Norweigan Banknote

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/graphic-design/how-those-beautiful-new-norweigan-bank-notes-were-designed/

I watched an interview of the designers of the Norwegian Banknote. They explain the background story behind the collection and explain how it links to the majority of the population. Having this reference is one of the reasons why the design is so successful and personal to Norway. This is something that I would like to explore for the United Kingdom and to hopefully discover that there is an importance for something as there is an importance for the sea to Norwegians. 

Secret 7 Uploads

I uploaded 5 designs to the competition. I felt that as I had experimented with so many different designs I didn't want to just choose one design to upload.

Banknotes Of The Pound Sterling

As I have decided to focus on the pound sterling, I want to complete focused research on the history of the note and the design. From this I will be able to highlight concepts, colour schemes and creative directions that have previously been used. This will ensure that my idea process is unique and not copying something that has already been produced. On the other hand it may highlight a design that has been previously over looked and that I could develop to be recognised.

Users of the sterling bank note are the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Tristan da Cunha in St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. An idea that springs straight to mind is designing a series of notes that are based on the different users of the note. For example, an illustration of the island, important figures, landmark buildings or locations, etc.

Security features:

Including security features is essential when designing a practical bank note. I once read a crime novel based around counterfeiting. Previously not having an interest in this area I found it highly interesting at the process that the criminals went through to counterfeit money and to ship the produce. This has given me a slight knowledge into the background of counterfeiting and it has highlighted to me the importance of ensuring that banknotes are designed and printed in a way that they cannot be illegally reproduced. However, as I am designing a bank note for an exhibition purpose, it is not essential that these elements are incorporated into the design. This is something that I will consider when producing ideas for the design.

Design Features:

Something that has stood out to me from this page is the 'Historical character'. It is important to recognise these historical figures by brining them into such designs. However, an alternative use for this type of subject would be to use more current individuals and issues that are circulating. 

Bank Note Analysis

The Sterling Pound Bank Note - Front

The current bank notes have similarities and differences. This makes each note individual as well as having the recognition factors that result in the public being aware of the value of the note without necessarily reading the figure.

Similarities:
- The queens head, same position on each design
- The position of the value
- Consistant typeface and type size
- Layering of print
- Security

Differences:
- Each note is of an individual colour scheme
- Physical sizes, the lower the value the smaller the note
- The overall design in terms of imagery

These are factors that I would like to consider when experimenting with avenues to explore for this brief as they have been used throughout the more current bank note designs. This demonstrates that they are features of the note that work and are essential in determining a profile for the note.

Looking closer at the design of the current bank notes:

'I PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND OF THE SUM OF' 'FIVE POUNDS'
(This is an element of the design that has originated from when the circulation of money first began being deposited)

Evaluation

This is the first brief that I have experienced a wave of ideas when being briefed. It is a design area that I have previously explored and continue to keep up to date with due to my passion for this area of design. This also made the idea process a lot stronger as I had alternative inspiration to complete the brief. 

I set myself a timescale for this brief, working on and completing one design each day. Although I did not complete a design for everyday that I was working on the brief I did only spend one day on each design. From this I feel confident that I explored a range of designs for the brief and stuck to the time limit when possible. Working through the idea process has been something that I have previously lacked in projects therefore wanted to work towards exploring more ideas rather than just sticking to one. I have achieved this by being more strict with my time management as is something that I hope to be able to transfer into other briefs. 

After completing a brief that I am passionate about I feel confident with the programme and in myself. It has highlighted areas that I am inspired by and enjoy producing work for, rather than feeling that I am just completing work to be marked. These areas include the actual designing of the vinyl sleeve as well as the paint and digital methods that I used to produce the designs. This is something that I will be able to fully reflect on in PPP as it is a contributing factor to me finding myself as a designer. 

Final Critique

As I had a number of sketches and designs to present, I set up a presentation of the designs in sets to that they could be easily viewed. As I was unsure of which designs had been the most successful and wanted to find out areas to improve/further experiment with, I wrote 3 focused questions to gather direct feedback. 

1. Are there any of the sketches that I have not yet experimented with but you think I should?

The general response was that I had experimented 'thoroughly' and 'consistently' with the designs that I had therefore experimenting with some of the other sketches is optional and a personal decision. From getting feedback to other peoples designs it has given me an insight to some of the trends that might be appearing in the competition. The marble ink effect was very popular and a number of people had experimented with it for their album cover design. This has highlighted to me that if in the small group that we are, there are a number of the same design ideas then this may be the same case for the competition. Therefore, the marble designs may not stand out in the competition if there are a number of other similar designs. This has shown that I need to go for a more unique and unusual design to submit that I have not seen before.


2. Which design stands out to you the most?

This questions gathered a range of responses, having an equal appreciation for each of the designs and for different reasons. This made organising the responses more difficult as the answers were a little here there and everywhere!

Orange design
- The orange designs are extremely effective, especially upon mirroring and adding geometric shape
- Aesthetically pleasing and the colours work really well
- When digital based media is overplayed on the print it enhances the design overall 

Marble Inks
- The orange marble ink pieces are visually very appealing but the colour also bakes a bright, high contrasting piece

Monoprint
- The combination of the marble inks and print have worked out really well and create a visually appealing piece. it is an unusual design
- I like have you have combined the some of the designs, shows you are really thinking about the composition of the design

Rose
- This is my favourite design as the image is absent yet an interesting shape is created through the design
- Choice of colour is appropriate and interesting, creates something unusual and unexpected
- The dark background really makes the design pop and almost gives a 3D effect

People
- N/A

Eyes
- Having the eyes open and closed would be intriguing to someone viewing the vinyl sleeve
- It would be interesting to experiment with adding more facial features
(note: a pattern of facial features, eyes, lips, nose, ears)
- The combination of pattern and geometric shapes is visually appealing and eye catching


3. Are there any directions you think I could take the design(s) in?
- More manipulation of the oranges, try layering more than one image, zooming in and experimenting with different compositions
- More combinations of the designs 
- Layering repeated patterns

After reading through and organising the feedback comments it has given me confidence with the designs. As I set myself a timescale of a day on each design idea I felt as though I had limited myself however it has been positive to get such a range of feedback on all of the ideas. Working in this way has meant that I haven't just got caught up on one idea and continued with that. However, after the comments, I am going to continue experimenting with the orange and eyes design. There have been some interesting comments that I would like to experiment with to make the designs even more intricate and individual. However, I am going to submit a number of designs to the competition as I feel that they are all worthy of the competition!

6. Eyes

The idea behind this design set is the lyric 'every open eye'. When I looked in depth at the song and the artist, this was something that stood out to me, without giving too much information away. 

The Polymer Note

23 March 2015 - 'Clydesdale Bank brings in plastic £5 notes' BBC News, Scotland Buisness

The clydesdale Bank are said to be issuing two million polymer £5 bank notes a year before the Bank of England puts plastic banknotes in general circulation. The new note is smaller, more durable and secure than existing notes and has been said to last 2.5 times longer than paper banknotes. This material will survive a spin in a washing machine but will still melt under extreme heat. As well as the improved durability, the note will also feature various new security features.
This material and size will be something to consider with this project. Taking advantage of upcoming designs and new materials is important in this project as an understanding of the way money is moving is key when designing the money of the future. However, as I am designing for an exhibition, designs can be made more extravagant and unusual, breaking away from the traditional styles and producing something more creative and alternative.

5. People

Experiments

4. Rose

As I am focusing on a more ambitious design I have taken inspiration from what is around me. I have found that this is an interesting way to work as produces something that someone else may not have thought of, therefore standing out in the competition. 


Photographs

Experiments

Feedback

Before attending the feedback session I wrote out the questions which I needed answers to for the continuation of the book. This meant that I received appropriate and focused feedback and that I didn't forget anything. 

1. When deciding on the specific stock it has been highlighted that I need to consider the durability of the paper as it needs to be strong enough to withhold being held by a number of people and being thrown around. The paper also needs to be appealing to touch so that it makes the reading experience more appealing.

2. It was said in the group that the front and back cover should be continuous as this is representative of a children's book and makes it more interactive. I spoke about perhaps using a photograph rather than an illustration however it was decided that the imagery should remain continuous and the illustrations would give the fun interactive feel of a children's book.

3. From the comments I am going to continue experimenting with the illustrations as I continue completing them. I think that adding certain objects and/or colour from the photographs will add context to the illustrations and make the images more interactive. This is important when considering the audience and the context that the book will be used in.

5/6. Notes from 'Typography for Children'. 
- look for a warm, friendly design with simple, generous letter shapes
- counters should be rounded and open, not angular and rectangular
- larger x-heights are easier to read
- set the text to 14 to 24point with generous leading (4 to 6point). This helps with following the words from left to right and jumping their eyes from the end of one line to the beginning of the next
- short line lengths
- avoid all caps settings
- contrast between type and the background
- with titles and headlines, keeping it light and fun is key to keeping a young reader or listener interested 

http://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fyti/situational-typography/typography-for-children

7. Having the front and back cover an illustration from he story adds that ellement of recognition to the story. This also gives an insight into what is inside the book which is key when buying a book. 

8. Before starting the production of the book it is important that I decide on the way that the paper will be bound. This is something that I am going to do more research into by asking the bookbinding technicians. 

Ideas

After experimenting with some of the ideas I had initially come up with, I felt I had limited my work and not produced anything that was out of the ordinary, therefore would not stand out in the competition. Before beginning the sketches I looked into Churches more and focused on the lyrics of the song. This lead me to sketch a number of different ideas that I would like to experiment further with.

Discussion Notes

Book Layout Research

As the illustration process is still ongoing, I am continuing with the book research so that I don't loose focus of the outcome. I have looked at this book in particular as the white space is interestingly used with the text. The images are also positioned across the page which makes them more engaging and fun to look at. This style would also mean that I can look to focus an illustration more on one area to ensure that I have them all completed in time to work on the composition of the book. 

Photography

Page Plan

Plan:

After completing the book research I was able to note down a plan for the book content following on the previous plan that I had. This has provided to with a plan of the illustrations that need to be completed as well as a layout to start working with. From this I will be able to gather the appropriate photographs to complete the set of illustrations and then begin putting the book together. 

3. Monoprint

To explore an alternative printing technique I am going to experiment with mono printing. To begin with the process I am going to start with a print that I have previously completed. From this I will be able to experiment with different colours and layouts and will give me inspiration towards future prints for this idea.

Scanned image of print

Experimentations:

After completing the above experiments, I felt limited with the design and wasn't enjoying the experimentation process. From this I decided to view some of the designs in the mock up form to evaluate whether it is successful and whether there is an alternative route to experiment with.

Mock up: