Penny

Piggy Bank for Dario Narvaez Design

Coin container that takes inspiration from the symbolic image of a broken piggy bank, commonly used as the representation of a financial crisis. It promotes an enjoyable way to access the loose change: It can be smashed into pieces by throwing onto the floor or hitting it with a hammer, or it can be assembled and disassembled piece-by-piece. There are 95.040 ways of putting it together while retaining its aesthetic essence and functionality. Penny also pretends to be a symbol of resilience, a representation of how life, although broken, can be rebuilt even after the effects of a hard fall.

Download Press Kit № 136189

Download Press Kit № 136189 Piggy Bank for Dario Narvaez Design by Dario Narvaez to access high-res images, essential texts, translations, and exclusive interviews—all in one.

Available Now for Your Next Story

At design|newsroom, we understand the pressures and deadlines journalists face. That’s why we offer exclusive access to our curated press kits and high-resolution images, tailored for accredited journalists. These resources are designed to enrich your stories with depth and visual appeal, spotlighting the world's most innovative designs.

Please Note:

• Credit the work's creator and/or photographer.
• Mention design|newsroom as your source.
• Share your published pieces with us; we love to celebrate and promote your work on our platform and social media.

Let’s Collaborate: Your stories matter. design|newsroom is here to support you with quality, accessible content. Once you are accredited, reach out for the images and content you need. We will provide the specific images and content directly, along with recommendations on works to feature.

Get Accredited Easily: Quick access to our resources requires media accreditation. Apply for media accreditation to join our network and start exploring a wealth of design stories.

Penny by Dario Narvaez

Download 1800 Pixels JPEG Image.

Piggy Bank by Dario Narvaez

Download 1800 Pixels JPEG Image.

Dario Narvaez Penny

Download 1800 Pixels JPEG Image.

Dario Narvaez Piggy Bank

Download 1800 Pixels JPEG Image.

Dario Narvaez Designer Portrait Photo

Download 1800 Pixels JPEG Image.

Dario Narvaez DesignBrand Logo

Download 1800 Pixels JPEG Image.

Penny Piggy Bank Media Articles

Our Penny articles are prepped and available in these languages: Portuguese, French, German, Chinese (Mandarin), Indonesian, Spanish, English, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Turkish, Arabic (Standard), Dutch and Italian, ready for your use.

Unique Properties

Penny is a coin container whose aesthetics resembles the symbolic image of a broken piggy bank, commonly used as the representation of a financial crisis or an economic crash. Unlike other piggy banks, Penny provides an enjoyable way to access the loose change: Penny can be broken into pieces and reassembled in thousands of ways while retaining its essence and functionality.

Tags

piggy, bank, savings, broken, cracks, penny, coins, coin, crash, fall, economy

Production Technology

Penny piggy bank is composed of 12 PVC injection molded parts, 7 unique parts: the ears and the empty parts are repeated. The parts are injected using simple side to side pull angles. The material used in Penny provides a wide range of benefits for this type of application: high resistance to impact, as well as excellent design qualities and finishes. On Penny, the surface finish has a fine textured and matte to conceal marks and scratches from falls or strikes. Neodymium magnets function as the attaching elements.

Design Challenge

To achieve the initial vision, it was necessary to create and experiment with a computer algorithm using parametrical software to tessellate a sphere into equally chaotic-looking parts, giving the impression that the object was once broken. These modules also needed to be interlocked in any direction, posing an even bigger challenge. It was also important to dial the geometry and the material, work with tight tolerances, simple pull angles, sizes and thickness to create the perfect fit between the parts, as well as keeping a low production cost.

Project Duration

From ideation to product development and manufacturing. The Project started in April 2020 and it was completed by December 2021. Penny is expected to be in the market by the end of 2022.

Operation Flow

Penny provides the users with different and fun ways to access the coins after they have been stored. Penny can be broken into pieces and reassembled in 95.040 ways, while retaining its essence and functionality: It can be thrown onto the floor or hit with a hammer, or it can be assembled and disassembled piece-by-piece. Also, as in traditional ceramic piggy banks and vinyl toys, Penny serves as a tri-dimensional canvas for customization. The new creations become even more intriguing, unique, and personal after the piggy bank is reassembled in one of the other thousand ways.

Research

Literature Reviews and Archetype Research were part of the initial Discovery work. The goal was to set the symbolic archetype to store coins, as well as looking for memorable ways to access them. Based on the research, most countries in Latin America, Middle East and Africa and many countries in Europe and Asia, still use cash as a daily currency, and going cashless is far from attainable due to cultural predispositions. The use of cash remains above average in these areas. Piggy banks also are the simplest and most effective way to save loose change, and provide a meaningful and educational way to teach children about the importance of this habit.

Inspiration

After seeing the loss and hardship suffered by millions of people during the pandemic, Penny is a representation of what is lost and broken, can also be recovered in unique and unexpected ways. A message about resilience, of how life can be rebuilt even after the effects of a hard fall. The Japanese tradition of Kintsugi also served as the perfect reference: finding uniqueness and beauty in the brokenness and imperfection by highlighting the cracks as the crucial aesthetic element.

Image Credits

Image #1: Photographer Liliana Cervantes, Penny Piggy Bank, 2021. Image #2-4: Photographer Liliana Cervantes, Penny Piggy Bank, 2021. Video Credits: Editing Camilo Narvaez, 2021. Music: Ballerina by Yehezkel Raz. Artlist License Number - 852264.

Project Overview

Penny Piggy Bank has been a Iron winner in the Giftware Design award category in the year 2021 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

Iron Recognition

Dario Narvaez was recognized with the coveted Iron A' Design Award in 2022, a testament to excellence of their work Penny Piggy Bank.

Dario Narvaez Newsroom

Access Dario Narvaez Newsroom for exclusive insights into distinguished design and laureled projects.