The 2026 Security Designers Forum, held in Istanbul from 7–9 September, demonstrated once again why there is a growing need for a dedicated event focused on the people, ideas and decisions behind the design of secure documents.

Following the success of the inaugural Forum in Warsaw in 2024, the 2026 event brought together designers, central banks, government authorities, security printers, technology providers, material specialists and other experts from across the international security design community. The result was three days of discussion, knowledge-sharing and networking that reflected both the maturity of the industry and the pace of change taking place within it.

The Forum’s central premise is straightforward: design is about much more than appearance. The decisions made by designers influence usability, public recognition, authentication, security, manufacturing, sustainability and ultimately the level of trust placed in a banknote or identity document.

The 2026 programme embraced that philosophy fully, examining not only how secure documents are designed, but why particular design decisions matter and how they need to respond to a rapidly changing environment.

A programme built around the designer

The main programme opened with ‘Human Centred Security Design’, immediately establishing one of the key themes of the Forum. Presentations explored subjects ranging from the design of the Istanbul house note from the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye and the role of timelessness, through the future of intaglio, human-centred banknote design and the relationship between colour, dynamics and public authentication.

The emphasis on the human experience was particularly relevant. Security features can only deliver their full value if people understand, recognise and use them. Designing for the public therefore requires an understanding of perception, behaviour and trust, alongside traditional considerations of aesthetics and technical security.

The programme then moved into one of the more challenging subjects facing the industry: designing banknotes in times of crisis. Counterfeiting continues to evolve, while issuers can be faced with urgent design and production requirements caused by political, economic or social circumstances. The sessions demonstrated that security design cannot exist in isolation from the wider world. Designers must be capable of responding quickly without losing sight of quality, security, identity or public confidence.

This balance between creativity and practical validation continued in the session ‘Design vs. Validation: Striking the Right Balance’. From the ‘5 Second Test’ for identity documents to structural colour, perceptual assessment and the interaction between light and security features, the presentations highlighted an important principle: a feature is only successful if it works in the real world