Schweizerischer Werkbund SWB
The Schweizerischer Werkbund SWB is a national association that brings together members from the design and craft professions. Its strength lies in its interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach. From this point of view, it addresses key design, cultural, social, aesthetic and economic issues.
Bonsma & Reist developed the new website in close collaboration with the Board of Directors and the management. The redesign makes strong reference to the great design tradition of the SWB with clear typography, a well-organised but dynamic layout and careful attention to detail.
The content containers have a modular structure and can be used by the website editors in various combinations. Many contributions are presented as overlays that are layered on top of each other like physical paper. This creates a reference in the digital space to the field of print production, which has always played a central role in the SWB’s 100-year history.
The centrepiece of the site is the “Werkbrief” - the digital organ of the SWB. This is where important contributions to design discourses are presented, as well as member portraits, interviews and editorial contributions on topics from architecture, design, art, photography and graphics. The articles are presented in a varied grid with different sizes, which is also an analogy to a layout in physical space.
The individual articles are again displayed as an overlay. The design is based on a magazine layout with large, striking headlines, an engaging lead and thoughtfully curated images.
BNR WEB SWB Website Werkbrief 2
Certain subsections of the page have a different use of colour for clear differentiation. For example, the agenda is displayed in a bright colour, while the archive appears in white text on a black background.
A special and very playful function is the “colour switch”. A small button at the bottom right of the page that can be used to change the entire colour palette. The individual colours are harmoniously coordinated, but can be easily adapted over time to give the site a fresh new look without much effort.
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