Bank of England Photography by Matteo Ruisi

Bank of England Photography by Matteo Ruisi is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Bronze A' Design Award in Photography and Photo Manipulation Design Competition Category.

BronzePhotography· 2022

Bank of England Photography

by Matteo Ruisi

Client: Bank of England

Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Photography Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #139565

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Colors

The Design

About Bank of England Photography

One of the functions of the Bank of England is to print banknotes. The British Pound Sterling notes have different features that make them unique. The photography of the notes has been introduced as a part of a wider visual identity project, however, banknotes can be reproduced only following strict regulations. The photos, taken with a macro lens, depict security features, characters, and the beauty of their design. The images have been grouped into 3 categories: groups of notes, details, and abstract.

The Recognition

About the Bronze A' Design Award

Bank of England Photography is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Bank of England Photography is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Bank of England Photography splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.

Image Analysis

Color Temperature: Slightly CoolSymmetry: PartialBackground: No Clear Backdrop

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: One of the functions of the Bank of England is to print banknotes. The British Pound Sterling notes have different features that make them unique. The official photography of the notes depicts security features, characters, and the beauty of their design.
The images have been grouped into three categories, that are groups of notes, details, and abstract.
Dimensions & Packaging: Resolution 350 x 350
Dimensions 6720 x 4480
ISO Speed 100
Exposure time 1 125
Colour profilesRGB IEC61966 2.1
Colour spaceRGB
Tags: Banknotes, Bank of England, Notes, Pound Sterling, British Pound
Production Technology: The photographic side of the project was shot on an SDLR Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera using a macro lens EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, pushing its capabilities to the limit.
Using a shallow depth of field and backlighting with black material to create show through on areas of the notes.
Particular care was taken to enhance the detail and colour of each note, without being too obvious. The imagery should reflect each area within the design brand.
Design Challenge: There are several restrictions on the way the Bank of England banknotes can be reproduced. The main challenge was to define a style that showed the beauty of the notes while following the law and the guidelines from the Bank.
Research: The photographic approach was a combination of the photographer's experience and experimentation. The photographer played around with the lighting and pushed the use of the lens to the extreme, manually focusing and moving the notes in front of the lens at close proximity until something interesting happened. The assistant helped press the cable release, adjust the light, or move material around, as most of the time the photographer was manipulating the notes until desired effect was achieved.
Inspiration: The beautiful detail of the notes was inspiration enough, combined with abstract, graphic composition and back lighting, the challenge came in making the notes become more exciting to look at and less obvious.
Project Duration: The project started back in May 2020, before the approval of the wider project. The first day was during lockdown at the photographer's home studio on 30 March 2021. On 7th May some of the angles and variations have been refined. The project covered the 5, 10, and 20 pound notes. The final shoot day was on 20.02.2022 when the photographer shot the new 50 pound note to complete the set.
Abstract moving image formed part of the shoot and this was achieved using the same camera shooting in slow motion.
The entire body of work was shot at the photographer's home studio in Chartham, Kent.
Operation Flow: Images for branded photography can be used on digital and print applications.
Patents: Bank of England
Team Members: Creative Director: Matteo Ruisi
Creative Director: Peter McCabe
Photographer: Lee Funnell
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Lee Funnell
Image #2: Photographer Lee Funnell
Image #3: Photographer Lee Funnell
Image #4: Photographer Lee Funnell
Image #5: Photographer Lee Funnell