Money Green

"Money Green" is a conceptual illustration project rooted in Black financial liberation and generational wealth. Green symbolizes growth, renewal, and abundance—just like the vision for economic power in Black communities. Through financial literacy, community education, and storytelling, Money Green encourages a shift from survival to sustainability, from hustle to ownership.

Project Overview

"Money Green" is a conceptual illustration project created to explore the intersections of Black cultural identity, economic empowerment, and visual storytelling. Each icon and character was crafted to symbolize values like wealth-building, self-worth, and legacy within Black communities, using a rich color palette and playful yet powerful imagery.

To design a series of expressive illustrations that:

Visually support a financial literacy campaign
Represent money as a tool for empowerment rather than exploitation
Highlight cultural and aesthetic details rooted in Black expression
Translate hand-drawn sketches into scalable digital icons for multi-platform use

Objective

Process

1. Concept Sketching

The initial stage involved sketching dozens of ideas to map out financial symbols with soul:
- Icons like the dollar bag, purse, money tree, gold grill, and stacks of cash
- Characters representing stylish, empowered individuals
- Lettering and slogans like“Stop Wasting Your Money” was used to reinforce messaging
These sketches served as a blueprint for later color exploration and stylization.

2. Digital Illustration & Color Exploration

All assets were recreated in a digital environment using tools like Procreate and Illustrator.
A cohesive color system of forest green, gold, and earthy tones was chosen to evoke growth, wealth, and richness. The color red is used to evoke power & strength as a means to reclaim “inner power”.
Shadows and highlights were subtly added to give the objects a tactile, vibrant quality.
Character illustrations were refined to balance stylization and identity, using iconic elements like big hoops, afro puffs, gold chains, and bold glasses.

Final Deliverables

The “Money Green” illustration series reframes wealth through a cultural lens—connecting financial literacy with visual storytelling that feels authentic, bold, and community-driven. It proves that economic education can be aesthetic, personal, and liberating. The final deliverables include: 11digital illustrations, each optimized for print and digital use. Some of those uses include: