A look inside Eva’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 with Eva, Senior Color Design Lead who has been with On for nearly six years. Eva oversees On’s holistic color strategy on the full footwear range, driving aesthetics and conceptual color concepts. 

What’s the first item that stands out when you look into your box?

Half of a Rawbite bar that I forgot to finish. I have them sometimes when I want to go for a run at lunch and I'm already starving. I need a bit of fuel before. But then this one I forgot. Maybe there was no more time to finish it in the afternoon because of all the meetings.

What else can we discover in your box? 

I have so many things in the box. I have presents in here, I have old materials from the trash, I have my stone collection, which I had at my desk, but since we moved desks, I haven’t unpacked it.

Tell us more. 

Colleagues at work have learned that I like stones. I find them very inspiring. So people started bringing me stones from anywhere they’ve gone on holiday. Some are super special, and given for color inspiration – clearly! I also have a few at home and the collection is just growing. I don't even know exactly where each one is from anymore. They inspire me how nature shows up and what we could apply on some of our products, for example as color blocking. I think of these as treasures from nature that you can collect while just looking around.

Are there specific items in your box that serve as inspiration or connect to your function at On? 

I have a collection of interesting packaging. In a box within the box. Someone gave me this bar of chocolate, and I found the label had this nice color combo. Similar to the stone collection, I find certain things somehow interesting or inspiring, especially if they’re detailed and precise.

Or this Krispy Kreme hat from my first trip to New York. We went there for research last September. When we went to this donut shop, I just found this logo cool and I thought it could inspire a graphic for a shoe or something. 

I also have a shoe collection, worn and unworn. A lot are black and white, which might seem unconventional for a Color Designer. I often find them the most interesting, but I'm not sure why – maybe because of the high color contrast? Some of them are archive pieces, others are projects that were never launched. If I cycle to work and my shoes are wet, then I can pick from my private archives when I arrive and I turn to my red box.

Explain the bundle of shoelaces.

I wouldn’t want to throw away the shoelaces we receive as part of the development process. I thought one day I can create something out of the laces, so I just collect them.

What’s the smallest item in your box?

The magnifying glass? This is more to have a closer look at materials if you want to see how a material is made, how many threads it has.

If you box would have another color, which color would that be?

Sky Blue.

Very quick to answer. Have you thought about this before? 

No, but I just imagine this material being nice in that color. Half transparent, not solid. 

What is the most unexpected item in your box?

The incense sticks? I wanted to give them to a friend, but she didn’t like the scent – so I took it to the office to give to somebody here. But now instead, they just live in my box and everything I have in there smells like them. I use a lot of scents at home as well. I enjoy a clean atmosphere. Strong senses, whether smell or sight, can be an advantage, but at the same time also a disadvantage – you feel things stronger, but it is equally hard not to let everything in.

Is there anything you specifically connect to your own design philosophy?

I'm working best when I can create collages. It  could be a mood board if it was digital, but since this is the 3D world we are in, I like to lay things physically out and connect them together. It comes back to the strong senses – I’m a very tactile person.   

Is there something in your box you could not live without? 

Obviously I forgot about quite a few items, so I think I could live without what’s in this box. Except for the stone collection maybe. That’s probably my favorite item of the box and I would be really sad if it was gone. But other than that, it’s a bit of an indefinite storage in my case. 

I also still have super old things I never wanted to trash. Once, we collaborated with Bang & Olufsen, and I made these sketches. It's like a memory box that might inspire something new again.  

You connect everything.

Yes. I'm proud of my trash. I collect and then I give things away. It goes in circles. It's with everything. Someone else's trash is my treasure. 

Are you still going to eat this protein bar?

Yes. This gets eaten today.