ART 252

Problem Statement

To create a new form of currency for said topic of chose.

Audience

My target audience is my professor and classmates.

Research

For research we explored, researched, and studied different forms of currency from around the world. We took a look at a couple examples from previous students to get inspiration for our own currency. This helped us to get an understanding of where we should end up with for ourselves. We got to choose our topic of choice and began to study and understand the culture of our topic which would help us create culturally appropriate currencies.

 

Phase 1

At the beginning of this project we were asked to create two mood boards of possible topics. I chose to do Tuvalu because it does not have its own currency, is the least visited country in the world for travelers, and I love the ocean. I also picked the National Parks as an option, because my uncle is a National Park ranger in Texas, and I have visited a lot of parks with him through the years. I felt that I had a personal connection to both of the topics, which made it hard to choose which one to move forward with. I ended up choosing to move forward with Tuvalu, because I felt that the National Parks would be too basic. 

Phase 2 

This phase, we explored different types of patterns and styles to use, within our currencies. I chose to make each example very different from the last, in order to get a wider selection to choose from, when I make my currency. This was a good way to see what kind of patterns and textures go well together. The colors I chose have nothing to do with the process. I just wanted the colors to be different from each other to get a better idea of how each part would work individually. 

Phase 3

For this phase, we were to make two different styles of bills, so we have a better idea of what to move forward with in our final designs. I tried to make each of my styles very unique and different. I wanted to incorporate the natives, wild life, a touch of history, and the outline of the islands as much as I could. On the left, I tried to mimic the American dollar, with the President in the middle of the bill, but add a circle with natives instead. I didn't like the way it looked, but it was an idea I could easily work out in my final design. I wanted to add the rope because it reminds me of docks and when one's country is all islands one is bound to have lots of boats and docks. On the right, I wanted to focus on the wildlife and make it be the center of attention for the bill. I also put the price of the bill in a strip off to the right. I really like the layout and concept of this idea, but it felt like it was missing a couple elements that I would later figure out. I liked the fish also, I chose also but it was a little too colorful in order to work with the color pallete of the bill. 

Phase 4 Final Product

These are my finalized bills for the new National Tuvaluian currency. I chose to keep the same general outline for each bill and change the content within it. I wanted there to be structure within the bills, but also have a lot of diversity in between. I chose to add the Tuvaluian flag and crest to the front of each bill, to add a little culture/history within the bills. I chose to give each bill its own animal and color palette that matched the animal. I found that it made the bill feel more complete and seamless. For the front, I added some natives, or nature, to have one side of the bill be underwater and the other be above. I also incorporated the outline of the islands within the bill. I wanted to create a currency that still looked official but had a lot of creativity and fun within it, as well as to showcase the happiness and joy within their culture. I am very proud of how well these turned out and I was able to hit all my goals for this project. 

Decoding the Bills 

Rope- this is meant to symbolize strength within the culture and resembles the life on the water. This is where the currencies security strip would be hidden within the bill.

Island Outline- This is to showcase the islands within this proud country

Pacific Ocean- I put this here to give non-natives/natives a little taste of geography to understand the general location of the country

Est. 1978- This is to add a touch of history to the bill

Tuvalu Islands- This tells us what the outline is of and what country this bill is for

Text style- The text style is used to symbolize the cultures roots by looking like writing with serifs. The splotches of the font is to symbolize the splashing of the waves that surround the country

Color Palette- I chose a color palette that resembled whatever animal I was using on the back of the bill. I also chose an accent color to add a bit of pop to the bills.

Background Style- The background is to resemble the ocean and the light reflection off the unsteady surface. This also represents an aerial view of the ocean and how there are light and dark (shallow and deep) parts within the ocean.

Animals- I chose the animals I though best correlated with the shape of the number I chose for the bill. 50 looks like a stingray. 20 looks like a seahorse. 10 looks like a goby.

Tuvalu Flag- To show patriotism!

Island Outline- This is to showcase the islands within this proud country

Crest- This was put on the bill to show the meaningful reminders of the countries past, present, and future. The symbolism within the design of the crest can show you the history and achievements and status of the society.

Est. 1978- This is to add a touch of history to the bill

Tuvalu Islands- This tells us what the outline is of and what country this bill is for

Text Style- The text style is used to symbolize the cultures roots by looking like writing with serifs. The splotches of the font is to symbolize the splashing of the waves that surround the country

Color Palette- I chose a color palette that resembled whatever animal I was using on the back of the bill. I also chose an accent color to add a bit of pop to the bills.

Background Style- The background is to resemble the ocean and the light reflection off the unsteady surface. This also represents an aerial view of the ocean and how there are light and dark (shallow and deep) parts within the ocean.

Person- I wanted to add some sort of culture or imagery of the island on the front of the bill to add a level of personality and culture to the bill.