The ZAG Winterthur, the Center for Healthcare Education, was newly opened in 2023. Within my role as a subcontractor for Onari Projects, I had the unique opportunity to support the design process and implement the signage and wayfinding for this outstanding project.

The origins of this project stem from a fundamental question: Is there a more cost-effective method to achieve the visual aesthetics of an embossed metal plate? At that time, I was coincidentally involved in a project at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) that involved the use of a deep-drawing machine. It seemed natural to propose this innovative technique as an alternative. Compared to traditional sheet metal embossing, deep drawing required no expensive tools, and both the design process and the production of the final tools could be efficiently accomplished using materials such as acrylic glass or milled MDF. After numerous attempts, it became clear that the aesthetics achieved aligned with our high standards. In a further step, we even began to use 3D scans and scaling to create standalone objects for floor numbering.

This project represents an extremely enriching collaboration between the fields of visual design and industrial design.