Why Swiss Money Looks Weird

Swiss cash is one of the few currencies designed in the vertical format, standing alongside the likes of Canada and Bolivia. But why did they opt for the vertical in lieu of the horizontal, and why does the general design of the Swiss Franc look so weird?

Script + Sources:

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:24 Verticality
High-Tech Bills: 3:50
The Design: 6:29
Money Nationalism 14:49

[wolfsmaul-ger]

i've solved the riddle, the reason rich people deposit all their money to switzerland is not because of the value but because they want all those cool bills

[iitsmeromii]

As a Swiss I never noticed the fact that we‘re vertical

[astibird]

the way I, a swiss, immediately went "it's not weird, it's cool" in my head at title 😂

[ovimaltine]

swiss ex-banker here. the notes feature holographic microprints for example: the 20CHF Note lists various interplanetary and interstellar objects and their distances in lightseconds. if you want to check for eastereggs. Every note also depicts things on a map of switzerland like waterways, population, universities etc. I love to be a swiss born native but life is harder here than you think if youre not rich.

[on_rav]

Greetings from Switzerland! Thanks for talking about our wunderschöne Schwiizer Franke

[Schelatine]

I remember when the notes first changed (the 50 Frank note was the first one to come out). I was in the train and someone in the compartment next to mine had the new note and everyone was so excited, it was given around and talked about and all in all a very fun and memorable moment (especially bc usually no one ever really talks to strangers in the train). The person eventually got their note back but the conversation in the whole carriage continued and it was such a great train ride!

Loved the vid, such great visuals too❤️

[matthiasscheidegger]

As swiss I think that a big part of missing hero's that people who served the country, for example the 4 swiss war generals we had, they all work under the principe of "servir et disparaitre" - to serve and disappear.

[biobrotmithonig]

As a swiss, i liked your video, it was well researched. One thing to note though. I agree that the fact that no person is shown on the notes is interesting. However, I would attribute it to someone else that 'swiss exceptionalism' - it has cultural reasons. It is not true, that the Swiss history lacks power and influential people. They were just not seen as our hero's but oppressors. Switzerland has a long history of successfully rebelling against authoritarian rule. Did you know that Switzerland didn't had a king since the 13th century? Switzerland survived by decentralizing power through federation and relying on consensus for national level decision making. This structures practically make it impossible for a strong man to lead. In Switzerland, if something gets too powerful or influential people will hate it. Cheers!

[LUNE.]

These visuals are absolutely incredible. Every video on this channel is a masterpiece

[avbb]

"wake up, IMPERIAL posted another vid about something i never thought about"

[pnkdrmz]

one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that switzerland has been at the forefront of graphic design trends for decades now. to give a few examples:
- while nearly every country on earth has their passports follow the general principle of "large crest centered on the front with the full, official name of the country in golden, old timey all caps lettering above or below", switzerland's passport simply says "swiss passport" in english and the 4 official languages of the country in the top right in white, above a small cross. it's almost funny how sleek and stylish it looks when you compare it to any other passport.
- switzerland is famous for its font designers. many of the most popular typefaces among graphic designers are of swiss origin, hell, arguably the most classic and universally loved font in the world is literally called "helvetica".
- the swiss railway clock is probably the single most iconic clock design of the 20th century. swiss design has always excelled at keeping it simple and clear but not becoming boring and the SBB clock is a prime example of that.
- in general, the difference in visual quality of almost every sign, logo and other graphic design work in as opposed to outside of switzerland is clearly apparent as soon as you cross the border. it's not something the average person will pay attention to, but they will definitely register it subconsciously and it's part of why tourists often view switzerland as much cleaner than their home country.

[Adrischa]

This was great. Didn't expect this to be a exploration of the Swiss soul. I am from switzerland and I think you are pretty spot on.

[Vandeath]

Swiss here. We were actually allowed to voted on the design of the Money. Not as in the final design, but as in the direction the desing can take.

[mikatu]

The Swiss money doesn't look weird, it looks great!
To me, they have the most beautiful bank notes in the world.

[sylvesterofrivia]

Unparalleled graphics paired with great music, and of course the choice of topic is so fantastic. I hope you can keep it up and expand on this style!

I thoroughly enjoyed the montage at the end; great closer allowing for a feel-good sum-up of the video.

[Slithermotion]

This comment section is now neutral territory.

[iljk]

It was fun seeing the old notes I grew up with again. So nostalgic

[JustGoogleIt_two]

The vfx and editing on these videos are amazing, great work!

[geninius]

What makes it especially hard to counterfeit is that they used every printing technique for certain aspects of the banknote:

- offset printing
-digital printing
-letterpress
-screen printing

and so on…

Apart from that, with UV-Light you can see patterns and actually in the paper there are fibres that are UV-reactive, so they use special fibres in the process oft making the paper.

Also the new note seems to have about 200 different security checks and about 20-50 are revealed pubicly.

Source: I made an apprenticeship in Switzerland as a printing technologist, so for some things I probably can‘t prove with an actual source.

[sidlerm]

We do have a strong founding myth it just so doesn't happen to be a war. It's the signature of the founding pact and the fact different people chose to unite rather than were forced to and to this day still chose to stay together despite our differences is a very strong part of the swiss identity