Erik Hernandez
The Swiss flag, a white cross on red, filling the page.
Index page with the four principles, 01 Heritage, 02 Precision, 03 Alpine, and 04 Restraint, set around the arms of a cross in thin white lines on grey.
Heritage, Swiss-born, with a short text on Swiss design and engineering above images of a red bobsled, a Swiss Army knife box, a vintage SIGG bottle, a red ski boot, and a Swiss flag in the Alps.
Heritage in practice, with black skis, a gold watch bracelet, a red suitcase, and a red and black racing bike.
Precision, design, with a short text on Swiss precision above a disassembled pocket knife, a chronograph, a railway station clock, wire chairs, and a knife on blue fabric.
Precision in practice, with an air-cushioned heel, a watch on a textured rubber strap, knit uppers, and a football boot.
Alpine, culture, with a short text on the Swiss Alps above a snowy village, a red mitten, ski tracks, a mountain train, a skier, and green mountain trails.
Alpine in practice, with a white winter boot, a red and white sneaker, a black strapped sandal, a blue and white sole, and a knit runner.
Restraint, graphics, with a short text on Swiss style above Swiss posters, a railway logo, a red hexagon pattern, and a yellow airline identity spread.
Restraint, typography, with a Wim Crouwel quote on Helvetica above red and blue letterform posters, Helvetica weight specimens, a red passport, and a black and white type book.
Restraint in practice, with a pastel sneaker, a grey pleated dress, a white outsole with a grid of lugs, a black and white skateboard, and red and black mesh.

Brief

SIGG’s China licensee asked us to build a footwear collection from scratch for the Swiss bottle maker. Before any shoes could be drawn, the collection needed a design language rooted in SIGG’s Swiss heritage that could carry across running, training, and trail styles.

Process

We distilled Swiss design into four principles. Heritage looks at the sports, brands, and objects that make Switzerland a benchmark for considered design. Precision draws on the clean, lasting details of Swiss product design. Alpine takes color, texture, and gear from life in the Alps. Restraint follows Swiss graphic design and Helvetica, with simple elements, grid layouts, and careful use of negative space. Each principle pairs its sources with footwear references that show how it could translate into product, and together they set the rules for the Plus Collection.