THE BITCOIN
BANKNOTE
PROJECT
Experiments in cryptocurrency and cash.
Bitcoin + Cash
Bitcoin Banknote is a project by artist and designer Tom Badley and Independent Currencies, to document efforts to merge cryptocurrency and banknotes.
A History of Physical Bitcoins
Bitaddress.org becomes the first paper wallet generator in 2011.
Casascius coins (physical Bitcoins) created by Mike Caldwell in 2011.
BIP-38 allows password encryption for physical wallets in 2013.
Offline.Cash creates the world’s first ‘Bitcoin bills’, designed by Independent Currencies, in 2021.
Noteworthy launches their own ‘Bitcoin banknotes’, with a similar technology as Offline.Cash, also in 2021.
Art & Money
The Bitcoin Banknote is now in the form of a book: a philosophy of art and design in the world of cryptocurrency.
Art & Money is many things, but for the Bitcoin Banknote Project, it is the first and only book to codify design principles for cryptocurrency.
"What does it mean to design for Bitcoin? What does Bitcoin say about our changing attitudes to money? What is banknote design and why it important? What is the future of money design?"
The Blockchain Banknote
An Odyssey of Art & Cryptocurrency
Tom Badley
Artist & Designer
Other projects include continuing experiments in presenting the Bitcoin brand in banknote form, derivative banknote design, and efforts to give digital tokens a physical presence, as well as ongoing journeys into fine art. More information can be found at independentcurrencies.com, and tom.prints.money.
Achievements
Tokenized the first ‘banknote NFT’ in 2019.
Led the design of the world’s first cash Bitcoin bearer instrument, made to security printing standards.
Wrote ART&MONEY, a philosophy of design in a time of shifting financial systems.
Helped clients in over 20 countries, across 5 continents.