SA25 Year Journey

25-YEAR

JOURNEY

The South African Mint, a wholly owned subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank, embarked on a public participatory programme to mark the 25th anniversary of a constitutionally democratic South Africa.

A NOVEL APPROACH TO THE COIN SELECTION PROCESS

Unlike other projects before it, an innovative approach was adopted in developing the new coins. For the first time in our coin-making history, young South Africans were consulted on their interpretation of democracy and freedom since 1994. With the help of two marketing research companies, the South African Mint conducted focus groups in Tshwane, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town and asked a sample of the Born-frees (those born under democracy) to share the symbols that they associated with democracy and their suggested coin art themes. This meant that the new coin themes and ultimate designs could feature elements that resonate with South Africans.

FROM THE RESEARCH, SOME OF THE DOMINANT THEMES IDENTIFIED WERE:

The constitution, the right to vote, freedom of choice and expression.

THE DOMINANT THEME SYMBOLS WERE:

ID books, South African taxi’s and multi-coloured hands, to name but a few.

When these were presented to the Theme Panel – a specialist judging committee including representatives from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), DAC, SA Mint, BASA and Arts and Culture Trust – It was clear that most of the themes were in fact closely linked to the Bill of Rights (Chapter Two of the Constitution).

Utilising Facebook, people voted for their favourite themes and the final themes were selected.

ARTIST SELECTION

The next phase of the project saw the South African Mint Product Development Manager researching the most suitable artists for the project. A list that comprised of graphic designers, illustrators, ceramists, architects and a tattoo artist was compiled. A short list of artists was drawn up, based on level of detail and careful linework in their artistry.