Image via snohetta.com
Norway’s newest banknotes will be decorated in glorious pixelated imagery after designs by architecture and branding firm Snøhetta were selected in a competition between eight studios.
The pixel compositions will decorate the reverse of the notes, while more traditional artwork – designed by The Metric System – will be placed on the front. By selecting two very different styles, Norges Bank has attempted to instill “both a traditional and a modern expression” to the currency.
Each studio had been invited to submit a proposal, told only that their design had to reflect the theme of ‘the sea’. Snøhetta’s pixel images depict coastal landscapes, though its original presentation included more traditional photographs to feature on the notes’ opposite side.
“When contrasts come together, as when soft meets hard or digital meets analog, a dynamic is created,” wrote the studio in a blog post that featured the designs.
“Our cubical pattern first of all represents pixels; our times visual language.”
The new notes will likely be issued in 2017.
