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D&AD Annual 2020

UK Definitive Circulating Coinage - New Reverse Designs
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  • Graphic Design Applied Print Graphics

Year

  • 2009

Country

  • United Kingdom

Designer

  • Matt Dent

Sculptor

  • John Bergdhal

Production

  • The Royal Mint

Client

  • The Royal Mint

Brand

  • UK Definitive Circulating Coinage

A public competition was launched by The Royal Mint in August 2005, to find new reverse designs for UK circulating coins from the penny to the fifty pence, replacing the current set which have been in circulation for almost 40 years. My approach to the challenge was to use a single image, the shield of the Royal Coat of Arms, spread over the six coins, inviting people to assemble the design for themselves - an unprecedented approach to coinage. The coins illustrate how the separate elements of the Royal Arms come together and how different countries make up the UK. The pound coin was later introduced to act as the solution to the puzzle: the jigsaw box's lid.