leaflet

Exploring further with the sentiment of the 'P' I developed a range of approaches in which convert the letter into shape forms, rather than lines, like that developed previously. I found that designs in which contained straight lines yet again appeared more awkward in design, the same applying to that of stroke width. Negative space is also highly influential within these designs. I felt that by altering the general shape of the P it appeared distorted, and thus followed closely with postmodernism.

Following the basic structure formed within my sketches I developed a piece in which explores sharpness amongst negative space. A deep purple was again used in order to contrast against the white, especially through the text. A simplistic sans serif typeface was used in order to convey to the minimal style already present. The positioning of the type was also set to follow a similar format.

Although this design appears highly restricted, there are components that I feel allow it to expresses the sentiment of postmodernism.

secret 7 submisson

Polymer banknotes

The Bank of England has been issuing banknotes for over 300 years. During that time, both the notes themselves and their role in society have undergone continual change. From today's perspective, it is commonly accepted that a note that costs a few pence to produce is worth five, ten, twenty or fifty pounds.

Maintaining confidence in the currency is a key role of the Bank of England and one which is essential to the proper functioning of the economy.

Moving to Polymer Banknotes

The next £5, £10 and £20 banknotes will be printed on polymer. The new £5 note will be issued in September 2016, the £10 note will be issued in 2017 and the £20 note by 2020.

Current Banknotes

There are currently four different denominations of Bank of England notes in circulation.

Denomination	Note Series	Character on back of note	Date issued
£5	E (variant)	Elizabeth Fry	21.05.2002
£10	E (variant)	Charles Darwin	07.11.2000
£20	F	Adam Smith	13.03.2007
£50	F	Matthew Boulton and James Watt	02.11.2011

Life span of a note

On Stride Financial conducted  research that revealed the £10 note you are using to buy your loaf of bread will have been touched by 594 different people during its 36 month life span.

With only 723 million in circulation the tenner isn’t the most common note, that honour goes to the £20 note of which there are nearly 2 billion floating around.

A £20 note will also have a massive 2,328 exchanges in its 113 month lifespan.

This may be due to it often being used in pubs and bars as the price of a round of drinks continues to increase, according to On Stride.

Unsurprisingly the least used banknote is the £50, with only 206 million in circulation (fun fact: that means there is more than £10 billion worth of £50 notes in the UK!) and the lowest amount of exchanges at 227 each.

However, like a precious diamond they are long lasting, with their lifespan being estimated at 41 years before they are returned to the Royal Mint to be destroyed.

Last but not least is the poor little fiver, of which there are only 305 million in circulation and whose average lifespan is just two years (stop leaving them in your jeans when you put them in the washing machine!).

On Stride claim the new polymer notes, expected to be launched in 2016, will last longer and transmit much less germs than the current cotton bank notes.

Moneys relationship with drugs

A senior analyst at the FSS, the largest provider of forensic services in the UK on behalf of police forces, says traces of the drug can be found on any bank note regardless of its geographical location.

It takes just two weeks for a new note to pick up the drug, either because it is handled by someone who has used cocaine recently or it is contaminated by contact with other currency.

Queen Elizabeth II

A selection of banknotes in which depict Queen Elizabeth II.

 

Queen Elizabeth's portrait undoubtedly appeared more often on the banknotes of Great Britain's colonies, prior to the colonies gaining independence and the use of her portrait is not as common as it once was. However, there are a number of nations who retain her as Head of State and she is still portrayed on the banknotes of numerous countries. The Queen has been depicted on the banknotes of thirty-three issuing authorities, as well as on an essay prepared for Zambia. The countries and issuing authorities that have used portraits of The Queen are (in alphabetical order):

• Australia
• Bahamas
• Belize
• Bermuda
• British Caribbean Territories
• British Honduras
• Canada
• Cayman Islands
• Ceylon
• Cyprus
• East African Currency Board
• East Caribbean States
• Falkland Islands
• Fiji
• Gibraltar
• Great Britain (Bank of England)
• Guernsey
• Hong Kong
• Isle of Man
• Jamaica
• Jersey
• Malaya and North Borneo
• Malta
• Mauritius
• New Zealand
• Rhodesia and Nyasaland
• Rhodesia
• Saint Helena
• Scotland (Royal Bank of Scotland)
• Seychelles
• Solomon Islands
• Southern Rhodesia
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Zambia (essay only)

Money facts

The Largest Banknote

Measuring in at roughly the size of a sheet of legal paper, the world's largest single banknote is the 100,000-peso note created by the government of the Philippines in 1998. Designed to celebrate a century of independence from Spanish rule, the note was offered only to collectors, who could purchase one of the limited-edition notes for 180,000 pesos, or about $3,700.

One in a Million

The largest banknote ever issued by the Bank of England was the £1,000,000 note, issued in 1948 as a temporary measure during the postwar reconstruction in the Marshall Plan. Designed for use by the U.S. government only, the notes were canceled after just a few months, allowing very few to escape into private hands. But just because the notes are out of service doesn't mean they're valueless — in 2008, one of two known surviving notes fetched almost $120,000 at auction.

The World's First ATM

AP

It might just be the best idea to come to a man in the bathtub since Archimedes' time. While taking a soak, inventor John Shepherd-Barron devised what is hailed as the world's first automatic teller machine, although his claim to the title is a matter of dispute. He pitched the device to the British bank Barclays. It accepted immediately, and the first model was built and installed in London in 1967. Though the machine used PIN (personal identification number) codes, a concept Shepherd-Barron also claims to have invented, it was dependent on checks impregnated with the (slightly) radioactive isotope carbon 14 to initiate a withdrawal, as the magnetic coding for ATM cards had not yet been developed. One other difference from its ubiquitous modern counterpart: it didn't charge a fee.

You Can't Take It with You

Alan Schein Photography / CORBIS

All bills eventually wear out. The smaller the value, the more often you use it — and the shorter its lifespan. A $1 bill lasts a measly 21 months, while a Ben Franklin can last more than seven years. Over that time, of course, owing to inflation, its value will decline — which is the perfect excuse to spend it quickly.

It's All About the Elizabeths

Andrew Brookes / CORBIS

From Australia to Trinidad and Tobago, Queen Elizabeth II's portrait has graced the currencies of 33 different countries — more than that of any other individual. Canada was the first to use the British monarch's image, in 1935, when it printed the 9-year-old Princess on its $20 notes. Over the years, 26 different portraits of Elizabeth have been used in the U.K. and its current and former colonies, dominions and territories — most of which were commissioned with the direct purpose of putting them on banknotes. However, some countries, such as Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Malta and Fiji, used already existing portraits. The Queen is frequently shown in formal crown-and-scepter attire, although Canada and Australia prefer to depict her in a plain dress and pearls. And while many countries update their currencies to reflect the Queen's advancing age, others enjoy keeping her young. When Belize redesigned its currency in 1980, it selected a portrait that was already 20 years old.

Dirty Money

moodboard / CORBIS

All money, it turns out, could stand to be laundered: the stuff is filthy. Studies show that a solid majority of U.S. bills are contaminated by cocaine. Drug traffickers often use coke-sullied hands to move cash, and many users roll bills into sniffing straws; the brushes and rollers in ATMs may distribute the nose candy through the rest of the money supply.

History of money

In the 13th century, the Chinese emperor

Kublai Khan embarked on a bold experiment. China at the time was divided into different regions, many of which issued their own coins, discouraging trade within the empire. So Kublai Khan decreed that henceforth money would take the form of paper.

It was not an entirely original idea. Earlier rulers had sanctioned paper money, but always alongside coins, which had been around for centuries. Kublai’s daring notion was to make paper money (the chao) the dominant form of currency. And when the Italian merchant Marco Polo visited China not long after, he marveled at the spectacle of people exchanging their labor and goods for mere pieces of paper. It was as if value were being created out of thin air.

Today, many people long for simpler times. It’s a natural reaction to a world in which money is becoming not just more abstract but more digital and virtual as well, in which sophisticated computer algorithms execute microsecond market transactions with no human intervention at all, in which below-the-radar economies are springing up around their own alternative currencies, and in which global financial crises are brought on for reasons difficult to parse without a Ph.D. Back in the day, the thinking goes, money stood for something: Gold doubloons and cowrie shells had real value, and so they didn’t need a government to stand behind them.

In fact, though, money has never been that simple. And while its uses and meanings have shifted and evolved throughout history, the fact that it is no longer anchored to any one substance is actually a good thing. 

Three roles it plays in an economy:

It’s a store of value, meaning that money allows you to defer consumption until a later date.

It’s a unit of account, meaning that it allows you to assign a value to different goods without having to compare them. So instead of saying that a Rolex watch is worth six cows, you can just say it (or the cows) cost $10 000.

And it’s a medium of exchange—an easy and efficient way for you and me and others to trade goods and services with one another.

All of these roles have to do with buying and selling, and that’s how the modern world thinks of money—so much so that it seems peculiar to conceive of money in any other way.

Currency visual research

Thinking specifically about aesthetic I began research upon banknote design. I found a lot of designs followed a modernist style, in which explores simplistic designs and type. I believe that as the banknote is such a small surface over complicated designs may make the designs appear crowded thus within my own designs I would like to explore a more minimal approach.

These designs form part of a set in which celebrate culture. I really like the idea of developing a set of notes, as no note wouldn't be produced in an incoherent style to that of the others. 

This design explores colour as the main theme behind the design. As bank notes often refer to symbolic colours within their design this may be a factor in which I will explore. 

These designs explore the usage of famous protagonists within their designs in order to express their country as powerdul. Not only does this express this to british people but also to visitors. 

leaflet danny

Following the basic structure resembled within the first paragraph, I explored the positioning of type further. Ensuring that although awkward in design the type was legible. 12pt was used for the general body copy in order to convey further legibility. 

danny

Using elements from my previous designs, I correlated some sketches involving some of the strongest components. As I had felt that the overlapping of type among shape worked effectively, I closely followed this structure. Focusing upon ways in which it may be resembled. 

Using a primarily purple colour palette, I experimented with the layout of shape and text. I felt that the three tone approach appeared awkward in itself due to the colours associations, and also by using such similar colours within one design. The design did not obey to any boundaries, a factor in which I felt important within this piece, and attempted to mimic within the inside of the leaflet. 

When deciding upon the inside layout, I decided to follow a similar format to that of the front cover. Again using shape to direct the design I explored with the alignment of text, focusing upon Vignelli's cannon, as although the design should appear awkward it should also appear legible. Flush left was not necessary due to the minimal amount of information present, and thus I felt it okay to somewhat centralise the text. Although following a mostly modernist approach, key aspects such as the overlapping of text and shape within this deisgn allow postmodernism to be clearly expressed.

danny-pelican crossing 2

I explored with the movement of type in order to express a design in which feels awkward. The white and purple text was also used in order to create further contrast, with the purple being used as an unsettling response to that of the background colour. 

I explored with a triangular approach, as triangles are often associate with awkwardness. The triangles were also not equilateral, and thus express this sentiment further. I also found that shapes were a highly important factor with my research stage, as many postmodern design often contained rigid, unsettling shapes.

To add a further component I decided to involve further shapes to create an unbalance within the design. This then creating an overall unsettling atmosphere amongst the design. The main sentiment behind this deisgn is that the black and white background expresses modernism, whereas the vibrant purples exhibited through shape and text express a breakthrough of postmodernism. 

Leaflet (pelican crossing) 1

Following my research I decided to develop an approach in which focused upon thick lines being positioned angularly. I decided upon this due to vast lines, and angles being associated to that of awkward behaviour. I also felt that this highly constructed background may work well if broken up using a postmodern style type arrangement. 

I followed a basic structure in which involved multiple patterns being positioned coherently. The pattern itself is built up of coherent lines in which follow a highly gridded format.

I explored with shape and text focusing specifically upon breaking boundaries in which modernist graphic design follows. The chosen typeface was selected due to the rigid lines present within its design. It is also a very different typeface to that often found in say Hoffman's work.

I explored with further shapes, although I felt the connecting nature of this design appeared a lot less effective to that of the previous. And thus decided to experiment further with the designs.

Leaflet (b&w multiple patterns)

Looking closely at my research I began to explore with shape and line extensively, focusing upon the way in which multiple patterns may be positioned together in order to derive something in which makes the consumer feel somewhat uneasy. I personally prefered designs in  which involved multiple patterns, from dots to zig zags as I felt that this promoted a postmodern nature. When asking my peers about their prefered design it was suggested that I should explore multiple patterns using a two tonal system. The main reasoning behind the two tone approach was that although I wanted the design to appear awkward I didn't want it to appear bulky, as the over complicated nature may gain attention rather than that of the awkwardness. Using this as a basis I then decided to explore with pattern further using CAD.

Using multiple patterns a general structure was developed. A variation of line widths were used in order to express diversity, and eliminate any similarities in which the designs may contain. The circular pattern maintained multiple sizes, and widths which in turn allowed the pattern itself to appear unpleasant. The white space possessed within this pattern also appears somewhat unbalanced compared to the tight and impactful nature of the stripes. The zig zags were hand rendered and overlapped one another multiple times, thus in turn creating a contrast to the other CAD produced patterns.  Jointly the patterns appear contradictory to one another, and are poisoned in a manner that communicates an unpolished atmosphere. A black and white approach was taken in order to dilute any impact in which colour may have given, to allow the consumer to purely focus upon the ambience in which they gain from the piece. I also felt that this color scheme would promote modernism in this highly postmodern design.

I explored with typography, choosing fonts in which I felt had no real relevance to that of the patterns, and thus communicating further awkwardness. Personally, I felt that the thinner typeface expressed inflexibility due to the rigid lines present within the type.

In order to convey further rigorosity I reduced the line width so that the type appeared unbalanced to that of the rest of the design. I also positioned the text to the lower of the page, as I felt a central response was far too typical of leaflet design.

Leaflet (P)

Following the idea of developing typography out of lines, I explored approaches in which involve the expressing of a P. I found that straight lines appeared much more assertive and restricting than that of curved. I also felt that curved lines represented friendliness, a factor in which does not comply to the atmosphere in which I am attempting to develop. The designs in which allowed the lines to conjoin at both acute and obscure angles seemed to express stiffness, and thus I decided to take this further, using CAD.

Using the basic P structure, I developed an approach in which I felt to be awkward. The narrow line attempts to cut sharply across that of the page's structure, dividing the negative space present. Text was positioned incoherent to the shape, overlapping it at angles in order to promote the sentiment of postmodernism. The main feature in which I feel makes awkward design is that the consumer has not previous relationship to the way in which the product is developed, and thus boundaries must be broken and grids discarded. I feel that the positioning of type and shape within this idea conveys this. 

In order to gain further awkwardness, I increased the line width slightly causing the negative space to appear even more separated.  The text was moved off the shape, in order to promote legibility, but its uneven nature remained. The stroke width was altered in order to produce type in which feels to be positioned uncomfortably.  The colour was also altered to that of a deeper purple. I did this as the contrast between the white suggesting further diversion in design.