Selected work / 08Graphic design & storytelling
Modern Shilling
What stories should our money tell?
An exploration of how Kenya’s next generation currency could honour the 2010 constitution while reflecting the nation’s people, landscapes, and future.
The question
What makes a note unmistakably Kenyan?
Created in 2018, the project grew from the conversation around redesigning Kenya’s currency following the 2010 constitution. I wanted to explore a shilling whose identity came from the country’s shared culture and landscape, and ask what could make it feel unmistakably Kenyan without relying on a presidential portrait.
The idea
Representing Kenya beyond individual portraits
The Modern Shilling series uses national symbols, language, and everyday moments rather than political figures. Landscapes, wildlife, infrastructure, and the people powering modern Kenya appear across denominations. The aim is to represent everyday life in Kenya alongside its history.
Bringing it together
Connecting the notes through a shared Kenyan identity
The series treats each denomination as part of a larger portrait of Kenya. Colour and imagery give individual notes their own character, while a consistent approach to type and layout connects them as a family.
The project asks whose stories we choose to put on our money. Currency is something people encounter every day; choosing what appears on it is also choosing which parts of a country’s story receive that everyday attention.
- My contribution
- Concept, graphic design and visual storytelling.
- Project status
- Independent concept, created in 2018. Not legal tender or an official commission.