In the world of sportswear, establishing a new paradigm of innovation and performance requires the ability to anticipate cultural shifts and to move nimbly along the boundaries between sport and lifestyle. More so, it requires building a visual identity alongside the products themselves that can serve both as a symbol of belonging and ambition. How does one design a visual identity that is both effective and recognisable? How does one reconcile a brand’s essence with its need to evolve and reflect the community it represents?
For the Swiss brand On and its On Athletics Club (OAC), it has meant strengthening the athletes' sense of belonging through a clear and expressive design vision. To achieve this, the brand partnered with renowned Munich-based studio Bureau Borsche to develop a new logo and race kit for the 2025 season.
“Our aspiration working with Mirko Brosche and his team was to be at the forefront of defining a world that consumers do not expect and do not foresee”, Gérald Marolf, Chief Product Officer at On, told Domus. “What is crucial to us is having an identity behind the brand. We have people enthusiastic and proud about wearing On products because it enhances their performance, it gives them a sense of identity and belonging to a community that goes beyond us as a brand. On is about speed, technology and innovation”.
The driving force of community and teamwork sparked the creative process with Bureau Borsche, culminating in the development of a logo capable of capturing these layered ambitions. Anchored in a minimal aesthetic, the new OAC visual identity preserves the flowing curves of the running track within the lettering. This circular design graphically and conceptually encapsulates On, the club, and the athletes who are its heart. As Mirko Borsche explained, “We aimed to reflect the thought of community in a way that holds everything together”, thus evoking dynamism, progress, and movement while ensuring absolute versatility across mediums.
This open and responsive design approach does not compromise on Mirko Borsche’s stylistic identity: respecting On’s foundational philosophy and finding a language that meets the brand’s evolving needs. It has also enabled the project to effectively inhabit that increasingly fluid space between sportswear and lifestyle. As Gérald Marolf emphasized, “The challenge is to create an identity where these two areas, whose dividing line is becoming increasingly blurred, go hand in hand”.
The result catalyses an approach that speaks authentically to the spirit and community of OAC, while simultaneously expressing the strength of a partnership built on a shared vision and continuous dialogue. Furthermore, On’s relative youth as a brand enabled both parties to adopt a more experimental methodology, unencumbered by past expectations, enabling them to stay ahead of the curve and fully committed to innovation. “We can allow ourselves to work differently and without boundaries”, concludes Andreas Bozarth Fornell, Director of Footwear Design PAD at On, framing this flexibility not as a risk, but as a vital strategic asset and opportunity for the brand’s future.
Opening image: OAC new logo, courtesy On.