In partnership with Zurich’s prestigious University of the Arts (ZHdK), we challenged the next generation of up-and-coming artists to create their own unique vision of On.  

The brief was simple: create a new and visually interesting way of showcasing anything about On using photography, design or animation. No other rules, no other restrictions. 

The outcome was fascinating. As you’ll see below. 

Some students focused on products, some on On’s visual identity, others on Swiss-engineered technology or even font design. 

An eight-person judging panel (made up of four of On’s Brand Design team and four representatives from ZHdK) had the unenviable task of having going through the 19 different submissions to decide on the winning entries. 

Main Prize: 

        
Alexander Meyer and Milena Küpfer

“The On Cloudflyer Waterproof is uniquely dynamic and designed down to the last detail,” said Alexander and Milena. 

“In our work we wanted to focus on the shoe and its distinctive features. A 360° portrait allows us to discover the shoe in a new way. The individual raindrops enlarge exciting spots, distort them and let us literally see the shoe in a different light.

“Movement, sweat, water resistance, the Cloudflyer Waterproof is an all-round shoe with endurance. The moment of running in water, the interaction of the elements and the materials in slow motion, are all shown through our photos and concept.”

Nathan Meyer

“The concept of my project is to design a layout system presenting On’s four different shoe soles,” said Nathan. 

“Each sole is represented by a chapter with four elements: texts, patterns, grid and pictures.

“The texts include the name of the sole, the hook and the description. The patterns made up of the On logo are an abstraction of the sole. The texts and patterns are placed on the grid, while the pictures have their own grid made with elements of the logo.

“This systematic approach allows a more or less random composition, creating desirable overlays and gives each page the possibility to play differently with the four elements.”

Special Mention: 

    
Gregor Sahl 

“The On logo was the starting point for the design of (my) On typeface,” said Gregor. 

“Its Bauhaus inspired geometric construction is based solely on the shapes of the letters O and N. By making minimal changes, they provided the shapes for the letters Q and U and also supplied the DNA for all 22 other letters of the Latin alphabet. 

“The aim of my design was to achieve a modern, dynamic and harmonious look without changing the original forms of the logo for O and N.”

Jana Liebe and Tim Oechslin

“We focused on lightness and movement which we believe is the essence of On shoes,” explained Jana and Tim. 

“To do this, we created two different moods. One is light and soft, the other hard and clear. Both combine the shoe and the body.”

You can see more artwork from other students and get a quick look at the presentation ceremony in the gallery below. 

This partnership between ZHdK and On is ongoing and this is not the first time that we've teamed up for an artsy project. Previously, we tasked students with interpreting the idea of “runner’s high” in a creative way to celebrate the launch of the original Cloudflow. You can see what they produced here.

If you’d like to learn more about life at On head to our culture page. You’ll find information on all of our offices, open positions and learn about what sets us apart from other companies.