A look inside Beni’s Red Box

These boxes are integral to the Lab’s constructed microarchitecture. They are not simply a focal point of the space; they’re rather primary tools for our designers. Each designer has at least one personal red box. So, what secrets lie in our designers' boxes? What does it say about their creative minds? Join us as we dive in and find out. 

In this interview, we speak to the designer who knows the red boxes best – Benjamin, who was tasked with designing the storage box system. More affectionately known as Beni, he is an Innovation Designer specialized in sustainability, working on future concepts at On. He has a background in product design and has been working at On for the past four years, starting as an intern. 

What’s your history with those red boxes? 

When we designed the storage boxes for the Lab, it was clear that we wanted to have one made in Switzerland that were also as sustainably produced as possible. We started by visiting the few producers who are based here. One of them produced boxes for the Swiss post office, and they already had a lot of experience recycling old boxes and feeding them into new ones. So, they became our partner, and then we had to decide on the different colors for the different parts of our office. For the ones in the Lab, we decided on red and various shades of orange, and then for the rest of the office, white. Until today, it’s still quite a nice thing that those red boxes bring color into our design office space. Back then, I was still an intern and I was tasked with ordering thousands of boxes. When they brought them by trucks – full truckloads of them – my nightmare was that the color wasn’t right. This was quite an experience as an intern, but luckily everything turned out well. 

So first question – given your history with the red boxes – why is your box grey, not red, and why do you get to have boxes with wheels? 

Good question. I'm currently testing a new set-up dedicated for personal storage with a bit more variety in box sizes and the flexibility to roll them around, especially to take them with me to the workshop. Stacked on top of each other, and on wheels it’s quite handy. 

What’s the first item that stands out when you look into your personal storage box – or boxes? 

Well, my sketchbook is always very important there. I'm not the best sketcher so it's maybe more of a notebook. I write down a lot and I take it with me if I go to visit external partners. It’s always with me. 

Do you always get the same one?

Yeah, more or less. It’s a Moleskin. And it's always a bit the same size. It's really handy, a good size, not too small. And then it goes together with pens. I love these – I always use a fine liner. They basically belong together.

How does it connect to your design process?

In my design process, I'm not so much focused on clean drawings and precise visual details. It's more about the overall concept. I’m considering where we come from in terms of raw materials and how we recycle the product. The concept is very important, and so the detailing, sketching, or digital sketching is not such an important part of my work. That's why I think the notebook is almost enough to do sketches and note down ideas and just think. That’s why it’s with me the whole time.

What’s the most unexpected item in your box and why is it there?

I have a sieve – it’s used for just sieving stuff. I do a lot of hands-on trials and prototypes and test things in the workshop. Sometimes it's a bit random what you work with because a tool just isn’t here yet. So then I’ll go to a regular store to buy stuff and just look at what could be a solution for what I’m trying to achieve. So this represents that because maybe I’ll need to filter out some fine particles and this small sieve works perfectly well.

Normally it's for tea, but…

What else can you show us?

Snacks are always good. Darvida with chocolate is my favorite. It’s good to refocus. Then, a shoe horn is also very important for footwear design. It's a bit cliché maybe, but as we work a lot with prototypes, it’s very handy. 

What’s in the box you couldn't live without, aside from the sketchbook?

Maybe the snacks, but in general, it's good to have some additional tools –  good scissors are very important. They always get lost in the workshop. Tape, a tape measure, a compass. It’s the small collection that you build up over the years.

How have the contents of your box evolved with each project? How did these boxes evolve over your time here at On?

You collect things from what you’ve worked on before. When I first joined On, I worked on spatial projects – for the office, for example – and there is still a color chart in here from the red boxes, which I don't use that much anymore, but it's still handy to have it for quick color research.

It accumulates, which is sometimes good. Like I said before with the tools, it's just good to have your stuff with you every day – especially when you work a lot with your hands, you need tools and things you can use, like some textile scraps or shoe fillers – they’re also good to keep. 

Shoe fillers?

When you buy a pair of our shoes, they come with these fillers – it's just a piece of cardboard. But if you have a presentation and you have a prototype (or a ‘monster’) without that it looks a bit sad. It doesn't have any shape. They're great and when you need one, you never find them, so it's good to have a pair in your box. 

Are there items in your box that reflect your personal interests outside of work?

There's an old Interrail ticket that I used for work, but it’s more of a way of travelling that’s personal. I try to fly as little as possible. There’s the element of sustainability there. Generally, I try to travel only by train. And for holidays too, trains are pretty nice. I used the Interrail ticket for work to go to the UK to visit a partner there. It was valid for one month and after the UK I travelled with it to Frankfurt as well. In Europe it’s a good way to get around. It costs 200 CHF, and I could go to the UK and back, into Germany and back, it's sustainable and also a cheap way of travelling. It looks a bit used.

Is there something here that you’d never let anyone borrow?

Maybe the scissors. It's hard to find scissors, and these are intended to cut textiles – I saw someone cutting some tape with them before, and that's really a no-go. And then, maybe the snacks – that’s a bit hard to share. But people know that they always find Fisherman’s Friends in my box.