A design of note
How do you engage a nation to create a series of secure and meaningful bank notes?
It is much more than a symbol of the bank, it is a representation of what is meaningful to the people of Scotland, designed in partnership with them.
The need
The design of the RBS bank notes had remained unchanged since 1987. However, a rebrand to ‘RBS, the Bank for Scotland’, a need to incorporate increased security features and the introduction of polymer materials heralded a complete redesign of the iconic Scottish notes.
There was an appetite to try something different with the redesign approach. Nile was asked to lead the redesign effort, and ensure the new notes reflected the true values of the people of Scotland.
What we did
Given the national significance of this project, we invited some of Scotland’s best creatives; O Street, Graven Images, Timorous Beasties and Stuco, to develop the creative concept and finer details for the new notes.
A series of co-design sessions and online communities with representation across the breadth of Scotland engaged over 1178 Scots in the project. Through this process, a stand out theme, The Fabric of Nature, was found. This theme connects the entire note family together. Every note contains a feature or cultural element deemed important in the eyes of the Scottish people
From the typography and calligraphy, featured animals and bespoke textile backgrounds, every element of every note has a meaning connected with the people of Scotland. The notes are a cultural time-capture of what is important, and heartfelt for all Scots.
Showcasing the colours of Scotland alongside our unique animals and nature, means so much more to me than seeing another castle or monument.
The outcome
The final notes capture both the story and provenance of the Scottish people to be shared with future generations. Known as The People’s Money, these notes are pocket works of art, to be held in deep affection for decades to come.
“Every person who has been involved in this project has left a little piece of themselves behind in the design.”
The notes were shortlisted for the IBNS Banknote of the Year award, an initiative recognising exceptional banknote design. They have also featured in the BBC Scotland documentary, Noteworthy with Chris McQueer. They also inspired a similar design process for Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland.
Other times we’ve made a difference
Turning ‘pub chat’ into an investable start-up
Incubating an eco start-up with little more than a mission and a spark of a concept, turning it into a business with an investable product.
Transformational customer service
Helping one of the UK’s largest commercial banks to transform their service model across all channels, designed with their customers at the core.
Customer Wednesdays
Co-creating a powerful, repeatable design research playbook that mobilised a culture of customer-centric design across an entire organisation.