stefan sagmeister: happy wallet

as part of milan design week 2010, dutch design company droog is presenting ‘saved by droog’, for which they have invited 14 designers to reconsider liquidation auction items from bankrupt companies as a source of raw material and creative intervention.

for his contribution to the project, graphic designer stefan sagmeister has ‘saved’ 448 wallets and turned them into ‘happy wallets’. he has taken the cheap, mass produced, vinyl, money / card holders and embossed each of the wallet’s fold-out sections with gold lettering, spelling out two different phrases, depending on whether one opens the wallet completely or not.

the front of the wallet is embossed with the word ‘money’ image © designboom

once opened the words ‘make me’ are found image © designboom

on the back of the wallet the word ‘happy’ is embossed image © designboom

ultimately stating ‘money make me happy’. however, if one unfolds the wallet completely, the phrase reads a bit differently…

‘money’ image © designboom

completely opened the words ‘does not make me’ are found image © designboom

‘happy’ image © designboom

the statement in full: ‘money does not make me happy’.

each wallet is on sale for €85 image © designboom

installation of sagmeister’s 448 wallets image © designboom

general view of the exhibition image © designboom