Designing for CINEMA™ – A New Dimension in Banknote Security

CINEMA™ is a ground-breaking security feature for banknotes, launched in 2020 by CCL Secure.

The feature uses advanced micro-optics to create 3D and novel effects such as movement, depth, float, flip effects, and magnification – all in normal lighting, without the need for UV or other special lighting techniques.

The 3D effect means that the note appears as if you could reach out and touch images floating above the note.

As well as offering a dynamic new dimension to security, CINEMA represents new opportunities and challenges for banknote designers. As a designer, how do you start coming up with ideas for incorporating this very new technology into a traditional banknote?

The first banknotes to use CINEMA were the Banque du Liban’s 100,000 livres issued in 2020 and a promotional banknote called ‘Chaplin’. In both notes, designers have just started to explore the capabilities of CINEMA and what can be achieved with a range of colours, shapes, and design integration as well as its 3D and movement properties.