 businesses you will receive a free ad space on a total of 20 notes of one denomination (£1, £5, £10, £20, £50, or £100) of your choosing.

What will it cost my business?

Nothing, all you have to do it put up an El Paso Pound label up stating that you will accept pounds at face value, by accepting pounds you will automatically be giving your customers a 10% discount.

What if I want to Trade my Pounds for US dollars?

Simply trade them in at the local participating bank, remember that you get 10% more by spending pounds at other participating businesses $90=£100.

What about taxes?

El Paso Pounds will be taxable at their US Dollar value.

As a business you will have nothing to lose and much to gain. By accepting pounds your business has potential only to gain more revenue.

Help us keep the money within our community and help support other local businesses as well!

Benefits to Customers

A customer by using El Paso Pounds will receive an automatic 10% discount at participating businesses. Also the customer will help to develop the community by keeping money within our County.

What if I want to trade my pounds in for regular money?

You can do so easily and quickly at a participating bank $0.90=£1.00.

How many businesses will be accepting the Pound?

Initially, there will be anywhere from 10-50 Businesses, as the pound becomes more popular we will be able to gradually increase the number of local businesses who will accept the Pound.

Will I be able to use US dollars too?

Yes, locations that accept the Pound will accept the dollar too; however you do not get a discount by using the dollar.

For Investor/Bank partner:

Bankers have always been able to find a way to make money, off of money. By introducing a local currency with ad space, we will be able to generate revenue to cover the cost of note printing as well as to make a significant profit.

Each note would have space for 5 ad logos of local businesses, the businesses would be able to go online and order a certain advertisement package, and the rates would be the following:

5 Spaces $50 for 1 space on 50 £1.00 notes
5 Spaces $55 for 1 space on 50 £5.00 notes
5 Spaces $60 for 1 space on 50 £10.00 notes
5 Spaces $65 for 1 space on 50 £20.00 notes
5 Spaces $70 for 1 space on 50 £50.00 notes
5 Spaces $75 for 1 space on 50 £100.00 notes

5 x $375 = 300 notes

$1875.00 - (avg $0.60* Per note)$180 = $1695

The Notes would have to be printed on security paper and would have to be printed in high quality; there would also be the option of putting a security hologram on the note. An investor might be looking at an initial investment of up to $500.00.

Benefits to Participating Banks

Banks will benefit from exchanging Pound for dollars and vice versa because:

1. The first bank to join will receive a significant portion of the advertising profits
2. Banks handling the pound will have an advantage over those not handling the pound because they will have distinguished themselves above the other non participating banks
3. People are more likely to open accounts at participating banks if that is where they often go to get their local currency
*High estimate

Launching the Currency

In order to launch the currency the following steps must be taken.

1. Create a website for the El Paso Pound with pay pal for ad space sales.
a. Website would have to contain information for consumers on the Local currency
b. There would have to be a section where the businesses could sign up and print “We accept the el Paso Pound Sign”
c. Ad selling section

2. Find a bank that will exchange Dollars for Pounds and that will be a primary partner to help with the initial funding and to share in the profits.

3. Create bank account for the El Paso Pound division of the bank as well as an accounting system.

4. Set a launch date

5. Speak with local businesses about accepting the pound, if they accept the terms (accepting the notes at face value, cashing in the notes at the exchange rate, putting up of a sticker which states that they accept the El Paso Pound, and their inclusion in the El Paso Pound Directory) then offer to put up the “we accept the el Paso pound sign” on their store window on the release date.

6. Inform the businesses about the advertising opportunity

7. Print the first 120 notes with the free ads of the first 30 businesses

8. Print 2 Large posters, I to put outside of the bank and one to put inside along with a 1^st edition business directory

9. Launch.

- Micah Perez

Big in Chile : Dollar ReDe$ign Project Goes South for Winter

2010-10-18T18:38:00.001-07:00

We made it into Chile's biggest daily newspaper, El Mercurio, thanks to Big Magazine! ¡Bakan!

Download now or preview on posterous

•026.pdf (222 KB)

Moving Along : John Koenig : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-10-03T10:04:00.001-07:00

"I say bring on the color. I grew up with the rainbow science posters that are the Swiss franc notes, so let's move beyond pale green. The swatch in the upper left would distinguish denominations in a wallet or a stack of cash. Each one of the Bill of Rights appears in the white space. I chose National Parks for the obverse because they have more to say about why the United States is great than a monument to one person."

John Koenig is a freelance graphic designer from, St. Paul, MN.

These designs are NOT legal tender.

to learn how to submit your ideas.

Hot Stuff! : It's Not ABC but It's Brilliant : Ukranian TV Dives Into the Dollar

2010-10-01T18:04:00.001-07:00

via podrobnosti.ua

Ukranian national TV station, Inter+, came by our campaign headquarters in New York the other weekend to chat about the Dollar and reminisce about the Ruble – they were even kind enough to give us a few samples of their own currency, the Hryvnia, as a gift. Judging by the production on this segment we think these guys rock, sure beats ABC any morning, day or night.

Battle of Britain : Dollar ReDe$ign 2010 Competition Winners

2010-10-01T08:08:00.001-07:00

We are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Dollar ReDe$ign contest.

FIRST PLACE – Dowling Duncan – 7,380 votes

SECOND PLACE – Ani Ardzivian – 4,688 votes

THIRD PLACE – Sean Flanagan – 4,496 votes

SPECIAL MENTION

– Lee Willet – 4,059 votes

– Dan Swenson – 2,910 votes

OTHER RESULTS AND NOMINATIONS

POLL RESULTS
(you can view all the results here)

Should we Redesign the Dollar?
– 3 to 1 in favor of change

Who Should Sing the Star Spangled Banner at the Launch Party?
– Eminem

Favorite Slogan for Brand USA
- In God We Trust

Favorite Person to Appear on New Bill Design
– Barack Obama (again!)

PETITION

Total Signatures to Date
– 2,990
(you can still sign here if you’ve not already!)

WEBSITE STATS
(by # of visitors worldwide)

Top Countries
– 1. United States. 2. Canada. 3. UK.

Top US States
– 1. California. 2. Texas. 3. New York.

Top Cities Worldwide
– 1. New York. 2. Los Angeles. 3. San Francisco.

SUBMISSIONS

Total Submissions
– This year’s competition: 61
– Submissions to date: 139

WINNERS OF THE POPULAR VOTE

Most Blogged – Dowling Duncan

Most Criticism – Dowling Duncan

Most Determined – Ani Ardzivian

Most Traffic – Dowling Duncan

Most Adorable – Dylan Smith

Most Discussion – Dowling Duncan

Most Tongue-in-Cheek – Vincent Kettering

Most Progressive – Neil Clavin, Yasmina Haryono, Heather Moore, Jan Schröder

Most Metaphorical – Gabriel Eid

Most Charming – Tobias Treppmann

Most iRonic – Raffael Hannemann

Most Luxurious – Heath Killen

Most Obvious Comments
– 1. Reminds me of Monopoly money.
– 2. Exactly what is this liberal @#$%!
– 3. They better keep God's name on it!

THANK YOU

Firstly I’d like to say thank you to everyone who’s taken part in this year’s competition, it’s been another roller coaster of a ride. Thank you also to all our supporters and fans, and to all the journalists and bloggers who helped promote our story.

From the competition’s humble beginnings in April, we have seen its popularity and polarizing effect achieve near pop culture status with copycat sites and YouTube rants being posted every day and mentions cropping up everywhere.

The cat was really put amongst the pigeons when we posted Dowling Duncan’s entry – Relative Value – in August. Within a matter of days people went nuts at the idea of President Obama’s face appearing on our currency. The populace cried: ‘Illegal!’ ‘Unpatriotic!’ ‘Stupid!’ Then the hate mail came thick and fast. People posted obscenities and accusations on our Facebook Fan page. Yahoo! News, who posted a story about the project that appeared on the front page of the Huffington Post, drove over 100,000 visitors to our blog in just one day and accumulated over 24,000 comments. These ranged from the perverse – “Obama does not belong on US money ... he is nothing more than a black African Muslim that got into American politics by the crooks in Chicago and voted in as president by Acorn and the vast minorities" – to the obvious – “we must keep ‘In God We Trust.’”

A publicist couldn’t have made a bigger splash, even if we paid them. The mainstream media ran stories online, on air, in print, everywhere, including Time, Aol, Fox, ABC World News, the Today Show, NBC, NPR, Good Morning America, the Huffington Post, Gawker, Yahoo! (in both the US, Canada and Australia), the Russian national TV station Zvezda said hello, and the national Ukrainian TV station Inter+ also stopped by for a chat. AdWeek, MSNBC and MSN, The Street, the English Daily Telegraph, the National Post in Canada, the China Post and Agence France-Presse, amongst several hundred others, all ran stories.

Supporting the democratic process, we started a poll, it made sense considering the fact we’d heard many subjective opinions in the past. Dowling Duncan’s submission and feverish viral publicity quickly put them ahead racking up almost 1,000 votes instantly and at the close of voting last night they had accumulated a total of 7,380 votes – making them the clear winner. Our 3rd place runner up, Sean Flanagan, seemed to come from nowhere and constantly challenged Dowling Duncan for the top spot for several days. Ani Ardzivian, our 2nd place runner up, who used Facebook and her RISD connections to rapidly push her submission to the top, and who also looked like potentially stealing Dowling Duncan’s crown as well at one point, was knocked off the number 2 spot within hours of Yahoo’s post. She then trailed in 4th place for a few days but then fought her way back to eventually finish in 2nd position. It was a thrilling ride and it seemed like it would always be anyone’s game until the very end.

Lastly I’d like to say a special thank you to Diane Treat, Dylan Smith, Michaela Gallardo, Mr & Mrs Milne, Rob Duncan, John Dowling, Heath Killen and Gabriel Eid. Thanks also to all the reporters we spoke to and again thank you to everyone who sent in their ideas.

AND FINALLY

An Outside Perspective. Perhaps it seems impolite or inappropriate for “a bunch of Brits” to think they have the right to suggest the mighty US Dollar could do with a makeover. Yet, in many ways, the father’s of this country (many of whom ironically were of English decent) used the wisdom and experience they had learned, from many outside perspectives, to lay down the foundations for this country and its principals. As we know from our history books, the fundamental ideas and philosophies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were inspired by several ‘foreign’ points of view. Yes, the Founding Fathers were in pursuit of independence from British rule but that did not stop them from taking notes from its political heritage.

Land of Opportunity? In this light it seems perverse to say the basis of our project is unpatriotic or un-American just because we were not born here, or because we are “outsiders.” This country was built by immigrants of every nationality who came in search of the “American dream,” from all over the world. Immigrants who brought with them the rich heritage of their motherland and infused our culture with their individual traditions and experience. It’s what made America, America. It’s what makes America unique. It’s what makes America special. It’s what America represents and is what should be celebrated and rejoiced, every day. It’s what we should use the Dollar bill for: as a vehicle to honor the multifaceted aspects of American culture and its many achievements and communicate to the global village – ie the rest of the world – as clearly and defiantly as possible, why America really is great.

Bringing Up the Rear : Daniel Acu=?ISO-8859-1?B?8Q==?=a : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-29T06:42:00.001-07:00

“My design respects a world tradition: they are not neutral or impersonal like the Euro, and believe George Washington and Ben Franklin must be there, after all this is the US Dollar, no matter what happens to our future economy. Today the British Empire does not exist, but the Sterling Pound remains, so it will be the same for the American Dollar, even if the Yuan or the Rupi or whatever other currency dominates for a while. I even see the US Dollar on Mars. All the notes I think are self explanatory: in the one Dollar bill I put the Declaration of Independence which can be read with a magnifier, as well as the mystic pyramid of course. Regarding counterfeit measures, the usual ones apply, but there would also be several stars in all the designs that are transparent, as well as several bars which would be printed whit exotic inks that are light sensitive, but I don’t see a big need to over secure the document as it would make it too expensive to produce.”

Daniel Acuña was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, México, and works as a freelance illustrator and infografist in Tijuana.

Baltimore Local Currency Design Contest : Enter Now!

2010-09-28T12:03:00.001-07:00

The Baltimore Green Currency Association hosted an informational booth at Hampdenfest this year, launching the design contest of Baltimore's very first local currency. Artists are encouraged to submit a candidate design for the BNote by November 11th, 2010. Submission details can be found at the website listed below.

The BNote buzz keeps growing, but what's up with the new Baltimore currency, and how will it benefit the city?
Part of its mission is to establish an alternative economy that will strengthen local business, create jobs, and ultimately, provide economic opportunity to communities facing poverty and the dire effects of this ongoing crisis.

If you're interested in learning more, head over to Breathe Books in Hampden on October 4th at 7pm. Jeff Dicken and Michael Rigby, founders of the association, will be showing a few short videos and discussing Social Business, the BNote, answering questions, and asking for your feedback. Here's an opportunity to shape the city's new currency. It's your money, your way.

To submit a design or learn more, visit www.baltimoregreencurrency.org

Watch Aol Interview with Dollar ReDe$ign Founder Richard Smith

2010-09-27T08:09:00.001-07:00

via walletpop.com

The Dollar ReDe$ign Project's Campaign President, Richard Smith, gets to talk Greenbacks and Gilders with Aol's roving reporter Jason Cochran on Wallet Pop. Read full story here: http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/09/27/the-grassroots-effort-to-redesign-th...

13 : Robert Nyquist : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-24T08:08:00.001-07:00

Continental Combo : Spencer Lunsford : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-24T08:05:00.001-07:00

“My inspiration for this $100 Dollar design is from that of the modern day Euro. Though I wanted to keep the integrity of the current design of the bill. So I combined them both to make a modern looking $100 bill. Many security features are included - 3D 100 In God We Trust - small print United States of America print around Ben Franklin's portrait - geometric design along the edge of the bill - one hundred watermark on the far right - and a blue with small white letters stating, ‘Federal Reserve Note’ security strip. Signatures of the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, and the President of the United States of America are on the back of the bill.”

Spencer Lunsford is an Apple iPhone developer.

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

2010-09-22T07:14:00.001-07:00

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 projects development, in fact the printer was left in charge of that responsibility. Need we say any more.

Value for Money : Kenneth Wilkins : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-22T06:36:00.001-07:00

“I wanted to redesign the bills to reflect what means the most to Americans and what defines the country. I wanted to modernize all the bills from the founding fathers to more modern American values and ideals.”

Kenneth Wilkins is from Raleigh, NC, and works in collegiate sports marketing.

Of the People : For the People : Sarah McIntire : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-21T06:43:00.001-07:00

Sarah McIntire is a visual communication designer from Chicago, you can view more of her work here: http://sarahmcintire.com

Download now or preview on posterous

mcintire_designing_the_dollar.pdf (5631 KB)

Guitar Hero : John O'Neill : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T12:47:00.001-07:00

“Does any American want to create the currency that reflects the real State of the Union. I did, and it's attached for the world to see. My graphic rendering of an appropriate redesign for U.S. currency is simple and I think we as American's should stop and reflect.

Description: A currency stating the obvious: ‘In God we once trusted.’ – Colors: Blood red lettering for those who gave their lives for freedom – Barcode: Chinese Hologram: As of May 2009, the US owed China $772 billion. In total, lenders from Japan and China held 44% of the foreign-owned debt. Our currency is their currency – Denomination: We might as well bring back the thousand dollar bill since $100 doesn't go very far any more. – Statement: My quote: ‘May we never forget those who gave their lives for freedom.’ People gave their blood for all of us, and our country owes a bigger debt than financial. It is the blood of the many that went before me, and that is what backs our great nation, not wealth, greed and politics.”

John T O’Neill is a singer/songwriter from Houston, TX. Visit his MySpace page here: http://www.myspace.com/oneillmusic

Moving Forward : Katie Harwood : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T09:09:00.001-07:00

“The idea behind this submission is entitled ‘Getting There.’ It depicts the ways America aimed for expansion from discovery forward. The first bill depicts the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, the second the use of covered wagons in westward expansion. Additional security features include thermal ink on the large numbers that are visible through the bill with reversed image on the other side. Also raised portions of the portrait engraving as well as 50 stars on the right side of the bill would be done with color change ink.’

Katie Harwood is a student from Boston.

Corn Fed : Lu Tapuch : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T08:45:00.001-07:00

“This is my concept for the NEW two Dollar bill, circa 2015.” Lu Tapuch is a freelance designer and lives in New York City, you can view more of his work here: http://lu31.com

Give Me Five : Chiu : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T08:38:00.001-07:00

Permission Granted : Jacoby Dumas : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T08:34:00.001-07:00

Jacoby Dumas is from Beaumont, Texas.

Work in Progress : Paul Nylund : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T08:32:00.001-07:00

Wow What a Weekend! : Numbers Game : Dollar ReDe$ign Project : Poll Update

2010-09-20T08:16:00.001-07:00

This weekend saw a massive jump in visitors to our site, thanks initially to the Huffington Post and then Yahoo. By end of day Saturday we saw more than 100,000 visitors, our biggest single day ever, it was if someone flicked a switch. Our poll now stands at 40,000 plus votes and we have a new top ten (see chart below) with Dowling Duncan still holding on to their substantial lead but we now have two new runners up – Sean Flanagan (pictured above) and Lee Willet (pictured below).

Our Facebook fan page now has close to 1,500 likes and our petition (currently down) has almost 3,000 signatures. Yet not everyone was happy. Needless to say the hate mail and objections came thick and fast, accusations came flying at us relentlessly all weekend and somehow our idea of redesigning the US Dollar has gone from being just a simple concept to help kick start our economy into a politically (and religiously) biased 'Fox-fest.' C'est la vie. We always knew we might ruffle some feathers along the way. It's just part of the democratic process. Regardless, thank you to everyone on all sides of the fence for moving possibility closer to probability.

Just for Fun : Keith Collins : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T07:27:00.001-07:00

“I came upon (your contest) through Yahoo today and I thought it would be fun to design a Dollar bill and, who knows maybe change the way our currency is made?”

Keith G Collins is an artist, graphic designer and illustrator from Columbus, Ohio. http://keithgcollins.wordpress.com

Need vs Greed : The Money Fix : Alan Rosenblith

2010-09-20T07:21:00.001-07:00

via vimeo.com

Alan Rosenblith's documentary explores our relationship with money and a belief system that is based on "150 years of intense propaganda and indoctrination" (Noam Chomksy).

Quick Fix : Hii Chiong : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T07:15:00.001-07:00

Sitting Pretty : Justin McTurnan : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-20T07:01:00.001-07:00

“I made my design of what America stands for. I used Sitting Bull because he is a great historic individual in our history. I also added security measures that are on the current bill.”

Picture This : A Trillion Dollars : via #YMFY

2010-09-17T13:13:00.001-07:00

via youmightfindyourself.com

I know we've been obsessed with changing the face of the Dollar bill but I wonder what a trillion of them would look like. Just imagine, anything is possible.

Full Chorus : Gardiner Moody : Dollar ReDe$ign

2010-09-17T06:45:00.001-07:00

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.

Huffington Post: 15 Amazing New Designs for the #Dollar

2010-09-16T14:46:00.001-07:00

via huffingtonpost.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/16/15-amazing-new-designs-fo_n_719913.html

Huffington Post: 15 Amazing New Designs for the #Dollar

2010-09-16T12:59:00.001-07:00