Every once in a while, we have a customer who believes (despite mountains of evidence to the contrary) that design isn’t important to their business.  We could easily point them to studies, articles… entire books that refute their position, but we prefer to fall back on a simple truth: good design is better than bad design.

We know how that sounds.  It sounds dumb.  It sounds simplistic.  But, it also sounds like it’s true, because it is.  Good design draws you in.  It makes you want to explore, to learn more.  More importantly it inspires confidence.  That assertion is the basis for the Dollar Redesign Project by Richard Smith.

Mr. Smith, knowing the impact that design can have on consumers’ perception, has suggested that we could inspire greater confidence in the U.S. dollar by giving it a proper redesign.  While the merit of some of the designs that have been submitted to the project is debatable, the theory is sound.  Corporations have known this for years, which is why they spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year to remain not only in the public eye, but also to remain relevant and exciting.  Mr. Smith suggests that as a nation, we have failed to do this with out currency.  Without a dramatic redesign in almost a century, he may be right.  In a world that has changed so dramatically in the last decade, does our printed currency tie us to old ways?  Does it represent outdated thinking and a system in which the world has lost faith?  Possibly.  It’s certainly worth considering.

… plus, how totally cool would it be to have a black dollar bill?