nothing better to do in their hands

A better link might be https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/banknotes/future_banknotes/ht..., which has all of the proposals on a single page for easier browsing.

For me, across all of them only two felt actually decent for a bank note (B & E, I is okay, just not used to bank notes in that orientation, same for J, but that one should be more monochrome). Either they were too vibrant or the design was too busy/had unnecesary elements.

I also feel like the notes that had buildings (like we have now) are just.. better.

Why is it all either the same people or the same birds?

Was that an explicit part of the brief artists were given?

I feel like the selection of motifs is more interesting and where more of the creative process in defining a representation of Europe lies than just how to draw and layout those motifs.

There were some clearly superior suggestions they left out: https://xcancel.com/The_Davos_Man/status/2080383908823081426

;)

Birds are clearly superior.

I wonder why do we need new notes... but I guess running some competition is not a tragedy.

You can see all side-by-side here: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/banknotes/future_banknotes/ht...

My takes:

Design C - the backside looks like the worst soulless corporate landing page graphics (Corporate Memphis style?).

Design D and E, H are okayish.

Design F has very strange coloring, the watercolor and sketch effect looks nice on screen, but I think more filled and more monochrome notes are more conventional and accepted, also some are bicolor. Not bad, but I'd not like it in everyday use probably.

Design G is somehow not good looking, I cannot phrase it. Both the font, and also the backsides scenes are meg, even the modernist buildings are better on some other series.

Design J : the creepy abstract cartoon people on the backside ruin it. Also somehow not aesthetically pleasing, but the not catastrophic.