The EU is getting a new series of euro banknotes. And what does that have to do with Salzburg University of Applied Sciences? Quite a lot: the founders of the Salzburg-based branding and design studio PunktFormStrich Branding & Design are graduates of the MultiMediaArt programme at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. Their design for the future euro banknote series was selected by an international panel of experts as one of the 10 finalists in the European Central Bank’s design competition, chosen from 1,200 submissions from across Europe. As a result, Austria is represented in the final round with its own design concept.
The Salzburg-based design studio PunktFormStrich has been named one of the ten finalists in the European Central Bank’s design competition for the future euro banknotes. As the only Austrian design studio to reach the final round, the team led by founders and FH Salzburg graduates Hans-Christian Kogler and Gregor Sams is representing Austria with its design concept. The public across Europe can vote for their favourite designs until 21 September.
From more than 1,200 applications, an initial selection of 25 designers and studios was made. In the next stage, participants developed complete banknote series based on the themes specified by the European Central Bank: “European Culture” and “Rivers and Birds.” A total of 39 designs were submitted, from which an international panel of experts selected the ten finalists.
The design interprets the European Central Bank’s theme “Rivers and Birds” as a visual information system. Each banknote features a different bird species as its central motif, complemented by carefully designed visual elements such as a graphical representation of the bird’s call, distinctive characteristics and its flight speed.
Every graphic element serves a specific purpose, contributing to both the readability of the banknotes and the communication of information. In this way, the series combines emotional appeal with analytical precision, translating the natural world into a contemporary visual language while preserving the seriousness, credibility and trustworthiness expected of a currency.
Until 21 September, the public can vote for their favourite designs as part of a Europe-wide consultation. The results of the public vote, together with the recommendations of an expert jury, will contribute to the Governing Council of the European Central Bank’s decision on the future design of the euro banknotes.
Vote here: https://surveys.ecb.europa.eu/10b/neweuro/
Project information: https://www.punktformstrich.at/projekte/europaeische-zentralbank-banknotendesign