The Country With The World's Coolest Currency Now Also Has The Best Looking Passport
Norway seems like a designer's dreamland with its government being the best client any designer could hope for.
By Sadho Ram — 15 Nov 2014, 12:01 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
Earlier in October 2014, Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway, unveiled Norway's new banknotes. The redesigned currency, to be put into circulation in 2017, are literally works of art. You can call it a designer case of kroner (the currency of Norway) gone kreative!
Norges Bank selected Metric System’s designs, like this one, to be featured on the fronts of the new krone banknotes.
Image via slate.com
The back of the new Norweigan krone banknote series will feature a pixelated interpretation of the sea from Oslo's Snøhetta Design.
Image via slate.comThey feature images by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta on one side and Oslo-based graphic design firm The Metric System on the other.
However, this isn't the first time that art has been incorporated into Norway's currency. For example, the 1000-kroner note features an expressionist painting, The Sun, by painter Edvard Munch.
Now, Neue studio, a multi-disciplinary design studio, has given the Norwegian passport a minimalist makeover by taking inspiration from the country's iconic landscape. The new designs have crisp, block colour covers which comes in white, red or turquoise.
However, what's more stunning than the minimalist approach to the design itself is when the pages are placed under UV light
An interior spread under florescent lights from Neue Design Studio’s Norway passports.
Image via skift.comThe design changes to a night time scene with the Northern Lights glowing in green and purple above the mountains. They are set against a backdrop of dark indigo and beside a solitary star.
psfk.com
In contrast, the new series of Malaysian banknotes, drawing inspiration from the distinctive features of the country and incorporating elements of Malaysia's natural treasures, culture and heritage, features traditional expressions in the art and craft including natural wonders, flora and fauna and the economy