BLIND MONEY a visual graphic design thesis by Jessika Erickson
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Table of Contents
Problem Statement
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Methodology
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Limitations
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Solution
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Definition of Terms
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Bibliography
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problem statement Paper currency in America has remained largely unchanged for over a century. Out of all 118 countries that use paper currency, the US is the only one that doesn’t include some distinguishing characteristics for the blind.¹ All US bills are of uniform size and color and have no texture or pattern that distinguish them from each other. It is, therefore, very difficult for blind people to distinguish between the different bills. This can make them susceptible to dishonesty since they are unable to tell what bills are being given or taken from them without the aid of a sighted person. There have been several attempts to convince the United States Treasury Department to improve the design of paper currency. The first major court case occurred in 2006 with the Treasury Department being sued by the American Council of the Blind (ACB). The Federal District Court ruled in favor of the ACB, stating that the current paper currency discriminated against the blind and violated the Rehabilitation Act, which bars the government from operating discriminatory programs.² The Treasury Department immediately appealed the ruling, citing the immense cost of redesigning the bills and the cost of new equipment. It estimated that printing different sizes for different denominations would cost $178 million for new printing presses and as much as $50 million for new plates. Lawyers for the Treasury Department also argued that all vending machines would have to be redesigned to accommodate new bills.³
My goal for this project is to redesign the U.S. paper currency to make it more inclusive for the blind. The design itself will utilize many of the technologies used internationally to help the blind differential different bills. Each separate denomination will utilize bright colors and patterns to help those with impaired sight to differentiate quickly. For those who are fully blind, the bills will utilize raised printing inks in a sequence of braille dots and symbols. There will also be several different texture options for separate areas of the paper. The texture will help create a tactile sensation that can differentiate between the bills. It is my belief that this will enable blind people to gain independence over their own finances and maintain freedom from dishonest practices. I would also like to update the design of paper currency in order to be more inclusive and representative of our modern society. While the fathers of our democracy are worthy of the honor, they no longer represent the vision of American culture as it stands today. I would like to choose different representatives who will serve as inspiration for everyone. I would also like to add environmental landmarks that represent the fantastic natural environment of America. Culturally, this design has the potential to incorporate heroes that represent all Americans and our diverse cultural heritage while simultaneously helping an underserved segment of the handicapped population.
¹ “Landmark Currency Ruling Appealed.” Journal Of Visual Impairment & Blindness 101, no. 2 (February 2007): 120-121. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed June 10, 2018). ² Ibid., “Landmark”
³Block, Sandra. “Court says U.S. paper currency discriminates against the blind.” USA Today, n.d., Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed June 10, 2018).
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methodology For this project, the work will primarily be created digitally using programs from the Adobe Creative Suite. Photos of notable figures will be managed using Adobe Photoshop. Patterns, type, and markers will be created using Adobe Illustrator. The final products will be visualized using digital mockups and the final visual thesis created using Adobe InDesign.
Limitations • Time. Currency design is complicated in order to prevent counterfeiting and to properly
track the creation and use of bills. As such, the time needed to design the project will be extensive. Due to the school schedule, the timeline for this is condensed to two weeks.
• Quantity. The project will consist of both sides of six separate bills.
This will mean twelve separate designs that will need to be visually distinct in order to achieve the project goals.
• Subjects. The persons depicted on the individual bills have been contested heavily of late. The selected individuals need to represent the culture of America and how it became the country that it is today. Also, the reverse of the bills will need a matching monument or landmark. These will also need to be important visuals for American culture.
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solution The final design retains many of the characteristics of the current paper currency while showing consideration for the blind and the visually impaired. First, each bill is a different length, one being the smallest and one-hundred being the longest. This will allow for a quick comparison in the lengths and values. Next, the colors have been changed slightly to enable the visually impaired to better differentiate between the bills. It was important to maintain the green color that previous bills utilized since it is such a recognizeable characteristic. The newly redesigned bills also include bright accent colors that will allow the visually impaired to separate the bills despite not being able to see fine detail. For the blind, there are several markers that utilize the technology of raised inks to provide textural indicators. The first is the lined texture of the large numerals in the top left corner. Users will be able to feel the texture of the numerals which will be slightly raised from the paper. The braille markers in the bottom left corner will also use raised inks and color changing inks. Braille markers will also be added in the security strip and above the serial number to further aid in identification.
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Textured numerals will allow the shape of the numbers to be felt by touch. New figures represent the faces of America’s modern democracy.
Each bill has a braille marker printed with a raised ink that can be easily felt by the blind and the visually impaired.
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The security strip will also have braille markers and textured numerals for an additional textural element.
Each separate bill features a different bright accent color. This will help the visually impaired to differentiate the bills more easily.
The United States of America is also written in braille because it is important for the blind and visually impaired to know that their country considers them and values their needs.
one
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1 1
this note is legal tender for all debts public and private
five
five dollars 5
dollars
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The United States of America
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10 dollars
ten dollars
10 dollars
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the United States of America
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me 52516590
treasurer of the united states
The United States of America
secretary of the treasury
The United States of America
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20
$20
twenty dollars
$20
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THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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fifty 100 100 100 100 100
100
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secretary of the treasury
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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this note is legal tender for all debts public and private
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me 52516590
the United States of America
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treasurer of the united states
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The United States of America
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10 this note is legal tender for all debts public and private
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THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
fifty 20 twenty
20
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secretary of the treasury
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this note is legal tender for all debts public and private
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this note is legal tender for all debts public and private
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the United States of America
treasurer of the united states
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THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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this note is legal tender for all debts public and private
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secretary of the treasury
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THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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100
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THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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DEFINITION OF TERMS • Counterfeit - made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud.
• Braille - a form of
written language for blind people, in which characters are represented by patterns of raised dots that are felt with the fingertips.
• Blind - unable to see because of injury, disease, or a congenital condition. • Visually Impaired - The definition of vision impairment by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a visually impaired person’s eyesight cannot be corrected to a “normal level”. It may be said that visual impairment is the functional limitation of the eye or eyes or the vision system.
• Security Thread - a security feature of many banknotes to protect against counterfeiting, consisting of a thin ribbon that is threaded through the note’s paper.
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bibliography Block, Sandra. “Court says U.S. paper currency discriminates against the blind.” USA Today, n.d., Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed June 10, 2018). Estes, Adam Clark. “An Illustrated History of American Money Design.” Gizmodo, (April 2016).https://gizmodo.com/an-illustrated-history-of-american-money-design 1743743361 (accessed June 11, 2018). Falconer, Emily Baker. “Current Case: American Council of the Blind v. Paulson--U.S. Currency and Disability-Discrimination Law.” Texas Law Review 87, no. 5 (April 2009): 1045-1062. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed June 11, 2018). Jones, Chris. “THE BENJAMIN.” Esquire 160, no. 2 (September 2013): 182-210. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed June 11, 2018). “Landmark Currency Ruling Appealed.” Journal Of Visual Impairment & Blindness 101, no. 2 (February 2007): 120-121. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed June 10, 2018). May, Julia. ”Currency Design – Designing The Most Desirable Product.” Smashing Magazine (January 2016): https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2016/01/learn-from-the-history- of-banknote-design-most-desirable-product/ (accessed June 10, 2018).
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