When a designer has no client, (s)he can sometimes do the best work. MONOmoda reviews a US money redesign by Michael Tyznik. The use of the Amendments to the Constitution is quite striking and smart. Compare and contrast. Hat tip: Mau.

Filed under: Design

12 Responses to “Even Money”

1. 
   Mau said on 24 April 2010 at 3:08 pm:

   Hi Jeff,

   And of course you can Michael’s portfolio. Worth a look, of course.

2. 
   sebastian said on 24 April 2010 at 3:11 pm:

   Oh boy… it’s beautiful.
   Glad you mentioned.

3. 
   Ryan Lelek said on 25 April 2010 at 4:58 am:

   Wow, this is awesome.

   I thought the new $100 bill was good, but this *far* surpasses it.
   I wonder if an agency can pick up a limited edition print run?
   I’d certainly buy one…for $10 of course :D

4. 
   Brade said on 25 April 2010 at 2:27 pm:

   I don’t care for the removal of famous American heads ;)

   I also think it’s a design very much of our current time, not timeless at all…

5. 
   Brade said on 25 April 2010 at 2:28 pm:

   actually I clicked thru and saw the headz on the back. Still not crazy about the rainbow colors, but it’s not bad!

6. 
   Brian Warren said on 25 April 2010 at 4:16 pm:

   Yes these are fantastic! One big bonus is that these are usable for the blind (a new idea for our currency). Great to see these designs get noticed again.

7. 
   Theo said on 25 April 2010 at 5:32 pm:

   Very nice ones ! I like the Sri Lanka Rupees the most as they have a vertical design on the backside. As far as i now, and i might be wrong ( sure i am ) they are the only ones using vertical design on the backside. Take a look at http://bit.ly/as9aHb

8. 
   Thiago Cavalcanti said on 25 April 2010 at 6:36 pm:

   Looks nice, though I think that the contrast of the constitution amendments could be cranked up a notch.

   Also, is it just me, or the constant re-flowing of the layout on monomoda.com when you mouse over stuff (such as links or the logo) is just to annoying to endure?

9. 
   Michael Grafl said on 26 April 2010 at 6:34 am:

   Dear Americans,

   Your money used to look fucking awesome. In one way it seemed kinda cheap and cheesy, but at the same time its classical style ornamentation caused it to bear a sense of tradition and honor for your founding fathers.

   Austrian money used to look amazing, and then it got replaced by the Euro. Many people over here who are old enough to have paid with Schillings for years never really warmed up to the Euro bills. I think I understand why. While not a bad design, the Euro looks rather clean and sterile. There are no familiar faces on them, the fonts have no serifs, the graphic design is very geometric. There are no emotions connected to it.

   Maybe you Americans are just fed up with your money and long for a change. I wouldn’t know. Your admiration for Tyznik’s design seem to validate this idea. It’s a great design, I like it much better than the actual new 100$ bill for various reasons. But if I’d have to use American money on a daily basis, I’d prefer a continuation of the classic design with subtle changes that make it harder to counterfeit, but don’t disturb its overall impression.

   Or am I just missing something and saying stupid things?

10. 
    zhuzhiyan said on 26 April 2010 at 11:18 am:

    The Designer is beautiful If that can be adopted.

11. 
    Shane said on 26 April 2010 at 12:29 pm:

    Something as simple as using full bleed make the bills look much better. I might actually learn my rights as an American if the Amendments to the Constitution are in my wallet!

12. 
    Michaël Guitton said on 27 April 2010 at 8:24 am:

    Has anyone noticed the blatant typo on the back of the US$ 200 banknote?

    ULYSSES S. GRANT
    Eeighteenth President

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