Project Statement
The goal of this project was to redesign currency to create a story that would catch the eyes of users.
Intended Audience
My intended audience for this project was people in the USSR during 1938.
Research
To do this project, we began to research what goes into currency making and what are the different elements of these designs. This was crucial when creating our project because currency design is overlooked since it's such a normal part of our lives. We also looked at currencies around the world and even currencies in the fictional realm.
Design Process
To start my project I thought about what I was passionate about when it comes to design, and how I can interweave that with currency. My first idea was to take the Soviet Ruble and redesign it to match the art style at the time, Russian Constructivism. I had just done research into this art style and how crucial it was during and after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. My other design idea was based on the currency from The Game of Life. This game was a staple in my childhood. I thought of this game, where the plot is to make life decisions based on chance, and how people make life decisions based on tarot card readings. This led me to the idea of creating the currency from LIFE in the style of tarot cards.
Concept boards created at the beginning of project
Design Solution
I chose to go with my first idea of redesigning the 1938 Soviet Ruble in the style of Russian Constructivism. With this, I wanted to make each bill extremely unique and visually based rather than just focusing on the number. This is because Russian Constructivism became popular because of its focus on visual aspects in a country that had a low literacy rate before the Revolution. I chose a different icon art piece from this time for each bill front: 1 Ruble - El Lissitzky’s Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge, 3 Ruble - Alexander Rodchenko’s Rechevik. Stikhi, and the 10 Ruble - Alexander Rodchenko’s Books (Please)! In All Branches of Knowledge. On the backs of the bills, I did a simplified version of the art pieces and featured the iconic artists from the Russian Constructivist Movement so they can be recognized for their work.
