Norway Has Just Added New Notes Into Circulation

Norway has been undergoing a new project in order to replace its old banknotes into a new modern design. The project started in 2017 and is set to be finished at the end of 2019. Two years ago, the country released its new 100 and 200 notes into circulation and they immediately clicked with the population. Recently they added 50 and 500 notes to the circulation as well finishing more than half of the project.

The designs

The designs were handcrafted by an architecture studio called Snøhetta. The design itself was created in 2014 and immediately became one of the favorites for the National Bank, soon after becoming the go-to design. The design itself is quite simple, shying away from the history of the country and focusing more on its nature.

Norway has always been a seafaring country. It is the longest coastline in Europe and magnificent mountainous terrain are one of the primary attributes people know it for. Therefore Snøhetta opted for a showcasing of its lush mountainous terrain with beautiful coastlines. The colors have been pre chosen and are currently as follows: Green for the 50 note, Red for the 100 note, blue for the 200 note and orange for the 500 note. The 1000 note is set to be released into circulation by the end of 2019 and is confirmed to be purple.

There is also a twist in the design. Snøhetta didn’t want the design to just be about nature, they wanted to add a special something to the note to make it as unique as possible, therefore they created a lovely pixelated pattern that goes amazingly with the chosen light colors and fantastic backgrounds.

Another Designer

Like any other banknote, the Norwegian krone has two sides, therefore the National Bank decided to employ another designer from Oslo to make a more traditional pattern. The back side of the banknote was designed by the graphics studio Metric Design and illustrator Terje Tønnesen, in which they showcase the more characteristic features of Norway like fish, vessels, and waves.

The pixelated design was used in order to incorporate the country’s ancient mosaic artifacts, which resemble modern day pixelated images quite a lot actually, not in HD of course.

Hopes for the future

Snøhetta commented on the project, mentioning the importance of good banknotes in a society. It has become a staple of a country, not only a piece of currency or paper but also a roadmap of a country’s culture, history, and nature.

After all, this could be the country’s last issued update on banknotes as a digital currency future is looking more and more of a reality by the day.