Januery card

In collaboration

TRIBECRAFT

Year

2024

I did a nine-month full-time design internship at Tribecraft AG Zurich. Tribecraft is an interdisciplinary team of experts that develops products, strategies, and services for clients. Originally a spin-off of ETH Zurich, today Tribecraft’s innovation lab designs and engineers sustainable next-generation solutions for a wide range of industries.

Overview

Due to confidentiality agreements, I can only showcase publicly released work. However, I’m always happy to describe my contributions and the skills I developed during those projects. One example I can share is a holiday card I designed for the company’s annual New Year tradition, known in Swiss culture as the "Hole of January." Every January, they send this card to their network, each one featuring a handwritten personal message. This design reflects both cultural nuance and a personalized touch, which was central to the project.

Service

Brand Identity

Digital Design

Printing

Duration

8 Weeks

The Challenge

The central concept of the card revolves around a literal and metaphorical hole—a symbol that became the heart of the design. During internal discussions, I explored how a hole can represent a problem, a gap, or a loss, and how the act of repairing it reflects our collective responsibility for creating sustainable solutions. Inspired by Tribecraft’s mission to design for a better future, I connected this idea to the broader right to repair movement. The result was a poetic and meaningful visual concept that resonated with both the company's values and the spirit of the season.

The Solution

The card comes with a red cord that wraps around and threads through a series of holes, each hole labeled with a word related to sustainability. A simple instruction reads: "Take the cord and follow the holes, then open the card." As the recipient follows the holes in any chosen sequence, a visual pattern begins to form. Inside the folded card, the cord gradually connects a series of dots. When fully opened, the word REPAIR is revealed, intentionally formed by the cord itself. In this symbolic act, the recipient "repairs" the card through their interaction.

The Result

This poetic gesture not only reflects the idea of repair as a key pillar of sustainability, but also invites reflection. The red cord becomes a metaphor—something worth keeping, something that might one day help fix something real. A simple card, transformed into an experience that encourages thought, care, and action.