10 November,2016 07:00 AM IST | | Kusumita Das
Mumbai's graphic artists are more disappointed by the ruddy design of the new currency note than its availability
'Gandhi cut-out on new Rs 2,000 note is a poor Photoshop job'
India's new Rs 2,000 note
Even as India debates the pros and cons of demonetisation and Mumbai reels under a cash crunch, graphic artists are doing what they must -- deliberating on the aesthetics of the new Rs 2,000 note that rolls into the market today. While they feel it is not entirely fair to land on a âgood-bad-ugly' verdict without having held the note in their hand, they say it violates basic design principles.
Sanket Avlani, curator of Taxi Fabric, says, "Right from the typeface to the cluttered arrangement of elements and lack of borders, the aesthetics has taken a beating." He asks why India couldn't have done what Norway did. Norway's Norges Bank invited inputs from eight teams via a contest. "The winning design is contemporary; it shows how a currency design can be iconic too," Avlani says.
The winning Metric System design features on the new Kroner
Graphic designer Mira Malhotra of Studio Kohl, doesn't mind the "overall minimalist, modern design" of the Rs 2000 note but she feels it lacks finesse. "The Gandhi cut-out is a poor Photoshop job. The dots beside his face look odd. Also, the four photo-corners seem curious, and the typeface is not aligned. The earlier notes got the basics right at least," she points out. Sameer Kulavoor, founder of Bombay Duck Designs, likes that the Mangalayan launch has been incorporated in the design. "Projecting an achievement not many countries can be proud of is a bold move. However, India's signature is its diversity. It should have found expression here."