Dowling Duncan and redesigning the American Dollar:

Why the size?
We have kept the width the same as the existing dollars. However we have changed the size of the note so that the one dollar is shorter and the 100 dollar is the longest. When stacked on top of each other it is easy to see how much money you have. It also makes it easier for the visually impaired to distinguish between notes.

Why a vertical format?
When we researched how notes are used we realized people tend to handle and deal with money vertically rather than horizontally. You tend to hold a wallet or purse vertically when searching for notes. The majority of people hand over notes vertically when making purchases. All machines accept notes vertically. Therefore a vertical note makes more sense.

Why different colors?
It’s one of the strongest ways graphically to distinguish one note from another.

Why these designs?
We wanted a concept behind the imagery so that the image directly relates to the value of each note. We also wanted the notes to be educational, not only for those living in America but visitors as well. Each note uses a black and white image depicting a particular aspect of American history and culture. They are then overprinted with informational graphics or a pattern relating to that particular image.

$1 – The first African American president
$5 – The five biggest native American tribes
$10 – The bill of rights, the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution
$20 – 20th Century America
$50 – The 50 States of America
$100 – The first 100 days of President Franklin Roosevelt. During this time he led the congress to pass more important legislations than most presidents pass in their entire term. This helped fight the economic crises at the time of the great depression. Ever since, every new president has been judged on how well they have done during the first 100 days of their term.

babybacalling:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HUMPHREY BOGART & LAUREN BACALL

One night in 1953, Bogie, John Huston and some other friends were shooting the breeze rather tipsily about life and its meaning and the question arose as to whether there was any time of their lives they’d like to live over again. All of them except Bogie came up with cynical answers. Somebody said, “God forbid”. Somebody else: that he’d only like to cancel out a couple of times. Then Bogie spoke. “Yes, there’s a time I’d like to relive- the years that I have had with Betty.”

-Joe Hyams, Bogart & Bacall.

I was a kid in love for the first time. I was easy for me - I knew nothing about pitfalls. I was giving nothing but myself and I could do that without qualm. Never in my life had or has a man cared so much for me, wanted so much to protect me, surrond me with life’s joys, share everything. It made me want to return the care- to show him it was possiblle to be really happy with a woman, to give him children. I was determined to do that.

-Lauren Bacall