




































CHAPTER  1: 
INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC GRAPHICS 

 

Contributed by 

Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

 

INTRODUCTION  

The origin of graphic design can be traced back to the 

Paleolithic period, when the first known visual communication, 

known as cave art, arose around 38,000 BC (De Heij, 2012). 

Numerous cave art images and symbols were found in various sites 

globally, such as Altamira cave paintings in Spain, Apollo 11 cave 

stones in Namibia, Lascaux caves in southern France, Binnin Kudu 

cave art in Jigawa State, Nigeria, Lower Pecos rock art in Texas, 

Mexico, and Kakadu National Park, Australia, just to mention a 

few. Those art pieces that are usually referred to as cave art or cave 

painting are the origin of graphic design because they were mainly 

made to communicate among themselves, protect themselves from 

dangerous animals, and indicate a specific task or action at that 

time. They remain fundamentals of graphic design to this day, even 

though cave art is far from what is seen as graphic design presently. 

The word graphics is a generic term; in other words, it’s a broad 

field of study that encompasses many disciplines. Graphics is a part 

of our daily lives and is an amazingly powerful and persuasive tool 

for communication and transmission. Graphics can simply be 

defined as a process of communication through the use of text or 

image, or text and image combined to convey a message from a 

client to a specific audience utilizing posters, postcards, packages, 

banners, billboards, magazines, books, logos, the internet, and so 

on. Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and 

technology to inform, persuade, organize, stimulate, locate, 



Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

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identify, attract, and convey not only information but also moods 

and emotions to the target audience. 

On the other hand, the term forensics refers to the 

application of scientific methods, knowledge, techniques, and/or 

devices to identify a crime; likewise, it can seem to be scientific 

knowledge and/or methods of solving problems related to crime. 

Similarly, the term forensic refers to the application of scientific 

knowledge to a legal problem, especially the scientific analysis of 

physical evidence in court (Museum, 2022). Nevertheless, 

forensics is not just important in the courtroom; forensic evidence 

needs to be found before any scientific discussion in court can take 

place. This evidence can be found by forensic scientists and allies 

such as chemists, forensic graphic designers, biologists, 

psychologists, mathematicians, security printers, and artists. 

Forensic graphics is a scientific aspect of graphic design 

that deals with the research and development of sensitive paper 

documents and products. The main aim of forensic graphics is to 

protect and safeguard valuable paper documents from forgery and 

counterfeiting. Similarly, forensic graphics is a segment in the 

printing industry that focuses on the printing and protection of 

sensitive paper documents such as banknotes, checks, and 

passports, from tamper-evident, product authentication, 

certificates, postage stamps, identity cards, and so on. The main 

goal of security printing is to prevent forgery and counterfeiting. 

 

Document Theft  

The concepts of forgery, counterfeiting, piracy, faking, 

alteration, fraud, corruption, and bribery are some of the global 

crimes that have received little or no attention from the 

international community and governmental and non-governmental 

organisations (Hashim, 2016). Document theft is one of the major 

societal ills in our society. This is because organized crimes aided 

by forgery and counterfeiting of valuable paper documents 

constitute a source of major societal problems in Nigeria, with 



Introduction to Forensic Graphics 

3 

 

attendant consequences such as damage to all facets of Nigeria's 

corporate existence, enormous loss of government revenue, 

undermining national development efforts, economic potential and 

political instability, erosion of efficiency, and damage to the 

national image (Dakyes, 2009). Unfortunately, these menaces have 

not been well addressed, especially in third-world countries like 

Nigeria, where the problem is becoming endemic every day. 

Document theft is said to be an aspect of fraud that has become 

almost a way of life for Nigerians at home and abroad Ladan, 

(2008). Today, in Nigeria, it is hard to see an original product 

without seeing a counterfeit around it. Many Nigerians are 

seriously indicted for involvement in the menace. For example, a 

good number of politicians are forging to win elections, civil 

servants counterfeit to mismanage public funds, students fake to 

get admission or a scholarship, lecturers forge for promotion, 

pharmacists fabricate substandard drugs, businessmen import 

pirated products, contractors are also scamming tax documents, 

manufacturers are producing substandard products while traders 

are retailing counterfeited products, and so forth. These menaces 

have brought a great setback to national development. For this 

reason, there is a need for serious and urgent efforts from colour 

chemists, graphic designers, researchers, security printers, and law 

enforcement agencies to jointly tackle this ugly phenomenon. 

 

Forgery and Counterfeit 

The words forgery and counterfeit are two different names that are 

synonymous in usage and different in action. Forgery has to do 

with the unlawful altering of genuine documents, such as the name, 

grade, year, rank, gender, registration number, plates, passport, or 

signature of a genuine document, with the intent to deceive 

someone. While counterfeiting has to do with the complete 

reproduction of fake documents or products to look 

indistinguishable from the original, with the intent to deceive the 

end-users, According to the National Document Fraud Unit, United 



Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

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Kingdom (NDF UK, 2014), "forgery is a form of fraud that deals 

with the altering of products or valuable paper documents". A 

forged document is an original document that is unlawfully altered 

with the intent to deceive, while a counterfeit is the complete 

reproduction of a fake version of an original document from scratch 

to resemble an officially issued document (NDF UK, 2014). 

 

Pseudo-documents 

Pseudo-documents are illegal documents that belong to nowhere 

and have no legal basis because they are not issued by a legally 

recognized authority under state or international law. In other 

words, pseudo documents are fake documents without legal basis.  

 

Camouflage documents 

A camouflage document is an unauthorized document that claims 

to come from a particular state or country that does not even exist 

or has a new name. For example, someone holding a visa issued by 

the Biafra nation or by the Sokoto caliphate or somebody who 

presented a document claiming Gongola or the Bendel state of 

Nigeria can be referred to as camouflage documents because the 

mentioned states are not legally under a state or international law. 

 

History of Counterfeiting 

The main aim of forensic design is to prevent counterfeiting; 

therefore, it is essential to trace the origin of counterfeiting. The 

crime of counterfeiting is as old as the making of the banknote itself 

(Giesecke & Devrient, 2015).  The advent of the computer, direct 

imaging, desktop publishing, and computerized image systems that 

produce excellent colour jobs makes forgery and counterfeiting of 

sensitive paper documents and products easier and more rampant. 

Counterfeiting and forgery of sensitive paper documents such as 

banknotes, certificates of occupancy, chequebooks, statements of 

results, cash receipts, identity cards, letterhead papers, drivers’ 

licenses, school certificates, passports, tamper-evident labels, stock 



Introduction to Forensic Graphics 

5 

 

certificates, postage stamps, and so forth are on the increase in 

Africa. To minimize the menace of forgery and counterfeiting, 

security features are developed by forensic graphic designers and 

other experts in the field. Security features can be classified into 

three types: OVERT, the level one security features that can be 

seen by our naked eyes; COVERT, the level two security features 

that can be seen with the aid of tools like a magnifying glass, ultra-

violet lamp, infrared viewer and so on; and lastly, FORENSICS, 

the level three security features that can only be identified in the 

laboratory with sophisticated devices, paraphernalia, and 

equipment. 

 

Security Features 

Anti-Scan: This is a kind of security feature that essentially 

prevents forgery and counterfeiting through the scanning technique 

of sensitive paper documents. This technique is principally 

achieved by integrating an Anti-Scan feature into the design 

background to protect a sensitive paper document against 

unauthorized copying. In other words, image and pattern are 

embedded into the background design’s (hidden) information, 

which is invisible to the naked eye under normal inspection 

conditions but becomes visible, legible, or readable after 

photocopying or being reproduced with a scanner. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plate 1. Anti-Scan 

 

 



Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

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Background Pattern:- This is a systematic arrangement of thin lines 

to form a regular or irregular pattern to serve as background design 

as well as security features on sensitive paper documents to protect 

them against counterfeiting. This technique is mostly achieved by 

drawing a continuous intertwining line to form an attractive 

background that will serve as a security feature. 

 

 

 
 

Plate 2. Background Pattern 

Source: https://regulaforensics.com/en/support/glossary-

banknotes (2018) 

 

Bar-Code:- This is a form of digital security feature that is 

fundamentally achieved by the systematic arrangement of 

sequential parallel lines (bars) that vary in their widths and spaces 

between them to store data readable by special devices. A barcode 

is usually printed by a letterpress machine using special inks 

(magnetic pigments) that contain additional security properties to 

prevent the forgery of sensitive paper documents. 

 

 

 

 



Introduction to Forensic Graphics 

7 

 

 

 
 

Plate 3. Bar-Code.  

 

Clear Window: - This is transparency as a security feature that can 

only be found on polymer banknotes, created during the 

manufacturing process of the substrate. 

 

 
A – N 50 note with clear window (2014) and B–  20 Brunei Dollars 

(2007) 
 

Plate 4. Clear Window 

Source: https://regulaforensics.com/en/support/glossary-

banknotes (2018) 

 

Guilloches:- This is a technique where an intricate geometrical 

pattern is systematically arranged by superpositioning curved lines 

using mathematical laws (a formula), which makes it impossible to 

reproduce the same guilloche pattern without these mathematical 

laws. Guilloche designs form rosettes, frames, borders, vignettes, 



Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

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and other images, as well as the elements of background patterns. 

A pattern can consist of either negative or positive lines. 

 

 
Plate 5. Guilloches. Source: 10 Pounds Note 

Source: glossary-banknotes (2018 

 

Hologram 

Holography, also known as hologram technology, is the next level 

of photography method that records the light dispersed from an 

item and then projects it as a three-dimensional (3D) object that can 

be seen without the use of any additional equipment. This feature 

can only be achieved by the diffraction and refraction of light on 

gratings, which change at different illumination angles. In other 

words, holography is a technique that enables a light field (which 

is generally the result of a light source scattered off objects) to be 

recorded and later reconstructed when the original light field is no 

longer present due to the absence of the original objects. 

 

 
Plate 6. Hologram. Source: 200 Naira Note (2018) 



Introduction to Forensic Graphics 

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 Micro perforation:- This is a kind of security feature that is 

fundamentally achieved through the orderly fabrication of 

microholes that can be seen in transmitted light. 

 

 
 

Plate 7 Micro perforation 200 Swiss Francs (1996) 

Source: glossary-banknotes (2018 

 

Serial Number:- This is a unique combination of letters and/or 

numbers that are uniquely assigned to each banknote. It is usually 

printed by letterpress using UV, infrared, or magnetic inks. Vital 

information like the issuing year, series, and other security 

information are exclusively encoded to form the serial numbers of 

a banknote. 

 

 
 

 

Plate 8. Multicoloured Serial Number 50 Pounds Sterling (2010) 

 

Varnish Coating:- A varnish coating is one of the latest security 

features and consists of two varnishes: matte and glossy. The fifty-

naira Nigerian note is a good example of this security feature 

because it is printed with glossy varnish over matte varnish and is 

visualized when the banknote is tilted due to the contrast of the 

varnishes. 

 

 



Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

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a – at right angles                         b – at an acute angle 

 

Thermal Ink:- This is an invisible ink that changes its colour or 

optical density when the image and/or text are exposed to heat. 

 
 

A – general view                  B – decolourization. 

after its exposure to heat 
 

Plate 9. Thermal Ink 500 Latvian Lats (2008) 

Source: glossary-banknotes (2018) 

 

Rainbow Printing  

This is a printing technique in which multiple inks are applied at 

the same time and on the same printing plate to overrule tints with 

smooth colour transitions among the main colours of the image, as 

well as to avoid breaks and displacements. 

 

 
 

Plate 10: Rainbow printing in 1000 Belarusian Rubles (2000) 

Source:https://regulaforensics.com/en/support/glossary-

banknotesm (2018) 

 

 



Introduction to Forensic Graphics 

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Substrate 

A substrate is a special material (paper or polymer) used in the 

production of banknotes. Paper substrate is a thin material 

consisting of plant fibres (cotton, linen etc.). Polymer substrate is a 

thin (approximately 0.1 mm) clear plastic film covered with 

multiple layers of specialized coatings. 

 

 
 

Plate 11:  Banknote Substrate 

Source: https://regulaforensics.com/en/support/glossary-

banknotes (2018) 

 

Banknote Design  

A banknote is a genuine piece of art. A banknote reflects a 

country’s culture and communicates messages millions of times 

faster and more directly. The banknote must be functional, payable, 

acceptable, and secured. Banknote designers assimilate the 

country’s artistic heritage and cultural valuestake psychological 

insights into design, as well as integrate security features to portray 

societal identity. 

 

Banknote Production Process 

The banknote production process is extensively wide. This is 

because banknote design and development is not a one-man show 

but a collective responsibility of over 250 experts, but it can be 

summarized into five most important stages, such as the 

papermaking stage, design stage, plate-making stage, printing 

stage, and varnishing/finishing. Every stage of the production is 



Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

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strictly controlled and protected against forgery and counterfeiting. 

According to Manisha and Gupta (2016), "most of the modern 

banknote consists of the following security features: paper quality, 

security thread, gradient colouring, intaglio printing, UV glowing, 

micro text, anti-copying mark, watermarks, infrared glowing, and 

so forth". 

 

Bank Note as Utility Product 

Banknote is not a consumer product; rather, it refers to utility 

products. Equally, any utility product has to follow the principles 

of 'one size fits all'. Banknote designers are unlike fashion 

designers their designs must fit ONE not ALL. People expect 

trouble-free daily use of their utility products, such as handsets, 

vehicles, electronic appliances, and so on. Likewise, such a 

principle most often applies to banknotes as utility products. 

 

Banknote Redesign  

People frequently ask, ‘Why do we need a new banknote?’ There 

are many issues facing the need to redesign a banknote, such as 

insecurity, corruption, government policy, changes in government, 

and so on. But the most foremost is to upgrade the security features 

of the banknote; in other words, to keep up with technological 

developments in the banknote industry. There are several reasons 

for introducing a new banknote. 

 

Standard Design Process 

Banknotes have existed for over 350 years, and probably over 

50,000 different designs have been created. Over time, banknote 

designers have developed from craftsmen to graphic designers 

(Haij, 2017). Today’s banknote design process follows the design 

phases of the Standard Design Process, which are subsequently 

problem description, information, analysis, design requirements, 

exploring solutions, prototyping, and the selection of a final design. 

 



Introduction to Forensic Graphics 

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 Problem description  

 

                       Information  

 

                       Analysis  

 

 Programme of Requirements  

 

 Principle design solutions  

 

 Selection  

 

 Prototyping  

 

 Final design  

 

 Production  

 

 Use of product  

 

Table 2.2Standard Design Process 

Source: Heij (2017) 

 

 
Plate: 12 Proposed 10, 000 Naira Note 

 Source Hashim 2020 

++
 

++ 



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Plate: 13 Proposed 1000, ECO Note  

Source: Hashim 2020 

 

Plate: 14 Proposed 10, Eco Note 

Source|:  Hashim 2020 

 

Plate: 15    Proposed 2000, Eco Note 

Source: Hashim 2020 



Introduction to Forensic Graphics 

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Plate 16: ABU Sensitive Document, Security Features (prototype) 

Source: Hashim 2016 

 

Below are the descriptions of the forensic features used on the 

above sensitive document.  

 

1. Anti-copying Mark: This is an invisible mark that is hidden 

in the design background and becomes boldly visible after 

being scanned or copied. 

2. Bill paper. Is a secured paper with a mixture of 73% rag 

(cotton) and 27% fibre (paper) embedded with security 

features during the paper-making process for protection 

against counterfeiting. 

3. Chemically Reactive Paper: This is a special white paper that 

changes from brownish to black when bleached solvents or 

any erasable chemicals are used on it in an attempt to alter the 

text. 

4. Ghost Watermark: This is an artificial watermark created as 

a background during the paper-making process. 

5. Colour Shifting Ink: This is a special ink that changes to 

different rays of colours, based on the angle at which one 

holds the document. 

6. Invisible Ink: This is a special ink that is only visible under 

ultraviolet light.  



Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

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7. Penetrating Ink: This is a unique ink that contains a 

penetrating red dye, goes into the fibres of the paper, and 

shows through to the back of the document to deter forgers 

from trying to scrape the number off the document. 

8. Micro-text: This is a technique of creating very tiny and 

lighter repeated text that appears blurred as a dotted line when 

copied or scanned. 

9. Fluorescent Coating: This is an invisible ink that glows under 

UV light or a sensor. 

1. Erasable Ink: This is a special ink that contains a solvent and 

chemically reactive substance that rubs off when an attempt 

is made to alter the text written on it. 

10. High-Resolution Image: This consists of a very fine line or 

image that is too thin to reproduce illegally. 

11. Security Thread. A security thread is an embedded security 

feature into the valuable paper document, the thread with the 

text "ABU Zaria" embedded in it, and can be seen when the 

document is held to a light source. 

12. Raised print. Raised ink is a special technique of security 

printing where one feels the raised text. 

13. Observe through Register: This is a special technique by 

which a small hole, e.g., a logo, is printed both on the front 

(hollow) and back (filled up) of the document. 

14. Protection ornament: This is the process of integrating 

multifarious security features into the valuable paper 

document during the design process, guided by the elements 

and principles of design. (Hashim, 2016). 

 

Summary  

The origin of graphic design can be traced back to the Paleolithic 

period, when the first known visual communication, known as cave 

art, arose around 38,000. Conversely, forensic graphics is a 

segment in the printing industry that focuses on the printing and 

protection of sensitive paper documents such as banknotes, checks, 



Introduction to Forensic Graphics 

17 

 

passports, tamper-evident, product authentication, certificates, 

postage stamps, identity cards, and so on, to prevent forgery and 

counterfeiting, piracy, faking, alteration, fraud, corruption, and 

bribery, which are some of the global crimes that have received 

little or no attention from the local and international community 

and governmental and non-governmental organisations. The 

advent of the computer, direct imaging, desktop publishing, and 

computerized image systems that produce excellent colour jobs 

makes forgery and counterfeiting of sensitive paper documents and 

products easier and more rampant. A banknote is a genuine piece 

of art. A banknote reflects a country’s culture and communicates 

messages millions of times faster and more directly. Banknotes 

have existed for over 350 years, and probably over 50,000 different 

designs have been created. Over time, banknote designers have 

developed from craftsmen to graphic designers.  

 

Questions 

1. Trace the history of graphic design 

2. What is forensics graphics?  

3. Differentiate the differences between forgery and 

counterfeiting 

4. Distinguish between the following terms: pseudo-documents 

and camouflage document. 

5. Write a short note on the following security features: anti-scan, 

bar-code, guilloches, holography, serial number, and substrate. 

6. Why do we need a new banknote? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Muhammad Bashir Hashim 

18 

 

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