The New Old Five Dollar Bill
According to legend, The Beatles fired Pete Best for his refusal to grow a moptop. Indeed, pictures of the band’s pre-Ringo lineup show the anomalous Best in his clean pompadour, surrounded by John, Paul, and George in shaggy bangs.
The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing is the Pete Best of money. While other governments print notes in dazzling colors, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing just won’t let down its hair.
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Currency worldwide has depicted musicians, scientists, literary characters, and whole habitats of gorgeous animals. Yet the new $5 bill remains stuck in the conservative aesthetics of the ’50s — the 1850s.
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At least the bill’s new design breaks away from strict black and green hues. Yes, the front of the bill resembles a weak tie-dye job, but the back starts to hint at real psychedelic possibility. Here a refreshingly goofy purple 5 asserts itself beneath a playful swarm of yellow 05s. (Purple and yellow — where have I seen that combination before?)
As for the portrait itself, Lincoln, emancipated from his oval frame, looks better than ever. But if we’re going to honor gay white men on our money, why not retire the Republican politicians? Let’s put John Waters on the next $5 bill… or the $3.
Obadiah Eelcut is an artist and collector of obsolete bank notes from all over the world. He draws, prints, and issues Noney, an experimental art-based currency with a face value of zero. Thomas Fuchs is an illustrator and designer. He likes money.
Remarks 35 total remarks were added before the post was closed.
Karen Horton
I used to get my hopes up when I heard news of the U.S mint redesigning coins and bills. It would be a wonderful surprise to have literary and non-political cultural figures gracing money sometime soon. I'll give a vote for John Waters on the next $5 bill.
Dutch money was one of my favorite examples of colorful currency and I was saddened when the Euro took over.
Matt
It would be nice to see US currency take a step into the current century. It just feels like they keep slapping new anti-counterfeit methods on to the bills, at the expense of any kind of design principles.
Richard Rutter
An issue foreigners have with US currency is that not only are all the notes (bills) the same colour, but they are the same physical size. In most European countries, for example, as the notes increase in value so they increase in size. In the US, the homogeneity of the paper currency makes it quite easy to hand over a ten dollar bill instead of a one dollar bill!
Tor Løvskogen
None of the links are working now - an idea would be to cache it at abriefmessage.com.
Joel Laumans
I've used several currencies in my life time, and have to say that after using Euros I would never want to switch to another currency. The combination of color coding and sizing the bills differently make quickly counting money a lot quicker. Not to mention that it prevents a lot of human errors such as people giving a 100 dollar bill instead of a 10 dollar bill.
The US should stop being so stubborn, and while they are at it they should switch to the metric system as well. It's just logical =)
Scott
I'm not sure why people have such trouble discerning between the various American bills (or notes, if you prefer.) It's easy to mix up 10 with 100 when you're typing on a calculator--not so when its printed a centimeter tall on a piece of paper.
Ian
I agree, our money is stubbornly outdated in a lot of ways. It remains practically Colonial in appearance in a futuristic world. One can easily drop two pages of it on a Tastykake when a single coin should suffice ($1.50 coin, anyone?).
This is an interesting article and has brought my discontent to the surface. Great closing, too.
Niki Brown
Swiss money is by far the most beautiful currency I have ever seen.
I think that we should have more coin currency, 5 and 10 dollar coins. Coins have a much longer life than paper money.
brian
Maybe you should have checked your page in IE7 because it's all F ed up.
RJ
Ha ha! Brian is the Pete Best of browsers!
Khoi Vinh
Yes, sorry, this site is often broken in Internet Explorer 7. That's my fault for not realizing how dramatically different that browser is from its predecessors. I'll try and find some time to fix it soon.
TheUprock.com
I tend to disagree with most of what's been criticised here. Why must everything always be like everything else you don't have? Who cares if there aren't glossy bubbles, and swatches of color plastered all over the bills? The "greenback" is a term that will not die soon, nor will the design and color system of our currency. People should appreciate the history of the current American (albeit sorely over-agrandized) legal tender's design system and leave it at that. It sets us apart, and it's ours -- hold on to its uniqueness and embrace that.
Daniel
Everytime I go to the US or have to use American money, I'm so glad that I live in Canada. I've been using one and two dollar coins for the majority of my life and I can't imagine it any other way... get with it already, America!
Also, I second Joel... switch to the metric system while you're at it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Metric_system.png
I'd be embarrassed.
Shane
I enjoy the classic feeling of the mighty dollar. Many times I view other currency as monopoly money, with all their vast arrays of color.
ToddG
Okay, so I'm being sarcastic (mostly), but wow for a bunch of know-it-all non-Americans you sure seem to have a lot of trouble with simple pieces of paper with numbers on them. It's not that hard! Granted improvements could be made, and I'll buy that varying sizes make it easier, but sheesh!
Next topic: who has the best pizza.
Jason Santa Maria
I think the government should pull the typical client move and redesign the currency to try and build buzz to boost the dollar's value again.
Pete Best
So I liked my hair the close-cropped. Sue me?
Kevin Crawford
The Little Prince is on the 50 Franc? Fuckin' sweet! The US could use some of that peaceful little guy.
Greg J. Smith
I second the notion for putting John Waters on the $5. Lets get William S. Burroughs on the $20.
Patrick Algrim
Very interesting.
I love your site design.
Great entrepreneurial strategies here!
Hamish M
Very interesting. I wouldn't call the American bills hideous, but style wise, they certainly seem to be decades behind.
Maybe I'm biased, but I really like . Simple color schemes, nice images.
SuperD
I couldn't agree with you more. The old green bank is getting looong in the tooth. Really, a 1$ bill, how antique. Canadian money system can be used as a "how to" design better and more secure paper money model.
Darren Roesch
Something tells me Abe would be proud!
Dinu
Well, I like my money to remain conservative and old fashioned in design.
AD
Didn't a judge rule last year that the US government had to comply with making bills identifiable to non-sighted users? Looking at the press for the new fiver they mention some coloring for sight-impaired, but nothing about non-sighted. Considering that of the 180 major paper currencies that the US is the ONLY country that doesn't make denominations easily identifiable without need of assistive technology is deplorable, however much you love the 'old fashioned'
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8LMC4600&show_article=1
Bryce
'Gay white men' EXCLUDES Republican politicians? I think not. Maybe 'openly' gay white men...
John Vogel
So far there's only been "yes" or 'no" opinions without much discussion as to the reason why bills look the way they do, and if those arguments are valid. Other countries use "dazzling" bills because they don't have the national strength or stability to leverage, so they leverage, well, anything—modern, innovative, home of flamboyant lizards, etc. Some even turn their notes into mini tourism campaigns. While some may argue that U.S. money is dull, it does communicate "trustworthy", which isn't the worst thing money could be known for. Sure, we could use American jazz musicians, other civil rights leaders or large animals of North America, but the patriotism evoked by the founders is priceless. Some may argue even needed. Thoughts?
Scott
I agree - Swiss money is the most beautiful I've touched. Although, I'm not sure I've seen the currency from Brazil. Your site design strikes me as wanting to present something revolutionary. Like a new Business Model. Love the clean, black, white, red, and use of white space. - Thanks!
Scott
I agree - Swiss money is the most beautiful I've touched. Although, I'm not sure I've seen the currency from Brazil. Your site design strikes me as wanting to present something revolutionary. Like a new Business Model. Love the clean, black, white, red, and use of white space. - Thanks!
Ephraim Schum
Perhaps the U.S. Government needs to outsource the design of our bills. The cartoon-like features of past presidents, combined with the same old green and recently added hints of color for security purposes, just don't work. The problem is that we are stuck with a U.S. capital city that does very little to distance itself from the Neo-Classical design that pervades — from monuments to money. The design virus spreads to local government. Local government mimics Federal government in the design of its communications. Look at the design of many state and county logos as examples. It is perceived that by incorporating everything from figures clad in togas to columns, eagles and wreaths that somehow it makes everything more official. We will be stuck with this visual system at all levels of communication until we gradually wean ourselves by including the thinking of designers.
Stephen Caver
I find it profoundly amusing (if not slightly disgusting) that the revolutionaries, presidents, and great thinkers of that by-gone era are considered part of a "conservative aesthetic" and somehow unworthy of being on US Currency.
It shows a profound misunderstanding of the not only the truly remarkable and revolutionary ideas that were developed during that time but the liberties we so often take for granted today.
The Revolutionaries like Washington, Jefferson, Madison, etc. faced execution for following the ideas of liberty and freedom. Lincoln's contribution to American history cannot go understated and is considered by many historians to be the greatest US President.
Benjamin Franklin, for example, *was* a fine scientist, inventor, writer, as well as what many considered the greatest diplomat and statesman in US history. I cannot think of anybody I'd prefer to adorn my currency. If he is not decorated on other world currency, I find that to be a disgrace.
Should we decorate other cultural icons? Yes. But to suggest that those historical icons that are currently featured on US Currency are somehow not worthy shows historical ignorance and profound disrespect for their ideas, the risks they took, and the nation they built.
Christopher
The U.S. currency should be variable in tactility—size, texture—for those visually impaired.
Joshua Vaage
Flavored/scented notes to help distinguish.
Bernhard Benke
If you like the current swiss money, you’ll like the future swiss money too. Swiss National Bank held a design competition two years ago and these are the results. (PDF 2.7 MB)
Word is the 2nd placed design will be reworked for production.