travis purrington proposes radical redesign of US dollars

travis purrington proposes radical redesign of US dollars
all images courtesy of travis purrington

united states banknotes are often criticized for their inability to be differentiated by size, security inadequacies and overall dated appearance. in an effort to revitalize america’s paper money and address these aesthetic and iconographic issues, graphic designer travis purrington has proposed an updated monetary system where — rather than historical faces from the past — the country’s technological and environmental feats are emphasized.

the series of bills play on themes of human discovery, endeavors and the beauty of both the U.S’ natural and built resources, connecting human achievement to the fundamental properties of life. ‘this is of course not a conspiracy to trivialize or shun the great deeds of the past’, elaborates purrington, ‘but to communicate principle rather than effigy permeating through the spirit of industrial, organic and elemental systems.’

the front of each note, arranged from 5 to 100, displays a black and white background and colored numeral

the five dollar note is a credit to the skill of the american worker

the 10 dollar note is a credit to the structure of the american worker

the 20 dollar note is a credit to the life of the american worker

the 50 dollar bill is a credit to the innovation of the american worker

the 100 dollar note is a credit to the nature of the american worker

front of bill designs

iconography drawn from the existing bill
 
diagram showing the existing bill’s reimagination through line, color and size