“In God We Trust”: The Branding of a Country

As many successful businesses know, effective branding and implementation of their brand is key to their success. Countries use that same logic. All countries have a brand; and this branding extends to their paper barter system, money.

A countries currency is their face to the world. One can see portraits of historic figures, monumental buildings, birds of pride, as well as read phrases. There’s is one specific phrase that has survived the modernization of our dollar. In a country where questions of the separation of church and state rise, our tender screams for us, “In God We Trust”.  The use of our national motto has been challenged in court, however still carries on.

For printers and designers, the dollar is a excellent study tool (I remember my professor introducing my class to the new neon-pink $20, and asking us to mark the techinques used.) From color-shifting inks to microprinting, printing currency is a highly sophisticated process. It is more than just laying ink down on paper. Many modern techniques are pushed to their limits to insure that currency has a unique look and feel as compared to any other printed document. Even the traditional papermaking processes are tested when producing the new media for currency.

Further reading, Richard Zeid’s thesis:
http://www.thedesignencyclopedia.org/written/Money-Branding.pdf