The Future of Money

Craft & Design
The Future of Money

Sussana-Ritual01

RCA: The Future of Money @ Core77 via Beyond the Beyond.

Students in the Design Interactions Department at the Royal College of Art were challenged to explore the future of money when it disappears as a physical currency…

Cash is dissapearing more and more and we are moving towards a cashless society where hard cash only exists on the blackmarket or to buy illegal services and goods. In third world countries ATM cash-machines are rarely available and people usually do not have bank-accounts. With mobile phone becoming ubiquitous, they are becoming more and more the wallet, however without any designed experience. Paying with Credit Cards or RFID cards is a very engineered and raw-data driven transaction, the experience and the process of buying a coffee or a car is basically the same. Very human interactions, gestures and rituals got totally lost or neglected through the introduction of e-money transactions.

What’s interesting about many of these is you could build them now, mostly with Arduinos!

If I had time I think I’d make the inflatable piggy bank, you’d just have a little air get pumped in each time someone swipes their credit card.

6 thoughts on “The Future of Money

  1. zack says:

    Im not entirely sure how I feel about this. As a designer I want to ‘credit’ you with your creativity.
    But as an American consumer I need to ask why?
    Because first of all, buying a coffee is nothing like buying a car.
    Too many people want to think it is: they pay for it with their plastic cash and forget about it. Then the bills come and keep coming and the number of people drowning in debt come and keep coming. Its a proven fact that people spend more when the ‘pay’ with plastic. I think instead of developing new ways for people to spend spend spend, we would be better off developing new ways for people to enjoy and appreciate what they have.

    Also, the idea that credit cards build your credit score is largely false. I have never owned a credit card (and never will) and my credit is excellent.

  2. Godfish says:

    I’m with you zack, but I do think money will disappear it will just disappear from all of us, because with the high gas prices and now that only the super rich can buy a home, we will all be left without any money or credit of any kind.

    I only pay with cash now, and IF I don’t have the cash I don’t buy it any longer. The American day dream is over people, just wait till this winter you will see what I mean.

    I love MAKE Mag, and use it to make the things that will make my life easier, this will not help..

    Thanks anyway.

  3. hojo says:

    The disappearance of cash puts us under the thumb of the government more than ever.

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