When you look at all of the things Mac Funamizu has conjured up, you notice a lot of tech going on. If you are a Mac connoisseur, you’re in for a treat: an utterly analog coin design. This project is based on the idea that it’s a challenge for people who travel to figure out the coin-and-note system of money in each new country they’re in. Solution? Pie chart coins!
This project right here is called “Infographic Coins” and the original intent is to for just a moment dismiss the obvious pros in the circular-only design of modern coins and jump on the fractions train. Think how simple it would be entering into new monetary systems in new countries when everything is based on the singular, (the dollar, the euro, the mark, the peso,) visually, on the one!
Designer: Mac Funamizu
Very nice…simple and easily identifiable by the forms, but might have a lot of problems to deal if machinery that rely or using coins…
i wanna see this in Zimbabwe
Lol, thats pretty funny. New Zealand has abolished the 1c and 5c coins and made everything smaller. Bout time the world caught up.
not just that, they used cheaper metal cores. in fact now they are magnetic. and they smallness really helps to fit the change into your wallet
Magnetic ?!
Bad news for your credit card with a magnetic strip.
I assume he means they can be magnetically charged but aren’t magnetic on their own… hope you get my point? Some euro coins can be magnetically charged as well (the copper colored ones) Well =D hope you get it =D
Some copper sterling coins are magnetic. Dunno why the alloys changed.
Some copper sterling coins are magnetic. Dunno why the alloys changed.
the magnet would have to be so strong to mess up the information on your cc dumba$$
the magnet would have to be so strong to mess up the information on your cc dumba$$
Interesting idea. But they stopped doing those crazy square corners centuries ago because making the coins round is better for your hands and your pockets
reminds me of how they used to “make change” in the 1600s. You’d take your silver coin to a blacksmith, who would chop it into 2 or 4 or 8 pieces (depending on what you asked for). The point then was that it was the silver itself that had the value (rich people would keep some of their wealth as silver plates and cups. To be melted down and turned into coinage when needed).
I agree with Riccardo, about the sharp endged, my pockets wouldn’t last a day.
One last point, for anybody who has had to travel to the USA. Putting the numerical value of the coin onto the coin makes sense (I mean, how much is a dime or a nickle?).
any corner coins will jam in a vending machine..!
Yeah it looks nice
But money will be digital anyway
For now passes and chips are great
All the points about the corners are well founded, except those concerning ‘coin’ machines. They’re rubbish and old-fashioned anyway, and often don’t work no matter how nicely shaped your coins are. >_>
The concept is good though.
I love the design, I really do, but besides the mentioned points, I can see the money getting slightly stuck into each other and while it won’t be impossible to get it out, it will be very awkard when you have to grab some change quickly because you got too much and want to get rid of it by paying with it.
I love it. although probably the comments above are correct, I personally don’t care about vending machines and frankly the corners don’t really have to be very sharp…
there was another comment on the future of coins/bills above, in the sense that they will be replaced with digital transactions. I will dare to state that this might put out of business some very lucrative industry of credit and debit cards, which needs desperately the respective transactions fees… is there some future here? sure, but I won’t hold my breath.
i want magnetic coins so i can collect my change on my fridge!
And delete your SIM Card and USB Stick in the process! Brilliant!
Hahah I didn’t realise that your data was magnetically recorded onto a USB stick & Sim card. Like a floppy disk lol!
get a magnetic fridge =]
Well, great idea, if every country could adopt this same concept, I won’t be waisting minutes to figure out the difference between a 5 cent and 50 cent coin, or trying to read arabic numbers or greek numbers… just a simple graphic code. As for the 25 c coin, I would keep the round shape, and just fill in the quarter, because, true, a quarter of a coin is not a coin anymore… but I like the holes in the coins… really cool…. great idea! Waiting for the next dollars and euro coins…!!
Holes in coins existed already in Chine BC. Also different countries in Europe (before Euro) had such a coins, Spain for example. It is quite useful actually to recognize which coins you have in your pocket.
Other example of good shapes are the 50p in UK
These are great! I hope the U.S. decides to use this design instead of dead guys 🙂
Interested idea, but for coin collectors every kind of uniforms of the circulating coins are not acceptable.
That’s an interesting point of view. : )
Not sure how important is the coin collectors’ happiness in relation to the concept..
As a coin collector, I find this concept interesting yet boring especially if it becomes widely accepted. These might be cool for a time, but I much prefer the British 1987 1 pound coin, Singapore's 1994 1 cent, and even though I've seen American and Canadian coins a million times they are still far more interesting than this concept. Plus I would pay for any that I have mention and more, but not for these concept coins. As I said interesting but boring.
As a coin collector, I find this concept interesting yet boring especially if it becomes widely accepted. These might be cool for a time, but I much prefer the British 1987 1 pound coin, Singapore's 1994 1 cent, and even though I've seen American and Canadian coins a million times they are still far more interesting than this concept. Plus I would pay for any that I have mention and more, but not for these concept coins. As I said interesting but boring.
This is a really nice concept for the form of money… I think it will take affect in the future…
This is a really nice concept for the form of money… I think it will take affect in the future…
Looks pretty cool, but there's one big problem:
Hypersimple = Hypereasy to counterfeit
Looks pretty cool, but there's one big problem:
Hypersimple = Hypereasy to counterfeit
America wouldnt take a second look at these…
America wouldnt take a second look at these…
Keep the round coins but use a fraction graphic on the face of each one. I hate the Euro coins. Ten years on and I still can't tell them apart – designed by a committee, obviously.
Keep the round coins but use a fraction graphic on the face of each one. I hate the Euro coins. Ten years on and I still can't tell them apart – designed by a committee, obviously.
I don't like this design, but hey, that's my opinion 😉
I don't like this design, but hey, that's my opinion 😉
These are retarded and you should feel bad, fellow posters, for making the designer think they actually made something smart.
Simple objects are simple to counterfeit, meaning the moment you release these in any country, the price of the metal to make these would skyrocket. effectively nullifying the supposed benefit these are supposed to bring. So this concept needs a fuckton of adjusting before any mint would consider making them.
Also consider vending machines. They work based on round coins and flat bills. you have 3 coins that are not round at all, thus jamming the machine. Keep in mind that the conversion of vending machines to include the dollar coin back in 2000 was bad enough, these will be even less well received.
But the silliest notion about this whole thing is the idea that currencies are hard to understand. Every currency system that matters is based around centennial conversions (e.g 100 centavos to 1 peso). The primary exception I can think of in the modern world is the yen, which doesn't even matter because its only the Yen and no fractions thereof. If you're in a country with a different system, you have to ask yourself if you're not capable of understanding their currency do you really believe you'll get anywhere in that country?
Waste of energy and time sadly.
These are retarded and you should feel bad, fellow posters, for making the designer think they actually made something smart.
Simple objects are simple to counterfeit, meaning the moment you release these in any country, the price of the metal to make these would skyrocket. effectively nullifying the supposed benefit these are supposed to bring. So this concept needs a fuckton of adjusting before any mint would consider making them.
Also consider vending machines. They work based on round coins and flat bills. you have 3 coins that are not round at all, thus jamming the machine. Keep in mind that the conversion of vending machines to include the dollar coin back in 2000 was bad enough, these will be even less well received.
But the silliest notion about this whole thing is the idea that currencies are hard to understand. Every currency system that matters is based around centennial conversions (e.g 100 centavos to 1 peso). The primary exception I can think of in the modern world is the yen, which doesn't even matter because its only the Yen and no fractions thereof. If you're in a country with a different system, you have to ask yourself if you're not capable of understanding their currency do you really believe you'll get anywhere in that country?
Waste of energy and time sadly.
woaw this is too awesome
woaw this is too awesome
O_O CRAZY, I just finished a very similar project just a few weeks ago – but for bank notes instead of coinage.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/New-Bill/797785
This is the spookiest example of convergent evolution in design I've ever seen. Clearly there's a good idea in here somewhere.
O_O CRAZY, I just finished a very similar project just a few weeks ago – but for bank notes instead of coinage.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/New-Bill/797785
This is the spookiest example of convergent evolution in design I've ever seen. Clearly there's a good idea in here somewhere.
Awesome concept, only problem – and it's a biggie – what about coin-operated machines? Maybe leave them rounded and change the 5 cent to something similar to the 1 cent but with 5 lines…
Awesome concept, only problem – and it's a biggie – what about coin-operated machines? Maybe leave them rounded and change the 5 cent to something similar to the 1 cent but with 5 lines…
THESE LOOK WICKID! im skeptical that they would agree to a quarter of a circle shaped coin, seems rather impractical, but wow the simplicity is stunning.
emdezign.com
Making coins the same for all countries will only make easier to counterfeit, specially this simple designs, currencies (both coins and bills) around the world have certain level of complexity for a reason.
Making coins the same for all countries will only make easier to counterfeit, specially this simple designs, currencies (both coins and bills) around the world have certain level of complexity for a reason.
Stupid, good luck getting those quarter coins into a proper vending machine, plus imaging sitting down with one of those in your back pocket, and it not being flat…ouch.
Stupid, good luck getting those quarter coins into a proper vending machine, plus imaging sitting down with one of those in your back pocket, and it not being flat…ouch.
proxy is right on, another dumb idea courtesy of "design engineers" (note the oxymoron there). sit on one of those coins and you have a real injury. also a round shape is easier to slide past another, so naturally round coins try to take up as little room as possible when in your wallet or pocket, whereas these would jam and jut out at angles.
proxy is right on, another dumb idea courtesy of “design engineers” (note the oxymoron there). sit on one of those coins and you have a real injury. also a round shape is easier to slide past another, so naturally round coins try to take up as little room as possible when in your wallet or pocket, whereas these would jam and jut out at angles.
I think it's a bad idea. It's an interesting concept, but it's not practical. Pointy ends and holes which could lead to interlocked coins that'll take a while to undo… That's a big deterrent for me. I agree with everyone who said that they'd be easy to counterfeit. And why on earth would you want $1 coins? Paper bills are much lighter and easier to carry in large numbers. I hate carrying a lot of coins as it is, and this would only add to the misery. I think these would make nice collector pieces, but nothing more.
Funny, but the two pieces of tech you mentioned do not store information magnetically. Both are flash memory devices, and are solid state drives. LrnB4uPost.