SPOTLIGHT™

Type: Advanced surface-relief micro-structure optical effect — applied as part of holographic foil stripe or patch on polymer banknote windows or paper substrate

Overview

Spotlight™ is a proprietary optical effect developed by De La Rue, forming part of their advanced holographic foil capability within the Optical Microstructures portfolio. It is described as one of the latest range of holographic foil effects using advanced surface-relief micro-structures that go beyond standard holographics, alongside PureImage™. Spotlight™ is notable for producing a distinctive three-dimensional floating effect in which design elements appear to move in a spatially precise and counter-intuitive manner relative to the plane of the foil — an effect that has not been simulated by counterfeiters. 

Technology & Effects

The Spotlight™ effect creates two icons that move above or below the plane of the hologram — and this effect has never been simulated. This is achieved through advanced surface-relief micro-structure origination, which enables De La Rue to engineer holographic imagery with precise, controlled depth perception and directional floating motion that goes well beyond standard diffractive colour-shift effects.

Spotlight™ rotates about a pivot below the plane of the hologram, creating a distinctive spinning or orbiting movement of the design elements as the note is tilted — a behaviour that is both highly intuitive for public authentication and technically demanding to originate. The feature has advanced to allow two different icons to rotate above or below the plane of the hologram, enabling denomination-specific or design-specific imagery to be incorporated directly into the effect. The rotating icons can be numeral pairs, national symbols, or other denomination-relevant motifs, making the authentication message highly specific and memorable.

Form Factors & Application

Spotlight™ is applied as part of a holographic foil stripe or patch — typically on Safeguard® polymer substrate within a clear window area, though it is also compatible with paper banknotes. It is most commonly deployed within wider holographic stripes that incorporate multiple effects from De La Rue's Optical Microstructures range, often alongside other named effects such as Depth™ and PureImage™ within the same foil element. De La Rue notes that the public response to Spotlight™ suggests there is scope to create more features that interact with mobile phones, indicating interest in extending its authentication use case to smartphone-based verification.

Security Levels

Spotlight™ operates as a Level 1 (public) authentication feature. The rotating, depth-floating icon behaviour is immediately visible to the naked eye and highly distinctive — the precise, controlled orbital motion about a defined pivot point is a clear and teachable verification action. The impossibility of simulating this effect with commercially available foils or printing techniques provides robust counterfeit resistance at Level 2 and beyond.

Notable Deployments

The Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan's new polymer banknote series (2025) includes a sophisticated holographic optical security stripe featuring both Depth™ and Spotlight™, depicting a striking dragon grasping jewels, visible on both sides of the 500 and 1000 Ngultrum denominations. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank's commemorative $50 Grenada note features Spotlight™ within the holographic foil as counter-rotating '5' and '0' numerals, alongside PureImage™ on either side of the main window.

Name

SPOTLIGHT™

Category

Security Feature

Effect Types

Diffractive

Company

De La Rue
Company Website

Product Page

View on Supplier Site

Linked Features

3 security features