OUGD505 - Brief 01 - Concept

When I first received this brief, I knew that I wanted to take an extremely conceptual approach to the design process and treatment. I knew that I didn't really see myself going down the route of reinterpreting and redesigning an existing currency, as I didn't really see that as much of a creative challenge. I wanted to really step outside of the box and push myself out of current comfort zone in terms of aesthetics and general design direction. I also knew that I wanted my designs to convey subtle, quite abstract concepts. I wanted the designs to be truly unique in their realisation and proposed 'distribution'.

The concept that I decided to refine and develop from my initial ideas was the 'after-life note' concept which was directly inspired from research into Asian hell notes and from looking into Dante's Inferno and Divine comedy. My concept is underpinned by an often misquoted line from the Christian Bible; "For the love of money, is the route of all evil!" - People often mistake this quote for 'money is the route of all evil' which is interesting. I definitely see the relevance of this quote in today's money dominated society and that is why I have chosen to use this quote to make a cultural comment. I have decided to venture down the route of 'evil' and the best way of depicting this was to take inspiration from Dante's representation of the nine circles of hell. My currency would exist to serve people in the afterlife, whether that be in heaven or in hell. At the moment, I am considering exploring the route of hell in the most detail. My concept is a fantasy, it is abstract. My concept makes a bold statement which directly answers the main problem/question within the brief, which is: 'What is the relevance/future of the banknote?" My concept is saying that there isn't much relevance of the banknote in today's work because electronic banking is making it much more efficient and effortless to transfer funds. Money is becoming smarter and more electronic. Notes are iconic and are arguably, pieces of art in their own right. In the future, I think that is exactly what they are destined to become; artwork. So for this brief, I didn't see anything wrong with creating a visually and aesthetically stunning print which may not necessarily function as a legal tender.