Norway has launched the country's new 50 and 500 kronor notes into circulation. Designed by Snøhetta, the revamped currency will join the graphic 100 and 200 notes launched in 2017 that were also penned by the firm as part of Norway's paper currency redesign.
The Oslo studio's pixellated graphics were selected by the country's central bank back in 2014. The abstract compositions celebrate landmarks along Norway's characteristic coastline, representing the strong relationship between land and sea.
The pixilated patterns, varying for each specific banknote, follow the Beaufort scale, which measures wind speed. For example, on the 50 NOK note the wind is gentle, represented by short, cubical shapes, while on the 1000 NOK note, the wind is strong, represented through sharp, long shapes.
The other side of the banknote features illustrations of traditional and contemporary sailing vessels, seascapes and marine life from the graphic design studio Metric Design. The final banknote for the 1000 kroner will join the others and come into circulation in 2019, completing the collection.
"While the final release will mark a new and fresh start for the entire banknote collection," says Snøhetta, "the release could also be the end of era as the notes could well be Norway’s last paper currency before stepping into a future of digital-only currency and exchange." The country announced earlier this year that they are looking into the viability of a central bank digital currency.
5 Comments
sexy
Better than their architecture.
...right
I'm still partial to this one:
But these certainly give it fair competition.
It's "kroner" not "kronor".
Ole
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