The front is a typographical marvel featuring a portrait of the queen which “is constructed with names of important Dutch architects. On the outside the names are clearly readable, while they slowly get smaller to the center. Under a magnifying glass all names are readable, but not with only the human eye. It is fascinating to see how an old medium like a coin can be in this way a ‘compact disc’ of information.”
Michiels chose the order of the architects appearance on the coin by using “the internet as a seismograph” with the number of hits on the internet being the determining factor.
click to enlarge“On the back side of the coin I 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.”
He also created the entire design using free software!
Michiels explains the entire process in detail here.