“onlab – specializes in graphic design with a compelling story to tell – is not an ordinary design studio. Based in Berlin, it both works with clients and creates its own books, and operates around a single philosophy: that design is a narrative that can change how people approach the world.”
The Wall Street Journal, A. Losowsky, 31.07.2009
The Swiss graphic design agency onlab – founded in 2001 and based in Berlin, Germany – works on commissioned, collaborative as well as self initiated design projects. The focus of the commissioned work lies in editorial design and visual communication projects.
Various platforms and activities enable onlab to develop innovative approaches and strategies as well as solution-oriented and structured working methods while looking at cultural differences and similarities in a subjective manner. onlab's core strategic goal is to link content and production aesthetics with elements of topicality. onlab explores ways to stage complex content and convey relevant topics while changing and playing with common perceptions. The essence of a task and of a project is always perceived as the guide to solving and unfolding an emotional and accessible dimension to it.
Some of the main projects of onlab involved the visual identity of the city of Tramelan, the redesign of the Italian architecture magazine ”domus”, the design and conception of the German contribution to the architecture Biennale in Venice 2008 and various successful book projects.
The team is headed by Nicolas Bourquin, founder and creative director of onlab. He lives and works as a creative director and publisher in Berlin. He was born in Switzerland in 1975 where he studied graphic design at the School of Design in Biel. Nicolas was co-editor and designer of "Los, Dos and Tres Logos" and "Data Flow 1 + 2" (Gestalten). In 2003 he co-founded the independent publishing house 'etc publications'.
Since April 2010 Nicolas and Thibaud Tissot have been holding a visiting professorship at the Bauhaus Weimar. Thibaud has been on board as artistic director of onlab since 2007. He was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1984 where he studied graphic design at the Design Academy. Until 2007 he had been operating 'Dynamo', an independent platform for self initiated design projects.
Niloufar Tajeri joined onlab as managing director. She was born in Tehran in 1980 and she was trained in architecture at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. Before joining she had been operating in the field of publishing and research (Amsterdam/Rotterdam) as well as cultural management (Dubai).