Colin Howell: Meet The Designer Of The New Kenyan Passport

Colin Herbert Howell is a senior designer at HID Global, an American manufacturer of secure identity products.

Speaking in an event on May 24, 2023, the designer disclosed that he was the one who designed the new Kenyan passport.

He explained how he came up with the design, further noting that special features were included to ensure that they cannot be counterfeited.

The security features include a skin of a leopard that was used as a background and a layer of leopards on a baobab tree.

“I wonder whether you have seen the level of detail that has gone into it. In the background, I have included the hide of the animal

“You may have seen the leopard on the baobab tree, but what about the level of detail on the background that secured that document from the counterfeit?,” he asked.

Other than designing the Kenyan passport, Howell has also designed the Kazakstan series, Zambia Kwacha series, the Kenya Shilling series, the Uzbekistan Cym series, the Malaysian Ringgit high values and the Armenia values series ’98.

Career Journey

According to his LinkedIn, Howell studied Documentary Production at New York Film Academy and later Graphic Design at University of the Arts London.

Colin Howell kicked off his career at Harrison & Sons Ltd before joining De La Rue where he worked for 25 years.

In August 2019, he joined HID Global where he works as a Senior Designer.

HID Global is a manufacturer of secure identity products including physical access control products and logical access control products.

The company also deals with secure issuance products such as cards, readers, smart card readers, networked access products, card printer and software.

Its other business segments includes virtualization technology, cashless payment, government ID, RFID for industry and logistics and Animal ID solutions and professional services.