In Spring 2011, the US was mired in recession, the Arab Spring was just beginning, and there was an ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan. This project asks students to use design to engage with the world by creating a design artifact that responds to one of those topics in a design medium that the student wants to explore further.

Roel Macias created Gold Standard, a typeface inspired by US currency and the gold standard. It uses the text found US money for inspiration. The silhouette of the letters is largely based on the golden ratio.