New Norwegian Banknote Designed By Snøhetta Starts Circulating in 2017
In 2013, the Central Bank of Norway (Norges Bank) announced a competition to design the motifs for the new banknote series. The aim was to create an artistic identity that suitably communicated the theme of “The Ocean”. More than 70 agencies and artists initially entered. Of these, eight were selected to submit proposals. Yet, between the eight submitted proposals, two entries won the competition. Norges Bank then decided to further develop a combination of two entries for the final notes. Snøhetta’s creative design for the back of the note was to be combined with Metric System design studio’s more conventional design for the front.
Norwegian Banknote Design – Courtesy of Snøhetta
Snøhetta’s design expresses “The Beauty of Boundaries,” by commemorating the landmarks of Norway’s extensive coastline. Snøhetta explained their idea by saying that “the beauty of boundaries is about the transition between sea and land, where something meaningful and interesting happens.” So, for the back of the Krone bills, they used the art of pixels to render a colorful abstract of the Norwegian coastal setting, while their front design featured black and white classic photos of the coast. However, their front design idea was rejected and replaced by Metric System’s realistic nautical depictions.
Norwegian Banknote Design – Courtesy of Snøhetta
It is expected that after two years from now, the first Krone bills featuring the new design have will be finally produced. They will be released for circulation gradually, starting with the 100- and 200-Krone notes on May 30, 2017, followed by the 50- and 500- Krone notes a year later, and ending with the 1000-Krone note in autumn 2019. Each note has a given color; the 50-Krone note is green, the 100-note is red, the 200-note is blue, the 500-note is orange, and the 1,000-note is purple.
Norwegian Banknote Design – Courtesy of Snøhetta
Norges Bank has produced a series of videos explaining why the new banknotes are needed and the reason behind the chosen theme for the new design. They, also, go through the design process and interview the designers.
