REEXAMINING CURRENCY DESIGN

FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

by

Elio L. Arteaga

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of

The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Fine Arts

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida

December 2003 REEXAMINING CURRENCY DESIGN

FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

by

Elio L. Arteaga

This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate's thesis advisor, Prof. Stephanie Cunningham, Department of Visual Arts and Art History, and has been approved by the members ofhis supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts.

Prof. Linda Johnson 6.ftzej ~~:k_

Dr. Wil · m A. Covino, Dean, The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters /~~~[ 1/(ri'f,!J . Lemanski, Ph.D., V.P. ofResearch Date Division of Research and Graduate Studies

11 ABSTRACT

Author: Elio L. Arteaga

Title: Reexamining Currency Design for the New Millennium

Institution: Florida Atlantic University

Thesis Advisor: Prof. Stephanie Cunningham

Degree: Master of Fine Arts

Year: 2003

The design of paper currency has attracted attention recently with the introduction of the Euro and American currency design modifications. New designs provide deterrence against counterfeiting, and, in some cases, accommodate the special needs of visually challenged individuals. Often aesthetics are given lower priority or ignored completely. This thesis is an examination of the author's motivations, inspirations, goals and design decisions involved in creating a set of paper currency bills that fit the high­ tech, fast-paced and culturally diverse society that is twenty-first century America. The author incorporates a deep visual texture with American symbols and historical events illustrated by shape and shading alone-no color or line. Semiotics and visual metaphors are applied to convey meaning to abstract or complex concepts. Counterfeit deterrence features and features for use by visually challenged individuals are integrated into the design, thus producing a system of currency that is both functional and aesthetic.

111 CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...... v

GLOSSARY ...... vi

Chapter

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1

2. BACKGROUND ...... 3

3. DESIGN DECISIONS ...... 9

4. THEMES ...... 16

5. COUNTERFEIT DETERRENCE FEATURES ...... 24

6. FEATURES FOR THE VISUALLY CHALLENGED ...... 26

7. SELF-EVALUATION ...... 29

8. CONCLUSION ...... 33

APPENDIX ...... 34

WORKS CITED ...... 35

lV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1. First paper bill issued by Massachusetts Bay Colony, December 1690 ...... 4

2. Five-dollar silver certificate, 1896 ...... 5

3. Twenty-dollar Federal Reserve Note, series 1929-1996 ...... 6

4. Twenty-dollar Federal Reserve Note, series 1996-99 ...... 7

5. Twenty-dollar Federal Reserve Note, series 2003 ...... 7

6. Initial sketches exhibit dynamic balance and hierarchy ...... 11

7. First design attempt ...... 12

8. Incorporation of flat-color illustration ...... 12

9. An attempt to distill concept to its most essential elements ...... 13

10. Conceptual approach sacrifices recognition value ...... 13

11. One-dollar note ...... 17

12. Five-dollar note ...... 18

13. Ten-dollarnote ...... 19

14. Twenty-dollar note ...... 20

15. Fifty-dollar note ...... 21

16. One-hundred-dollar note ...... 22

17. Data Glyphs, Xerox Corp ...... 28

18. Dutch guilder, R.D.E. Oxenaar ...... 29

19. Dutch guilder, J.T.G. Drupsteen ...... 30

20. Swiss franc, Jorg Zintzmeyer ...... 31

v GLOSSARY

Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). The branch of the U.S. Treasury Department that prints currency and stamps. The BEP prints billions of Federal Reserve Notes for delivery to the Federal Reserve System each year.

Delamination. The splitting or separating of a paper bill into layers.

Federal Reserve Bank. One of the 12 operating arms of the Federal Reserve System, located throughout the nation, that together with their 25 branches distribute the nation's currency and coin and serves as banker for the U.S. Treasury.

Federal Reserve Notes. Our nation's circulating paper currency printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the Federal Reserve Banks which put them into circulation through commercial banks.

Lining figures/old-style figures. Lining figures are the same height as the cap height of the type (012346789). Old-style figures vary in height and resemble upper and lower case text with ascenders and descenders (0123456789).

Obverse/reverse. The front and back sides of a bill or coin.

Transmitted light/reflected light. Transmitted light passes through translucent objects, such as paper currency, and reveals embedded objects and watermarks. Reflected light bounces back from the paper's surface. Ink is visible by reflected light.

Vl To Debbie 1. INTRODUCTION

Frilly decorations, antique typography, symmetrical balance and vintage illustration quality-a Victorian design aesthetic has permeated American paper currency ever since the U.S. government began printing money over 140 years ago. Its nineteenth century style has endured into our modem society, appearing antiquated in the

Information Age. Our twenty-first century society is faster-paced, more technological and more diverse than the pre-Civil War America our currency represents. Opportunities to redesign our paper currency in 1929, 1996 and 2003 have not improved its look. The

2003 redesign is the worst yet, exhibiting distorted type and unaesthetic color combinations. Across the Atlantic, the pre-Euro currencies of some European countries exhibited sophisticated, modem designs representative of their arts and culture.

I propose a new currency design that draws inspiration from the Dutch guilders and Swiss francs of the eighties and nineties. The design fits twenty-first century

America, while celebrating its rich 227-year history of daring risks, awesome accomplishments and high ideals. It is intended to bridge the old and the new. By combining an active, yet recessive texture with an asymmetrically balanced arrangement of typography emphasizing contrast, hierarchy and letterform relationships, a modernist design aesthetic is achieved. While radically different from the look of our current paper money, it is expected that the new style will be well received by the population as both functional and artistic. This thesis paper is a descriptive account of the motivations, inspirations, goals and design decisions involved in this thesis project. Included are a self-evaluation of the design and a description of how design goals were accomplished. The choice for currency design as the subject of a thesis exhibition stems from the concept that graphic design is a profound part of everyone's daily lives. People often take such things for granted.

We work with paper currency every day, and hardly ever think of it as a work of design-probably because it's so boring. I assert it doesn't have to be that way.

2 2. BACKGROUND

It's not surprising that paper money was invented in China since the Chinese invented ink (for writing on silk, c. 2400 B.C.), paper (c. A.D. 105) and printing (a few decades afterward). The Chinese began printing paper money around A.D. 810 due to a shortage of metal coinage. Paper money lacked the intrinsic value of precious metal.

Paper itself was cheap and easy to print. It required a leap of faith-and a command from the emperor-for the population to accept it. Printing too much money resulted in hyperinflation in China in A.D. 1020, and soon afterward, the practice was abandoned.

Wisely, no other government had attempted to print paper currency for hundreds of years until 1690, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony needed money to pay its soldiers returning defeated from a battle in Canada. The Massachusetts General Court voted to print seven hundred pounds worth of paper currency to pay the soldiers' salaries.

At first, the paper bills were thought of simply as a short-term loan paid by the government to itself (figure 1). The soldiers put them into circulation among the general public. One by one, each of the 13 colonies produced its own official paper currency.

3 Fig. 1. First paper bill issued by Massachusetts Bay Colony, December 1690

The British Parliament imposed harsh taxes and laws against the colonies, one of which prohibited them from printing money. Taxation without representation eventually led to the American Revolution. David Standish wrote, "Without trying to diminish the high ideals that brought about the Revolution, it can be argued that money ... was as much a root cause as were lofty beliefs about individual liberty."'

Soon after hostilities broke out, the Second Continental Congress (a gathering of delegates from each of the 13 colonies) voted to produce $3 million of paper currency in order to finance the Revolution. Over the next five years, the total dollar amount of printed money in the colonies grew to over $241 million.2 By the end ofthe Revolution,

1David Standish, The Art of Money. The History and Design of Paper Currency from Around the World (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000), II 0. 2lbid., 120. 4 inflation was rampant. The new United States Treasury, under its first Secretary

Alexander Hamilton, replaced paper money with silver dollar coins.

Another desperate struggle brought about a new need for the government to print paper currency. The Civil War tested the great experiment of self-government that the

Founding Fathers began four score and seven years prior. The Treasury Department's new Bureau of Engraving and Printing printed $450 million between 1861 and 1863.3 At the war's end, inflation was once again problematic. The government decided to continue printing currency, but controlled prices by backing every single printed dollar with an equal amount of gold. The nation went on the gold standard.

Fig. 2. Five-dollar silver certificate, 1896

Many ofthe designs ofPost-Civil War bills typify the design aesthetics ofthe

Victorian era (figure 2). The bills exhibit perfectly symmetrical arrangements of type and images, with each of the four comers occupied by a number or other design element.

Frilly borders both figuratively evoke and literally represent botanical forms. Overly complex typography exhibits drop shadows, multiple inlines, undulating baselines and maximum contrast of stroke weights. The illustrations are masterfully drawn in the style

3lbid., 129. 5 of fine-line engravings, and represented allegorical themes: liberty holding a torch, or justice blindfolded and holding scales.

In 1929, Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon established and headed a committee to redesign American currency with the intention of saving printing expenses. The resulting bill was about 25 percent smaller so more bills could fit on a gravure plate, and printed using only black and green inks. The redesign committee also selected the historical figures and government buildings appearing on our bills to this day. By 1929, the Victorian movement had long ended, but the Bureau of Engraving and Printing's artists conservatively avoided twentieth-century modernist styles in their currency designs (figure 3).

Fig. 3. Twenty-dollar Federal Reserve Note, series 1929-1996

The design of our paper currency has changed very little in over 70 years. One notable exception is the inclusion of the words "In God We Trust" by a 1955 federal law.

For over a generation, our currency's design has not changed, and the public has accepted it as permanent and immutable.

The most noticeable change to American paper currency in the 1996 redesign, launched by Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, is the slight enlargement and offset

6 of the central portrait, and the incorporation of counterfeit-deterrent features capable of defeating the widely-available technology of color copiers, home computers, scanners and ink jet printers (figure 4).

Fig. 4. Twenty-dollar Federal Reserve Note, series 1996-99

In October 2003, the Treasury Department, under Secretary John Snow, unveiled another redesign for the $20 bill (figure 5).

Fig. 5. Twenty-dollar Federal Reserve Note, series 2003

Similar redesigns are planned for the $100 and $50 notes in 2004, and for the $10 and $5 notes and 2005. The Treasury Department plans to issue new currency designs every five to ten years in an effort to stay ahead of counterfeiting technology. The 2003 redesign is characterized by the elimination of the oval background and silhouetting of the central portrait. Slight peach and green shades have been added to the background,

7 reminiscent of the look of a government check. The goal was to deter counterfeiting by adding complexity, and to aid visually-impaired individuals who might only be able to make out colors.

The text TWENTY USA on the obverse of the 2003 bill has been distorted terribly, appearing as though the artist indiscriminately used the new distortion tools available in

Adobe Illustrator. Two eagles appear on the obverse of the note: a Victorian-style illustration and a smaller iconic eagle. The reverse is even worse, as the artist dotted the building background with small, measles-like, yellow 20s for no apparent reason.

8 3. DESIGN DECISIONS

Eschewing nineteenth century design aesthetics and creating an innovative style became the central goal of this thesis project and exhibition. Most American adults have known only one specific design for our currency system (except, of course, in the last seven years). But even a very long-lived individual would not have a memory of any other styles of American paper money. Its predominant design aesthetic is so deeply rooted in tradition that the post-1996 redesigns can be more accurately described as slight modifications. This project began with a tabla rasa. Preconceptions about money were questioned, and research revealed many facts that were not obvious. Necessary visual information is kept in the design, while that which was frivolous was discarded.

Early on, the question of whether the use of paper money would continue in our society was a concern, but research revealed cash would be effective for a long time.

Despite the many advantages bankcards and electronic transfers offer over cash, it remains the more popular method of transacting business. According to CardWeb.com's statistics for 2002, 76 percent of all U.S. personal consumer expenditures were paid for with cash, 18 percent were paid with bank credit cards, while debit cards accounted for less than 6 percent.4 Keeping paper money's current dimensions (6 Ys by 2 Ys inches) in

4CardWeb.com, Card FAQs. Statistics (Frederick, Maryland: RAM Research Group, 2002) [Web page]; a vai lab le from http :/lwww. cardweb. com!cardlearnls ts t. html.

9 the design of the thesis project accommodates existing cash register drawers, A TMs, vending machines and wallets.

The existing denominations make sense arithmetically, so they also remain as is in the thesis project. The one-dollar denomination is a single, but whole number and most useful for making change. The actual $1 note has the most circulation of any bill, accounting for 45 percent of all printed notes. 5 The five- and ten-dollar denominations are useful for combining with ones to avoid having to carry large wads of singles.

The twenty-dollar denomination is the most common of the larger bill values. One would most likely receive one hundred dollars as five twenties rather than as a single hundred, two fifties or ten tens. Not surprisingly, twenties have been the first ofthe denominations to be redesigned and put into circulation. The fifty- and one-hundred- dollar denominations are used less frequently. However, the higher bills are useful when transacting large sums of cash to avoid having to carry briefcases full of smaller bills.

The relatively low numerical denominations of American paper currency attest to the strength of the dollar. Many foreign country's currencies begin as high as fifty and go up to 10,000 or more because of hyperinflation. The ease by which the public identifies note denominations is a design priority. The public has been acquainted with the current denominations of American paper money for over 70 years. Keeping the denominations as they are in the thesis project minimizes the learning curve the American public would have to overcome.

5United States Department of the TreasUiy, FAQs, Currency Production and Circulation (Washington, D.C., 2003) [Web page]; available from http://www.ustreas.gov/education/faq/currencyl production.html 10 The obverse sides are oriented vertically to fit the way money is held and how cashiers' and tellers' registers are arranged. The reverse sides are oriented horizontally to fit the way money is placed in wallets or purses.

Fig. 6. Initial sketches exhibit dynamic balance and hierarchy.

Initial sketches for this project exhibit asymmetrical balance and hierarchy (figure

6). Elements are arranged asymmetrically within the rectangular format of the note. Some bleeding occurs, striving for dynamic, rather than static, balance. Hand-in-hand with asymmetrical balance is hierarchy. In each design, there is a dominant, sub-dominant and subordinate design element. The scale and arrangement of these elements reflect

American's modem, twenty-first century lifestyle.

Layers oflarge pixels, geometric shapes, wavy lines, and areas of relative inactivity form an active, yet recessive visual texture. Combined with type, this became the first design layout (figure 7). Preliminary critiques indicated that the American public would not feel there was a sufficient reward from investing in this design. It appeared rather empty without a central visual subject. This posed the question, what kind of

11 imagery would be appropriate? Naturalistic illustration is to be avoided in favor of a more

stylized illustrational approach.

The United States of America The United States of America IIIlO Fedo/al Rnserve Note Federa; Reserve Not&

Fig. 7. First design attempt Fig. 8. Incorporation of flat-color illustration

The central visual was approached as areas of flat color with heavy black outlines, but the result was cartoonish and reminiscent oflow-cost clip art (figure 8). The

American public needs a high-quality graphic design in order to put their faith in cash.

Ever since President Richard Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard in 1972, only trust backs up the U.S. dollar. The dollar's graphic design is a contributing factor to said trust.

The fine-line engraving illustration oftoday's currency is truly masterful. After repeated attempts to develop a comparable illustration technique, the direction was abandoned in favor of a more conceptual style (figure 9). Concepts were distilled to their

12 most essential elements. The result was dependent on the materials involved in production (cut paper, sheets of copper, etc.) and detracted from the design by eliminating the subtlety that was incorporated so carefully into the textured background.

Some concepts, such as the Liberty Bell, could not be simplified without sacrificing recognition (figure 10).

.."' -...~ N v v ]ONE DbLLAR Fig. 9. An attempt to distill concept Fig. 10. Conceptual approach to its most essential elements. sacrifices recognition value.

The final design approach involved forming shapes that the viewer can recognize.

Utilizing only shape and shading to suggest relief, the subtlety of the original design direction was preserved, while avoiding naturalistic illustration.

Typographically, fonts were selected to bridge the old and the new: the font

Goudy, an old-style serif, was selected because its delicate strokes echo similar forms in

13 the central visual images. Goudy's large x-height makes it extremely legible. To create

contrast, the font Copperplate was selected because it is monotone, with extremely small

serifs. The spacing between letters was opened up slightly to increase legibility, as the

text is reproduced at a small size against an active background texture. Typographic

compositions emphasize contrasts in size, color, and stroke weights. Letterform

relationships between letter shapes create visually engaging, asymmetrically balanced

type compositions of quotes relating to the central visual.

Adobe Illustrator provided all the necessary tools to develop the design vision and

create a deep visual texture. Objects were overlapped and blended to produce a

translucent appearance. A bitmap, taken from the portraits of the 1929 currency set, is

cropped tightly, reduced in resolution to nine pixels across by 21 pixels tall and scaled to

fill the dimensions of the bill.

Next, a layer of geometric shapes was selected to correspond to each

denomination. The progression from triangles to squares to pentagons to higher polygons

carries a semiotic connotation of increasing value with higher denominations. On bills with pentagons and higher polygons, selected vectors were scaled and rotated into ever­ tightening spirals, and the negative spaces between shapes appeared star-like in shape.

The polygonal shapes were made translucent to lend them a gem-like quality with interacting refractions and multiple facets. A slight gradient applied to each shape helps complete this effect.

The central visual theme is depicted by shape and shading alone-no color or line. The shading blends into the texture on the lower layers to integrate with it rather than cover it up. Recognizable visuals are presented using profiles and edges that

14 communicate to the viewer the intended concept, avoiding realistic interpretations, relying instead upon an impression created in the viewer's mind.

The most meaningful words are emphasized by scaling them several times larger than words of less importance. Relationships of negative spaces where words and letters fit together puzzle-like are sought out, then contrast and hierarchy are pushed to appropriate limits, sometimes varying the scale of individual letters. Note the use of old­ style figures within the text, as historical dates are used on the reverse of every note. On regular (lining) figures, the numbers are the same height as capital letters, which might appear too conspicuous. Applying old-style figures lends the feeling of upper and lower case letters. The eye focuses on the x-height rather than the cap height.

Finally, a hologram foil strip is adhered to the bill in the area of the black rectangle. Notches are cut-out and press-orr type is used for the text USA and the denomination. The production bills would be reproduced in full color using the gravure process, commonly used for printing retail department store catalogs. The gravure process provides faithful color reproduction and enables long press runs. It is the process used to print today's bills.

15 4. THEMES

The central visual depicted on the obverse of each note is a symbol of America.

The backs contain illustrations depicting important historical events in American history.

Events from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries are included--celebrating the United States' spirit of freedom and self-determination for over 227 years. The

Founding Fathers conceived an experiment for a new form of government and a lifestyle where citizens, blessed with the freedom to undertake any chosen enterprise, could reap its rewards. The stories of the Wright brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, Meriwether

Lewis, William Clark and Sacagawea, the Apollo astronauts, Susan B. Anthony and Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. are stories of optimism, liberty, independence, justice, equality and the American spirit-themes worthy of a place on a medium of exchange that transcends race, gender, age, education, national borders and access to technology.

16 '<: "'~ ,. ..CD 0:: ::: ..~ 3N0 ~ ~ ...,!'-.... J u ~1~ 4 .: DoLLAR ' 0 Fig. 11. One-dollar note

Establishing a theme between obverse and reverse imagery helps unify the designs. The theme of the one-dollar note is the American flag (figure 11). The quote on the obverse, "A New Constellation," is from the Continental Congress Flag Resolution, establishing the design of the American flag. The writing of the Star Spangled Banner by

Francis Scott Key at the Battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 is represented on the reverse. Key wrote a poetic account of that three-day battle during which the

American flag waved defiantly, attesting to the strength and courage of its soldiers.

17 c .."' 0"' "' ..~ ..N ~5 DOLLARS Fig. 12. Five-dollar note

The five-dollar note thematically represents two Bells-the Liberty Bell and the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell (figure 12). The Liberty Bell was rung at the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence and is a symbol of

America. The reverse commemorates Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone. While Bell and his assistant Thomas Watson worked on a prototype, Bell had spilled acid and asked Watson for help. Watson heard Bell's voice coming through the telephone speaker. The acid spill was quickly forgotten in the excitement ofthe moment.

18 ... 0 .,"' ..."' ...... "' ..v ~lQ [)OL...LARS Fig. 13. Ten-dollar note

The ten-dollar note references westward growth (figure 13). St. Louis's Gateway

Arch, San Francisco's TransArnerica Building and Seattle's Space Needle attest to the

American pioneering spirit. Today, Americans truly live in a nation united by communications and transportation infrastructure. The completion of the country's first

Transcontinental Railroad was an important achievement toward that end.

19 c ...... 0 "'...,... ..,"'N 2Q v D OLLARS

Fig. 14. Twenty-dollar note

The twenty-dollar note recalls America's early relationship with France (figure

14). The Statue of Liberty is a gift from France to commemorate the tOOth anniversary of

U.S. independence. The quote is from The New Colossus by American poet Emma

Lazarus, written in 1903. A compass and map of the Columbia River in Oregon represents the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Louisiana Purchase. On the day they reached the Pacific Ocean, men and women-black, white and native--voted as equals as to where they would camp for the night. This happened 65 years before the Fifteenth

Amendment guaranteed African-Americans and Native Americans the right to vote, and

115 years before the Nineteenth Amendment guaranteed women's right to vote.

20 "'..... "' "'0 ..0 .. l "' 0 "'u c

Fig. 15. fifty-dollar note

The fifty-dollar note pairs the bald eagle, the national bird, with pioneering flights of the twentieth century (figure 15). Amazingly, only 65 years-the span of a single human lifetime--separates Man's first powered flight on the hills of Kitty Hawk and his first steps on a celestial world. The Wright brothers, two enterprising bicycle repair shop owners without any formal engineering training, could only have reached for the stars in a climate that granted freedom and rewarded self-determination.

21 ..,"' c"' ""-. - LJ.··. •• -..., ...... ,.... "'N ....0 ... ] .."' 00DOLLARS

Fig. 16. one-hundred-dollar note

For the highest denominated bill, the one-hundred-dollar note, America's loftiest ideals-democracy and equality-are represented (figure 16). The Founding Fathers, frustrated with the British government, declared their independence with the words "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."6 They built a system of self-government that respects the intelligence of its citizens. American's convictions in the meaning of these words were tested during the Suffragist movement, led by Susan B.

Anthony in the 1850s, and the Civil Rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s. Dr. King delivered his inspirational "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of 200,000 supporters. The United States today might not be perfect, but great strides have been taken toward equality of all people regardless of race, gender and religion.

6Declaration oflndependence of the United States of America, July 4, 1776. 22 American currency educates and serves as an ambassador to the world. In many countries, the U.S. dollar is accepted as legal tender right alongside the country's official currency. In some cases, a foreign country has dropped its currency completely, and only transacts business using the dollar. The selection of themes for the thesis project design makes the dollar an ambassador to the world, educating its people about America's freedoms and values.

23 5. COUNTERFEIT DETERRENCE FEATURES

A discussion of counterfeit deterrence features must consider who counterfeiters were in the pre-digital age and who they are now. Before the 1990s, counterfeiters usually worked in print shops, late at night, where they had access to expensive printing equipment. Making a counterfeit note involved the expense of shooting and color separating negatives, burning an aluminum plate for each color and running the inks on­ press in perfect register from color to color and from front to back. To be cost-effective, the counterfeiter had to print a large run. Pre-1990 devices were meant to deter this type of counterfeiter. Unique serial numbers are printed on each bill. Since counterfeiters are unlikely to number each bill individually, an alert cashier or teller might spot a number of bills with the same serial number. The Treasury Seal in green overprinted on fine-line black type was a major headache for counterfeiters to color-separate. The unique paper is a cotton blend with a greenish tint and embedded red and blue fibers.

When the Internet gained popularity, personal computer ownership boomed. The affordability, availability and ease-of-use of digital imaging hardware and software has opened opportunities for those so inclined to try their hand at counterfeiting.

No longer does the typical counterfeiter worry about cost-effectiveness. It is affordable to print counterfeits in small runs. Neither does the counterfeiter need

24 specialized knowledge or skills. Available desktop scanners and ink-jet printers can produce high-quality counterfeits with a minimum of effort.

In 1996, the Treasury Department unveiled the first major change for American currency in seventy years. Characterized by a larger central portrait, the new designs incorporated several features that are only visible under transmitted light (light passing through the bill) rather than reflected light, and afforded more anti-counterfeit protection than earlier series. Today's color copiers, desktop scanners and ink-jet printers are incapable of reproducing features such as the plastic strips embedded into the paper, watermark portraits, and color-shifting inks on the lower right comer of the obverse.

Micro-printing and fine-line wavy patterns exceed the optical resolutions of most desktop equipment and moire when reproduced.

Other features incorporated into the currency of foreign countries deter desktop counterfeiters. Embossing, foils, holograms, metallic inks, magnetic inks and polymer substrates cannot be captured by scanners or reproduced by ink-jet printers.

The thesis design attempts to stay several years ahead of counterfeiting technology by an application of similar technology. A watermark is incorporated into one end of the bill and is visible from either side only under transmitted light. A plastic strip is embedded into the paper and is visible from either side only under transmitted light. A hologram foil strip spans one edge of the bill and cannot be reproduced by an ink-jet printer. A wavy line pattern will tum blotchy and moire when scanned.

The notes, printed on a polymer substrate, will feel substantial and worthy of

United States currency. Would-be counterfeiters will look at it and weep, for there is no practical way to counterfeit it using today's commercially available technology.

25 6. FEATURES FOR THE VISUALLY CHALLENGED

The 1996 currency set presented an opportunity for the Treasury Department to

incorporate identification features for the nation's 3.7 million people who have vision no

better than 20/70 and whose field of vision is no better than 30 degrees, as well as for the nation's 200,000 people who are completely blind? It was a feeble attempt as the only

added identification feature is a large, high-contrast sans serif numeral printed on the

lower-right corner of the reverse.

Similarity oflayout and color usage across denominations creates ambiguity. All

denominations oftoday's paper currency are printed in the same ink colors, with the

same symmetrical layout: a portrait on the obverse and a building on the reverse. Only the one-dollar reverse is slightly different in that it illustrates both sides of the Great Seal of the United States on either side of the word ONE.

Some countries utilize a single predominant color scheme on each denomination to help their citizens with low vision identify the bill's value by its overall color even if they can't make out details. Blue was selected for the thesis design of the one-dollar note as blue appears in the flag. Red was avoided because of its negative semiotic connotations in financial and capitalist contexts. Copper was selected for the five-dollar note because the Liberty Bell is 70 percent copper. Green was selected for the twenty-

7 Committee on Currency Features Usable by People With Handicaps and National Research Council. Currency Features for Visually Impaired People. Washington: National Academy Press, 1995. [book on-line] ; available from http://nap.edu/html/currency; accessed 16 February 2003. 26 dollar note to reference the Statue of Liberty. Magenta in the ten-dollar note, golden­ yellow in the fifty-dollar note and purple in the one-hundred-dollar note were selected simply because they weren't used in other denominations and because a strong contrast of vibrant, saturated colors was needed to minimize ambiguity for visually challenged individuals when identifying the note's value.

The thesis designs also incorporate large easy-to-read numbers, primarily as a design element to reinforce asymmetrical balance, hierarchy and contrast, but also as a means of identification for people with low vision. The inch-tall composition on the obverse and the three-quarter inch composition on the reverse, against a plain white background, can be easily recognized by those with low vision.

Currently, there is no way for a completely blind person to identify currency by touch alone. They are forced to trust strangers when transacting business. Blind individuals have devised different folds in order to identify the bills when pulling them out of their wallet or purse. A 1995 study by the National Research Council suggested improvements for the 1996-99 redesign, but they were not implemented. The Council suggested the use oflow-tech and high-tech methods of identification. For low-tech solutions, the Council suggested varying denomination lengths, as in Zintzmeyer's designs for pre-Euro Swiss currency. The idea was rejected because bills would get progressively longer and result in vastly disparate sizes.

One feasible idea was that of using notches to aid in tactile identification of the bill's value. The thesis design incorporates this idea. One comer of the upper edge will contain a series of notches, starting with six for the one-dollar bill and progressively working down to one for the one-hundred-dollar bill. As it is easier to remove material

27 than to add it, the progressively decreasing number of notches makes it impossible to raise a bill's value by adding notches. Cutting the notches into the plastic holographic strip should slow down the delamination process-layers of paper separating with increased wear and tear.

A high-tech solution to denomination identification would be to incorporate a barcode onto the bill. A handheld barcode reader would identify the bill's value and produce an audible signal for the user. Barcodes, however, are too conspicuous and would detract from the design. Further research into this subject revealed an innovative system developed by the Xerox Corporation called Data Glyphs. Data Glyphs are an unobtrusive pattern of lines, some tilting left, some tilting right, that can be invisibly included in a graphic design (figure 17). The forward and backward diagonal lines correspond to binary code, which is used to store information. A handheld Data Glyph reader can be used to identify the bill's value. Data Glyphs contain a high amount of error-correction code, so small amounts of damage will not impair the code.

28 7. SELF-EVALUATION

The thesis design is such a radical departure from existing American currency that it can only be compared with pre-Euro currency designs from Switzerland and the

Netherlands. The Dutch guilder designed in the eighties by R.D.E. Oxenaar exhibits a bold color scheme and strong size contrast (figure 18).

Fig. 18. The Dutch guilder designed by R.D.E. Oxenaar

29 Oxenaar achieves hierarchy by clustering several elements together to form a dominant element that's about 12 times larger than the subdominant element-the numerals. The subordinate element-a small geometric shape-is about half the size of the subdominant element, but it's so much lighter that it appears to have only one-tenth the weight. This relationship is repeated across the 50, 100 and 250 guilder notes to create unity among the bills, but Oxenaar altered the design elements of line, shape and color for variety.

The Dutch guilder of the nineties, designed by J.T.G. Drupsteen, exhibits bold, abstract shapes reminiscent of modernist architecture, mechanics and interiors (figure

19). While the reverse exhibits a dynamic asymmetrical arrangement of elements, the obverse is a bit predictable with large, plain generic sans serif text arranged along a centered axis.

UIZEND GULDEN - ·~ '< ·~ ' { ~ ..l' '' ~ < ~

··- Fig. 19. The Dutch guilder designed by J.T.G. Drupsteen

30 Jorg Zintzmeyer's design for Swiss currency exhibits a bold, layered style incorporating photography, line illustration and overlapping typography (figure 20). His series includes over 20 features for counterfeit deterrence and denomination identification by visually challenged individuals. Every bill displays the face of a famous Swiss artist, alongside their works.

Fig. 20. The Swiss franc designed by Jorg Zintzmeyer

A chaotic visual texture is created by overlaps of images, line illustrations and type. One has to search for it, but can find dominant, sub-dominant and subordinate elements and areas of relative inactivity. Many elements compete for the viewer's attention, but it is a successful experiment nonetheless. Alas, the Dutch guilder and Swiss franc are no more, as they were replaced in 2000 by the Euro, a handsome bill in itself, but pale in comparison to the Zintzmeyer franc and Oxenaar guilder.

31 My thesis designs are an attractive fit alongside my sources of inspiration. As a graphic designer, I respond most favorably to designs with strong hierarchy, asymmetrical balance and contrast, and I try to build as much of them in my own works as I can. My currency designs are modern, dynamic and energetic. They engage the viewers, encouraging them to seek recognizable shapes and to form visual as well as semiotic relationships in their minds. The visual texture is an experiment, and resolving strong contrast against an active background has been challenging.

I use visual metaphors to represent complex concepts, such as historical events, more meaningfully. A vibrating line leading to a speaker represents the invention of the telephone. Railroad tracks running from the left to the right sides of the note express unity of the east to the west. A map and compass reference exploration of the frontier.

I find elegance in the classic typefaces. Experimenting with radical placement, scale, and letterform relationships, I create unusual typographic compositions applied to suit the appropriateness of the project. To build further radicalism, I experiment by rotating type or placing it on a curved baseline.

32 8. CONCLUSION

My work with currency design for this thesis project and exhibition has augmented my understanding of the field and developed my skills as a graphic designer. I have experimented with the principles of texture, shape and shading. I have revisited the subjects of semiotics and visual metaphors, I have refined my skills in building contrast and hierarchy, and I've continued experimenting with typographic compositions.

My completed thesis project and exhibit proves that it's possible to design a system of currency that is both functional and aesthetic, educating its users and promoting the values of freedom and equality. It can protect itself from counterfeiting and serve the special needs of those individuals who are visually challenged.

The Treasury plans to issue new currency designs every five to ten years with the goal of staying ahead of commercially available technology for counterfeiters. As an artist, I hope to see more aesthetic designs in the years to come. The artists at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing should take notice of modern artistic movements and design directions to avoid dated styles-they have 140 years of catching up to do. The American public might not be ready for a departure as radical as my thesis designs, but in gradual steps, a handsome design for our currency system might be forthcoming.

33 APPENDIX

Reproduction of Currency

Authority: 18 UNITED STATES CODE; 504: Treasury Directive Number 15-56 FR 48539 (September 15, 1993) 411.1 Color illustrations authorized.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 25 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, authority is hereby given for the printing, publishing or importation, or the making or importation of the necessary plates or items for such printing or publication, of color illustrations of U.S. currency provided that:

1. The illustration inust be of a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension, of each part of any matter so illustrated; 2. The illustration must be one sided; and 3. All negatives, plates, digitized storage medium, graphic files, magnetic medium, optical storage devices, and any other thing used in the making of the illustration that contain an image of the illustration or any part thereof shall be destroyed and or deleted or erased after their final use in accordance with this section.

34 WORKS CITED

CardWeb.com, Card FAQs. Statistics. Frederick, Maryland: RAM Research Group, 2002. [Web page]; available from http://www.cardweb.com/cardlearnlstst.html.

Committee on Currency Features Usable by People With Handicaps and National Research Council. Currency Features for Visually Impaired People. Washington: National Academy Press, 1995. [book on-line]; available from http://nap.edu/html/currency; accessed 16 February 2003.

Declaration oflndependence of the United States of America, July 4, 1776.

Standish. David. The Art ofMoney . The History and Design ofPaper Currency from Around the World San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000.

United States Department of the Treasury, FAQs, Currency Production and Circulation. Washington, D.C., 2003. [Web page]; available from http://www. ustreas.gov/education/faqlcurrency/production.html; accessed 16 November 2003.

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