£20 Note

The new £20 note greeted me with an element of surprise as it was dispersed out of the cash machine. With very little publicity surrounding its launch, its was almost slipped into circulation without anyone really noticing it.
It is the first time that the Bank of England has outsourced the design of a banknote and, thankfully, De La Rue Currency has created a contemporary note that successfully maintains the reserved nature of British currency design.
Ultimately, the design feels limited, but attention to detail has not been sacrificed for the enhanced security features. The regal purple hues, traditional fonts and intricate illustrations remain, yet the note has a refreshingly modern look and feel, though from the small yellow circles to the contemporary '£20' watermark font, the similarity to the Euro design is undeniable.
Disappointingly, introducing a contemporary image of the Queen did not form part of the revamp, which is odd considering the publicity surrounding her 80th birthday last year. On the reverse, Elgar has been replaced by economist Adam Smith.
Overall, this is an impressive design that retains tradition yet re-establishes sterling's position at the forefront of banknote design.