Tag Archives: money

Smart piggy bank concept brings the Bitcoin feeling to physical coins

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Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and its cousins were supposed to revolutionize the way the world sees and uses money, but it will take more than just a few revolutionary ideas to change a system that has been in place for centuries, even millennia. That said, the craze did reveal a few advantageous features, particularly the handling of money through digital wallets. Of course, the latter only makes sense for the money you’ve already “digitized” through banks, digital or otherwise, not so much for the money you still have at hand. That’s especially true for coins that are often chucked into containers, presuming they don’t get lost, and are almost forgotten. This concept design for a “smart piggy bank”, however, gives importance to every dime and penny, allowing you to really see where your money is going, even if still exists in physical form.

Designer: Guilherme Ferreira, Pietro Vitelo, Gustavo Billo (Breathe Design & Strategy)

Digital wallets that let you monitor the flow of your money have been around for a long time now, but it wasn’t until the cryptocurrency craze became mainstream that people started to realize the benefits that such a system has to offer. In particular, it gave people more direct control over the money they have in their accounts, especially when it comes to monitoring how much goes in and out of their savings. Real physical coins, however, aren’t as easy to handle and they often get dropped anywhere and lost, money that could have added up to big savings over time.

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Smart Piggy is a concept that upgrades the iconic pink piggy bank into something fit for the 21st century. In a nutshell, sensors on the slot at the top of the pig-shaped device detect when a coin is inserted and pass this information to a connected smartphone. The mobile app, which is actually the center of the whole experience, is where users get to monitor the comings and goings of their savings, particularly those from the Smart Piggy. It’s a simple feature that has a significant impact on user behavior, encouraging people to actually pay attention to where those coins go.

The concept does leave a few details open to interpretation, like how the system will be able to identify different coin denominations. It also doesn’t mention anything about taking out coins from the piggy bank, so presumably, the coin detection and monitoring is a one-way street. Still, it touches on the possibility of an implementation that can take into account both cash flows, so to speak, giving people not only the tools they need to keep track of those coins but also the motivation to actually pay attention to where they go.

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This wooden debit card puts your money to work in saving the planet

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Money makes the world go round, and it comes in many forms these days. While there are many proponents of e-wallets and digital forms of currencies, physical representations of money still make up the majority. Usually, cash has a minimal direct impact on the environment until they are used to fund activities or products that do harm to the planet in the long run. Credit cards and debit cards, however, are the clear exceptions because their very nature as pieces of plastic immediately makes them non-sustainable. That plastic design is mostly by convention, though, and this unique card proves that not only can these cards be sustainable, they can also help make the planet heal every time they’re used.

Designer: Treecard

The reason for plastic’s ubiquity is simply that there were no viable alternatives to it until recently. Plastic is cheap to make and durable, ideal properties for mass-produced products, including credit and debit cards that get distributed by the hundreds, if not thousands. Of course, there are no more sustainable options, like bioplastics or other newer materials. Some designers, however, have always preferred actual natural materials like wood, especially because of their unique characteristics and aesthetics.

Wood might not always be the best material to use for everything, and you might think that a card that sits in your wallet or jeans pocket isn’t a good place for it. Treecard, however, challenges that assumption with a debit card that is made from wood, at least except for the chip that is now standard in such cards. That does confirm that this isn’t just a decorative card but a fully functional one that can be used anywhere that accepts MasterCard. It also supports digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and even Samsung Pay.

What makes Treecard extra special is that its commitment to sustainability goes beyond the card itself. It tries to give back to the environment by working with a partner so that a tree gets planted for every $50 spent using the card. Given how much people, especially in the US, make use of “plastic,” Treecard’s strategy will almost ensure that more trees will be available for future generations. It takes its mission one step further by promising never to use what it earns to fund fossil fuels or deforestation activities.

A wooden debit card is admittedly a novel proposition and one that actually looks handsome and eye-catching wherever you use it. There might be some concerns about its durability, though, since wood is less resilient under pressure and wear and tear, something that plastic does have over it. That said, the idea that you’ll be helping make the Earth greener while you spend might be enticing enough for environment-conscious consumers to make the leap of faith. They just need to take better care of their stylish debit card now.

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Malance teaches you how to balance and manage your finances better

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Malance Credit Card Financial System

How do you manage your finances? That is a question that can be difficult to answer, especially when the livelihood of many people is being challenged. There is always the issue of failure to save money, the absence of emergency savings, and impulsive consumption of unnecessary things for many people.

We can learn many lessons and tips from different sources, but the most effective will depend on a person. For example, some will say cutting up credit cards has worked for them, while others live better by using them the correct way. Many mobile apps can help, but people tend to forget about them after some time.

Designers: Jinwoo Jang, Eojin Roh, Jungmin Park, Sungyean Na, and Dabin Won

Malance System Idea

Malance Design

It can be tough to keep track of your expenses, so you have to find a system or tool that works for you. A new concept called MALANCE has been designed to inform a user of his daily consumption. Malance can tell you how much you have to spend for a month more visually.

MALANCE helps you find your balance when it comes to your finances. It is an asset management tool that works through the principle of scale. Simply put, it will remind you about your daily consumption, so you can stop your impulsive shopping. It will tell you how much you have to spend for a month to be more aware of your finances. It’s like having a visual reminder of your financial goals.

Malance C

The act of weighing on a scale is used here. First, you need to set the target consumption amount using weights. Then, you have to place the card on the scale to see and compare the target amount with what you have already spent. It comes with a compatible app so you need to record, manage, and save consumption in a more convenient and accessible manner.

Malance App

The key here is for a user to really track and record his expenses. Then, you can manage consumption by comparing the cumulative amount with the target amount. You can also set the date range of your consumption. The whole system also inspires you to save up. The more often you see your savings, the more you can be motivated to achieve your goal successfully.

We haven’t seen anything like this before, but we understand the principle behind the project. Balancing one’s finances is not an easy task as we need all the help in the world. If mobile apps don’t help much, then maybe a tangible reminder like the Malance can.

Malance Features

Malance Idea

Malance System Features

Malance System Features

The post Malance teaches you how to balance and manage your finances better first appeared on Yanko Design.

Crypto Wallet fob concept gives digital currency a physical form

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Bitcoins, dogecoins, and NFTs all live exclusively in the digital realm, but designers are now pushing back to make these virtual entities more tangible and, ultimately, more humane.

We live in a world that’s increasingly becoming more reliant on digital objects. A lot of work files today are digital, and much of our entertainment and communication happens over digital lines. Although it merges with the physical realm, the Metaverse aims to make our world half digital as well. Humans, however, are not just their eyes or ears. They have even more senses that get neglected, like smell and, most importantly, touch. It’s for that reason that designers are coming up with ideas to pull these digital artifacts into the real world, including the most perplexing one of them all: cryptocurrencies.

Designers: Giorgio Mastropasqua, Ivan Vecchia

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum aren’t going to replace conventional money anytime soon, and not just because they’re still too young. They are often considered to be distinct from traditional currencies, running in their own decentralized world. More importantly, the concepts and processes behind this kind of digital currency are so alien to most people that they approach it with fear, uncertainty, doubt, and even ridicule.

Even with many transactions and purchases happening online, people still find some comfort knowing that their money has some physical representation somewhere. They also take comfort in having a physical wallet to keep their money in, and wallets have become one of the most popular expressions of product design across all ages and genders. That’s the kind of comfort and familiarity that this Auroom Crypto Wallet tries to bring for digital currency owners.

The Crypto Wallet admittedly doesn’t look like a conventional wallet or plastic card, and it really doesn’t need to since it’s not storing conventional money. That frees it to take any form that is appropriate to the digital currency or brand. In this case, the designers opted to let it resemble the iconography of the fictional Auroom logo while still leaving some room for color options.

The most eye-catching part of this “wallet” is the screen that not only informs the owner about the state of a transaction but also authorizes it. A fingerprint scanner is presumably hidden beneath, just like on some smartphones today, to authenticate the owner before a transaction is completed. Given how cryptocurrencies depend heavily on security-related technologies, such a feature would be a necessity for any crypto wallet.

The one drawback with such a brand-specific wallet is that it might not be compatible with other cryptocurrencies or brands. That would mean you’d have to carry different fobs and keys with you, almost like carrying different cards that take up more space. Then again, cryptocurrencies are still in their infancy, even after so many years, so there’s no telling yet if there will be a unified system or wallet for all of them in the future.

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This holographic display concept makes your NFT art buy look more interesting

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If you are diving into NFTs and the digital media that comes along with them, you might as well have something that proudly displays that piece of NFT art you just bought.

If you thought cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum were already controversial, try throwing the word “NFT” around and see the debates explode like a long-dormant volcano. While discussions for and against the use of NFTs in the digital art industry continue to rage, there are already people that have accepted them as part of the future, especially with the Metaverse being pushed by companies and media. When that day comes, you’ll probably want a way to show off those NFT purchases, and this holographic cube definitely fits the theme.

Designer: ChenKai Zhang

Although NFTs can be used for anything digital, the biggest conversations revolve around their use in digital art. For some people, NFT-purchased art or videos have become something like a bragging right, not that different from the feeling you get when owning a piece from the great Masters of the trade. You can’t hang an NFT on a wall, of course, but the Holocube gives you a way to display these digital artworks in a way that matches the almost futuristic nature of NFTs.

Nothing says “the future” like holograms, and the Holocube makes it even more futuristic by having the hologram displayed inside a glass cube that rises from the box when activated. LEDs in the eight corners light up to add to this futuristic motif, though it doesn’t seem to be configurable to match the art being displayed. The idea behind the concept is to allow NFT owners to upload their purchases from their phones and have as many of these on display at home or in the office.

It’s definitely a visually interesting way to proudly proclaim being an NFT owner, though it might not work for all kinds of digital art or videos. Then again, holograms might have sufficiently advanced by then as well, presuming NFTs are still a thing. As forward-looking as these decentralized digital ledgers might be, NFTs, in particular, are also heavily criticized for their impact on the environment, making at least the current implementation controversial from a sustainability perspective. That said, there is also the possibility of blockchains like NFTs and bitcoin to advance in a way that retains their advantages while also reducing their carbon footprint.

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You can now spend China’s digital currency at an online store

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China’s official digital currency is now usable in a meaningful way... more or less. Reuters reports that JD.com now accepts digital yuan for some purchases at its site, making it the first online platform to take the virtual money. You’ll need to ha...