406 Studio Brief 2 - Licence to Print Money, Plum Blossom

Flower Selection

For the brief the money created will have to be used in an exhibition, for this purpose to need to make sure that the money is as aesthetically pleasing to match with the other money as a piece of art. To focus need to be on the look of the note the concept rather if it would work for a real life brief, these means the note doesn't have to me max produced or work for a functional note.

Since the design need to be attractive to the audience, the flower i will select to use in the design will be the pretties flower, this will improve the over all look of the note. To find out which people feel is most fitting flower of this i will conduct a survey, ask people using pictures of the selected flowers (that have signifence meaning in Chinese culture) which they feel is the most elegant and beautiful. This will improve the over all elegance of the note and make it fit the brief more as it give me a group of opinions rather than just my own. 

Flowers Selected From Research 

Plum Blossom (National Flower of Republic, part of the four gentlemen of flowers)

Orchid (part of the four gentlemen of flowers)

Bamboo (part of the four gentlemen)

Lotus (already on bank note, people most associated flower with china)

survey - 

results - 

The plum blossom was the most popular, therefore the flower will be the basis or the note.

The plum blossom has been an important symbol in Chinese culture. As a “friend of winter,” the plum blossom most vividly represents the value of endurance, as life ultimately overcomes through the vicissitude of time. The fragrance of plum blossoms “comes from the bitterness and coldness,” as the Chinese saying goes. Souls are tempered in the depth of experience, growing in inner strength and unyielding courage.

Unity of culture and nature has been an important part of the Chinese tradition, and elements of nature embody important cultural values. The plum, together with the orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, have been named the “four nobles” of plants by the ancient Chinese, each because of its noble characteristics, such as purity (orchid), uprightness (bamboo), and humility (chrysanthemum). 

Zhu Xi, a noted Song Dynasty Confucian scholar, gave the plum four virtues: the great potential in the bud, prosperity in the flower, harmony in the fruit, and rightness in its maturity—all of which embody the characteristics of heaven (qian), according to the Book of Change. Chinese also see the five-petaled flower as symbolizing five blessings: longevity, prosperity, health, virtue, and good living. 

Plum, or Prunus mume, is an arbor that originated in southwest China. For over 3,000 years, plum trees have been planted in China, including North China, where the winter is colder. From China, the plum spread to Korea, Japan (where the plum is called “ume”), and later to other countries as an ornamental plant. The plum tree flowers before its leaves come out in the spring. 

Plum blossoms typically have five petals, single- or multi-layered, with the colors pink/red, white, and yellow as common. The pink/red variety is used often for the Chinese New Year in late January and early February.

China has a long history of using and enjoying the plum tree and its flower. Plum fruit has been used for food for more than 3,000 years, and plum blossoms have been appreciated in gardens and around homes for over 2,000 years. In the 5th century, princesses and court women started to use plum blossoms for decoration, and this helped make the flower popular.