Local creative firm Snøhetta was selected back in 2014 by the Central Bank of Norway to come up with a banknote design for the country's currency. After four years of development and consideration, the 50 and 500 kroner notes have been updated with an unconventional landscape-centric imagery. Snøhetta drew inspiration from the Norwegian coastline and added an interesting twist to the images. The company pixelated them, creating an engaging and abstract banknote design that is also minimalist and elegant.
From Norway's eight currency series, Snøhetta's contribution is the only collection that does not boast an image of a face. The entirety of the project called for the firm to create five different aesthetics for the 50,100, 200, 500, and 1,000 kroner banknotes.
What's Driving This Trend
- Pixelated Banknote Designs
- The use of pixelated, unconventional landscape-centric imagery on banknotes creates engaging and abstract designs that stand out and appeal to younger generations.
- Faceless Banknote Designs
- Banknotes that do not feature images of faces break from tradition and open up possibilities for more unique designs that could be applied to banknotes worldwide.
- Minimalist Banknote Designs
- Designs that are minimalist and elegant prove that less is more, setting a trend for other financial institutions to follow suit and create simple, yet impactful banknotes.
Who This Affects Most
- Banking
- Financial institutions can integrate unconventional and engaging designs in their banknotes to stand out and appeal to younger generations while maintaining their integrity.
- Graphic Design
- Banks and financial institutions could collaborate with creative firms to incorporate unconventional designs in their banknotes, thereby opening doors to new opportunities for graphic designers.
- Printing
- Innovative printing methods and technologies could be used to create unique and abstract designs on banknotes, opening up opportunities for the printing industry to create new solutions for financial institutions.
