Like several other countries in the world, Australian currency proudly displays a portrait of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on their bills. Using the ubiquitous portrait of the Queen, the bunchof5s blog takes fan submissions of clever defacements of the Queen's visage.
The images are in general good fun, although some people might read a little too much into the Queen wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. Other funny submissions of defaced Australian money include the Queen as a LEGO figurine, Super Mario, Spock from Star Trek or even interacting with popular Internet memes. I'm not certain about the legalities of drawing all over Australian money, or any other bills for that matter, but since it seems like most of these are done digitally through Photoshop it's likely a moot point.
Creatively Defaced Paper Bills
The Bunchof5s Blog Catalogs Cleverly Altered Australian Money
Trend Themes
1. Defaced Currency Art - An opportunity for companies to create a market for art prints on licensed currency for collectors
2. Digital Currency Personalization - A chance for fintech firms to offer digital currency customization services via an app or website
3. Social Media Currency Challenges - An opening for brands to create social media campaigns challenging users to creatively deface their branded currency
Industry Implications
1. Banking - Banks can leverage this trend to offer customizable debit or credit cards featuring defaced currency art
2. Art Collecting - The art collecting industry can explore new avenues of featuring defaced currency art in galleries or art fairs
3. Printing - Printing companies can offer services to produce limited edition prints of defaced currency art for purchase