How are the competitions among the designers of banknotes held

The renewal of notes is practiced in all the developed countries, it is usually done due to the wearing-out of safety signs, which exist on all the notes, and in connection with the improvement of technologies that prevent counterfeiting. Therefore the problem of replacing the regular bills stands in front of any central bank of the country.

 

International Banknote Designers Association (IBDA) managed by the banknote designers, has been created and registered in Switzerland. This organization is a nonprofit, with the fixed organizational structure.

 

IBDA has become a recognizable organization, which established its presence on banknote production market. The organization’s aim is to represent 250 banknote designers in more than 70 countries around the world. The association is a kind of voice of an international community of designers, working on the design of new banknotes. It represents the interests, goals and needs of all participants in the industry of banknote production:

 

  • National Banks
  • The Printers
  • Suppliers
  • Mass Media
  • Other Business Members

 

Sweden residents were given a chance to come up with new notes and coins

 

It is assumed to release a new coin with a face value of two crowns and a new note in denomination of 200 crowns in Sweden in 2014 or 2015

The ordinary people of Sweden are offered to participate in designing the new banknotes and coins. Competition for the design of banknotes and coins will be announced in 2012.

 

 

 

Swiss project of issuing new banknotes

 

A competition among Swiss artists on designing new series of banknotes was launched in Switzerland at the beginning of 2005 as a release of new series of banknotes was planned. Swiss banknotes were in circulation until 2005, they were released in the late 90’s of the last century, and that was the period of their replacement or modernization.

 

Twelve artists were invited to submit their projects for all six religions of the world and the theme was «Switzerland is open to the world.» It was particularly stipulated during the competition that no personality or achievement should be in the center of the work. Figuratively speaking, the new series of banknotes should not be a portrait.

 

The jury met in November 2005 to assess the submissions and to decide on the victory of the participants. Sketches of the designed banknotes were presented at a press conference in Bern on November 23, 2005. The national competition has identified three winners, who proposed the avant-garde mini-posters.

Manuela Pfrunder, won the challenge and was asked to design the new series.

 

 

Competition for the best banknotes’ design in the USA.

 

Dowling Duncan Studio took part in the competition for a new design of the U.S. currency.

 

Contest organizers expressed the opinion that the banknotes needed to be redesigned as their monotonous look adversely affected the image of the U.S. financial system and the perceptions of the country in the world.

 

The basic design of the U.S. banknotes of all denominations has not changed since 1928. The modern banknotes have portraits of such famous figures as George Washington (1 dollar bill), Thomas Jefferson ($ 2) Abraham Lincoln ($ 5), Alexander Hamilton ($ 10), Andrew Jackson ($ 20), Ulysses S. Grant ( $ 50) and Benjamin Franklin ($ 100).

 

The reverse sides of the bills usually have the building of the White House, Lincoln Memorial, the building of the Treasury, the Capitol and Independence Hall. The motto «In God we trust» was first printed on coins in 1864, and on the banknotes in 1955.

 

Designer Richard Smith is in charge of the contest, that became a mass movement to the changing of the US banknotes’ design.   Second year in a row, Smith, who works in New York as a design consultant and who has an extensive experience in the fashion industry and advertising, is holding a competition that selects the best design of  one dollar bills. 2010 was no exception with more than 60 variants submitted, all of them designed by graphic designers and artists. The winner was selected through online voting.

 

February 10, 2011 a new $ 100 banknotes with the new design was introduced in the United States. Improving the safety features of the bill is done to protect banknotes against counterfeiting. It took about a decade to develop the new protection of 100-dollar bill.

 

 

 

Competition for the design of new Israeli banknotes held in Israel

 

Bank of Israel is also not lagging behind other issuers planning to hold a competition, for graphic designers. The winner will be able to come up with his own design for the Israeli banknotes, and these new models will soon be spread across the country.

 

The Israeli government has recently approved a new series of banknotes of 20, 50, 100 and 200 shekels, which will replace the old money issued in 1999, used up to now. The new banknotes will have an improved  security.

 

The new bills will represent the great poets and writers, the founders of modern Hebrew poetry and literature, created since the Zionist movement in Eretz Yisrael, and since the first years of the foundation of the State of Israel.

 

 

 

A new series of banknotes of 20 shekels depicts a portrait of the famous Israeli poet Rachel Bluvshtejn (1890 — 1931), who had the nickname Rachel. The banknote at its face value of  50 shekels depicts a portrait of Saul Chernyakhovsky (1943 — 1975). The bill of 100 shekels portrays a poet Leah Goldberg (1911 — 1970). The banknote of 200 shekels contains an image of the poet Natan Alterman (1910 — 1970). The order of the portraits of famous artists is defined by the period of their life and work.

 

Originally the Bank of Israel planned to represent ex-Prime Ministers on the bills, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the steps toward Arab neighbors. But some members of the government and the Minister without Portfolio Benny Begin were against.

 

Portraits of the presidents Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and Zalman Shazar, Prime Minister Moshe Charette and the Nobel laureate in Literature Shmuel Yosef (Shai) Agnon are placed on the current series of banknotes.

 

Along with the official contests for the design of these banknotes, there are enthusiastic artists who organize competitions, where the most unexpected sketches of proposed bills are represented.

 

No one has ever seen such money!

 

 

Did the results of the Swiss Competition say the new word in the design of banknotes or it was just an attempt to surprise the world?

 

Can the results of the contest be taken as a new word in the design of banknotes, or the country, whose notes are the most secure, wanted to look a little extravagant?

 

Beauty is not enough

 

Swiss banknotes has always stood out among the  number of national currency, the Swiss are used to be leaders in this area, so the new design was a logical continuation of the previous series of Swiss banknotes, which were not only the most secure in the world, but most modernist, departed from traditional views on the world of designing banknotes .

 

Won’t remember – won’t recognize

 

The design of the new Swiss Money has collages that are composed not only of recognizable images, but also of unusual things, some even cause unpleasant associations, such as the human skeleton, skull, or red blood cells — erythrocytes. In terms of counterfeiters such notes are much simpler than those with traditional design, as complex images are more difficult to identify.

 

 

 

There are several nuances that experts consider while designing banknotes. In order to identify the bill with greater efficiency, the bill should be nice-looking to the person, or at least it shouldn’t cause negative emotions.

 

The design of the banknotes of the new generation is made for highly intelligent man who knows what the model of DNA is or what red blood cells are. But even in highly developed Switzerland, such people do not make more than half of the population. For the rest the banknote can become an obscure symbol or a naturalistic depiction of the human anatomy that causes negative emotions.

 


In addition, the watermark done in the project of banknotes is not very successful. According to the experts, it is too small and would not work well. In order for the watermark to work to its maximum effect, it must be larger and contain elements of halftones.

 

In general, according to experts in this field, if the works of the winners of the contest are taken as  the basis for new Swiss francs it can be said with good reason that the simplest counterfeiting of Swiss currency of the new generation will be unimpeded.

 

Artists who work on the new series of banknotes in Switzerland, continue the tradition of the vertical banknotes, started in the 80s. The text and value are read both horizontally and vertically.

 

Presented drafts of banknotes — are the norm for Switzerland but such solutions might seem unusual for the Russian mentality.

 


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