Line of Business
Software suite helps artist design Euro Coin
3/12/1999 12:00:00 AM By: Ian LeGrow
The author is vice-president of graphic software development at Corel Corp., based in Ottawa.
While many people only dream of making all the money in Europe, others, like Luc Luycx, are actually doing just that. Luycx isn't a millionaire or a counterfeiting crook — he's a man with a graphics software suite who loves to draw.
With the click of a mouse, the scan of a drawing and the precise detail of a designer, Luycx designs coins for the Koninklijke Belgische Munt (Royal Belgium Mint). His most recent project was to create the winning design for the new Euro Coin, which will be introduced to the world as the Euro becomes the currency standard for most countries in the European Union (EU).
Luycx created a series of coins using CorelDraw, which were judged alongside submissions from other professional coin designers, artists and sculptors from the EU. In the final stages, over 63 per cent of 1,900 people selected Luycx's series of coins, which feature the map of Europe and a background that symbolizes Europe with 12 stars. Luycx's designs will appear on the back of each Euro Coin. More than 50 billion coins will be circulated throughout Europe.
Relatively new to the world of coin design, Luycx's career began in computer engineering. Although he had no experience creating designs on the computer, he loved to paint and draw with a pen. Six years ago, his supervisor noticed his talent and asked him to take a coin engraving course. Luycx began to make the shift to coin design. Since then, Luycx has created approximately 30 designs for coins, medals and tokens.
In the creation of a design such as the Euro Coin, Luycx makes rough sketches on paper and scans them into the computer. For editing and designing, he uses CorelDraw and Corel Photo-Paint. A variety of specialized features allow Luycx to ensure precision and accuracy when editing complex images.
The graphic and vector illustration tools help Luycx create design effects that aren't as easily created by hand. Some tools enable him to create the illusion of depth and perspective through drop shadows, add special effects like twists and spirals and manipulate the tiniest curves or line.
Luycx estimates that the design of the Euro Coin took 30 to 40 hours to complete. The majority of that time was spent planning the design and preparing sketches, with about five hours devoted to working with the graphics software suite. But Lucyx's efforts will definitely be compensated through its distinguished reward — now Europeans will be admiring his work for years to come.
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