{Back and front of the winning design: Source}
Very cool bit about the winning entry of an architecture competition organized by The Dutch Ministry of Finance for which a selected group of architectural offices and artists were invited not to design a building, but the new 5 euro commemorative based from the theme 'Netherlands and Architecture. From the Royal Dutch Mint:
The Architecture five-euro coin was designed by artist Stani Michiels (b. 1973). The design on the obverse of the coin pays tribute to the history of Dutch Architecture, with the portrait of Queen Beatrix being distinctively constructed using the names of important architects from Dutch history. The artist used the internet as a popularity-meter to determine the names' order of appearance.
On the back side of the coin he treated the edge of the coin as a book shelve. The books rise as buildings towards the center. Through their careful placement they combine to outline the Netherlands, while birds' silhouettes suggest the capitals of all the provinces. The following scheme reveals the process.
{Breakdown of the Design Evolution: Source}
{The artist created his own single line font in order to manipulate the text for the image, while still allowing it to be readable: Source}
I have to wonder what type of design processes influenced our dept. of treasury?
Thanks Adam R.