The British Pound — Studio Brief 01 — OUGD505

With over 180 different types of different currency in circulation, it is needless to say that money is a very complicated concept.

Researching into the GBP will help me gauge what is defined as 'the norm' in currency printing.


The Great British Pound

The British Pound is a very traditional take on banknote design. With the most focus on influential/historical figures, and of course — the queen.

Here is an interesting infographic explaining all of the designs from the Scottish to Welsh banknotes:

This is the stereotypical approach within note designs, detailed drawings with a figure of significance on the front/back. This is not something that will be beneficial within the final outcomes as stated in the previous blog post, avoiding the 'norms' within banknotes will reflect the brief; '...to complete your own proposal for the future of the banknote.'

However, when it comes to coinage, the Bank of England got it right with its most recent redesign by the young graphic design Mathew Dent:

One great way to move the current note designs forward would be to use a similar concept to this to provide a more consistent theme throughout the currency. However, this is not rethinking the wheel and requires no solid conceptual thinking behind it.