OUGD505 / STUDIO BRIEF 02 / DEVELOPMENT

One idea of mine was to use the individual constellations on each side of the set, as there are 12 star signs for each month slot, this makes 6 notes. I split the notes into 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100. The currency is called Stars, to represent the origins of Astrology. It's short and catchy, meaning it would be memorable as a currency. Stars are also seen as magnificent, so this correlates with the value of money. The example I will be showing in the exhibition is Scorpio and Libra, so I have worked on these and developed the overall aesthetic and layout of the currency firstly, before creating the rest. The sizing of each note will be the same, and be similar to a british note. This is to help the note efficiently be stored into the wallet or purse, as other sizes and shapes may be less convenient.

As the constellations may be quite intricate, I felt it important to strip back the elements of the note at first, which essentially goes against the current look of a UK banknote now, which has many complex details and effects. I wanted to keep the colour scheme very minimal, only using black and white for now, and thinking how I can incorporate another colour or finish later on.

This idea splits up the constellation, and gives it two different appearances, bringing out the grey in the black area and subtly existing in the white area. The Currency is in each corner, flipped so that it can be read at both angles. This composition is not very suitable because the black area is too heavy, and it does not compliment the thin shape.

Here I have shown how the wheel will appear hypothetically when using the gloss, split up into both sides of the note, again to further demonstrate symmetary. Symmetrical patterns and layout creates a harmonious structure which frames the composition. 

To experiment with detail, as featured on tangible currency, I added the name of the star sign, which would also be printed in gloss. This is a subtle way to add dimension and detail, however I felt this was overkill, and perhaps the sign and constellation was enough to signify each individual zodiac sign. For this brief I wanted to simplify the existing artwork surrounding the zodiac and present it in a neater and more stripped down manner, so this amount of detail felt inappropriate.

The black rectangles bring attention to the currency amount, but seem to contrast and stand out too much with the overall composition and deliver a certain amount of inbalance. 

Experimentation with a black border on the top and bottom. This allowed the note to look more like an authentic ticket, and draw attention to the currency and symbols. The black bars also frame the design. Here I have utilised the wheel and also the name of the star sign, since this is split into two sections, I think this works better than the previous, as there is space in the middle. 

For this, I have simply used the constellation and experimented with the how the wheel would look in gold. I feel this is the most balanced design, utilising the space appropriately and creating a great level of symmetary with the currency and sign. The overlap of the wheel and constellation works well as it shows how they join together and if the wheel was printed with gloss or gold, this will create a great finish behind the black.