Bongénie and Grieder

For over 130 years, this family business has cultivated an image of refinement and boldness. An iconic brand in Switzerland, it has been able to anticipate fashions, revisit certain codes and establish itself as a veritable showcase of elegance.

To be consistent with its new strategic positioning, Bongénie is adopting a new visual identity. The aim of this change is to become immediately recognisable, while addressing its target groups in a relevant and captivating way. In this way, the Group is seeking to increase its attractiveness and position itself confidently in the face of competition and market demands. Unifying communications across the different regions is also essential to strengthening the brand’s image both nationally and internationally. We collaborated on this project with the Geneva-based studio Base Design, a global branding strategy agency with offices in Brussels, New York, and Melbourne. Base Design partnered with Bongénie Grieder on this major brand and strategy refresh, modernizing its image while preserving its essence.

New logo
This metamorphosis is reflected first and foremost in the evolution of the logo. Faithful to the company’s DNA, it has been designed with subtle changes in the graphics, inspired mainly by Bongénie’s personality and history. The result is an image that is both minimalist and contemporary, characterised by refined typography. This aesthetic aims to reflect the brand’s timeless elegance, emphasising attention to de-tail, while symbolising its heritage across generations. The new visual identity uses two typographies to express the brand’s vision and ensure consistency between all the elements. The main typeface, tailor-made for the logo, and the secondary typeface, in the Helvetic style, anchor the brand in the contemporary period. This evolution is also reflected in the introduction of a signature colour. Historically, the Bongénie brand has been associated with blue. This colour is now taking on greater intensity, becoming a powerful identity marker and creating a common thread that makes the brand shine in the fashion landscape through its new campaign: A Blue Point of View.

Design of the monogram
The «B» monogram is a recognisable element of the Bongénie brand. It can replace the logo or be used as an illustrative graphic element. While the Bongénie logo is present on all media as the brand’s signature, the monogram appears in certain contexts, such as on our social networks and on our packaging.

Brand architecture
The company aims to position itself in a tangible way as a group that brings together its different activities. This strategic determination has led management to adopt a single signature: BONGÉNIE. Brand architecture, which organises the relationships between the main brand, the sub-brands and the products and services, is of crucial importance for any company. Within the Brunschwig Group, Bongénie is now positioned as the central entity, bringing together all the sub-brands and departments. BG Outlet becomes Bongénie Outlet, while BG Café takes up the name Bongénie Café (except for the new Zurich restaurant, ÉMILE). This change also extends to its various branches inaugurating Bongénie Beauté or Petit Bongénie for the children’s area. The introduction of a new visual identity marks the star-ting point for bringing all the stores together under a single brand: BONGÉNIE. In German-speaking Switzerland, GRIE-DER stores become BONGÉNIE.

New online shop
More images and greater diversity of content: the architec-ture of the bongenie.ch and outlet.bongenie.ch websites has also undergone a major overhaul. In perfect harmony with its new visual identity, Bongénie is unveiling its new online shops, combining aesthetics and fluid navigation, both on desktop and mobile. These platforms embody the brand experience that Bongénie represents, offering enhanced performance for optimised browsing speed and strengthening the omnichannel customer experience. This evolution invites users to immerse themselves fully in the brand’s universe, navigating between news, brands, and trends, and offering direct contact to answer web users’ questions.

From 3 September, this new identity will be deployed across all our physical shops (signs, signage, etc.) in French- and German-speaking Switzerland and online, our packaging (shopping bags, packaging, etc.) and all other communication media. This roll-out is part of the major works underway within our company and our move from the Zurich shop to new premises.

 On 1^st December, the prestigious GRIEDER shop is moving! It will be closing the doors of its emblematic address on Paradeplatz to begin a new chapter, located a few hundred metres below, at Bahnhofstrasse 3, opposite the charming Bürkliplatz. This district, which the city of Zurich is aiming to revitalise, will now be home to a new temple to fashion and trends: BONGÉNIE

The new shop will feature almost 4,000 square metres of sales and service space, including 220 square metres dedicated to a restaurant and lounge. All in all, a slightly larger surface area than the current store, but above all an airy, light-filled space that will allow traffic to flow more freely. 

The emphasis is on the use of noble, local materials, selected from within a 400-kilometre radius, in line with the LEED project (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Chestnut wood from Ticino will be used for the parquet flooring on the mezzanine and first floor, while the ground floor and basement will be clad in ash and taupe travertine. The furniture will be made from natural, lacquered or stained ash. The spacious fitting rooms will feature comfortable furniture, inviting you to relax in an airy atmosphere, carefully lit by natural daylight.

This new location provides an opportunity to reinvent the store, to develop new concepts and tell a story, in a space that is more conducive to staging. The planned expansion will focus mainly on the home, footwear, children’s, perfume and beauty sectors. New areas will be dedicated to long-standing partners such as Chanel, Akris, Chloé, Eres and Brunello Cucinelli, while a host of other renowned brands will be welcomed to the show, expanding the range of products on display. Visitors will also be treated to a host of surprises, including exclusive events and high-profile partnerships. The aim is not only to promote Bongénie’s history and expertise, but also to illustrate its ability to anticipate trends, evolve commercially, and offer an authentic vision of fashion, far from flashy artifice. It is this uniqueness that contributes to the strength and longevity of Bongénie.The ÉMILE restaurant and lounge, warm and welcoming both day and night, will be decorated with materials such as wood, leather and velvet, and will offer original menus. Customer service will be enhanced, with concierge services, valet parking, private shopping and fashion advice, as well as a courier service.