Disruption Series - Patrick Stevenson-Keating - Design Museum, London

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Designers in Residence are inviting young UK-based designers to respond to a brief set by Deyan Sudjic, the Director of the Design Museum. For 2014, this theme is disruption. "More than most, 'disruptive' is a term whose meaning shifts with context," says Deyan. "It's conventionally viewed as almost a negative quality — troublesome pupils, bothersome neighbors, poorly thought-out town planning — yet it's now the most sought-after trait in new products."Patrick Stevenson-Keating has developed several innovative financial products to highlight our normally passive role within the global economic system and show how we can leverage everyday financial transactions for good.The British designer has reimagined the financial system to create a banking process that encourages users to think more critically about their purchases. He drew inspiration from an experimental demurrage currency tested in Austria for a brief period in the 1930s. A tax was imposed on the tender, and its value decreased as it remained unused. Keating-Stevenson responded by creating Reciprociti – an imaginary bank with its own bank note, debit card, and cash dispenser, and playful branding that promises to resolve numerous economic issues.Photos by Luke Hayes