Background

The Swiss Army Knife is one of Switzerland’s most iconic and famous products. Most people are familiar with the classic red design of the pocket knife known for its quality, functionality, innovation and iconic design, which bears the unmistakable Victorinox Cross&Shield. In 1884 Karl Elsener opened his first cutlery workshop in Ibach, Switzerland.

The name Victorinox is an homage to his mother Victoria combined with the name of the product’s main material: stainless steel, also known as “Inox”. In 1891 Victorinox delivered their first major order of soldier’s knives to the Swiss Army.

Brief

This year is the 10th anniversary of the much-loved Classic Limited Edition Design Contest and we celebrate this milestone with yet another exciting challenge: to create a design for our 2021 “Patterns of the World” collection. We invite you to submit designs which show your favorite pattern on the 58 mm Classic pocket knife. You can use both sides of the knife to express your Patterns of the World design idea, but you should focus primarily on the front where the Victorinox Cross&Shield logo is.

Patterns can be found everywhere in the world, across all cultures and centuries. Here are some possible directions:

• Use popular and globally known patterns or use specific local and traditional patterns
• Take inspiration from natural patterns like ice crystals, to technical patterns like flooring and façades
• An idea could come from a simple pattern like a chequerboard to a fancy fashion print

Just like Victorinox, your design should be creative, iconic and emotional. We are looking for something truly unique and inspiring, designed by you!

The competition has developed into a celebration of global creativity receiving submissions from over 60 countries in the past. Diana Mazzuca, Marketing & Communications Manager at Victorinox Canada, shares her thoughts in anticipation of Canadian submissions saying, “Canada fosters a very creative community that has had global impact; from musicians to entertainers and designers. Canada has no shortage of talent and we are confident that they will showcase unique and original submissions  for the Victorinox 10^th Classic Limited Edition Design competition.”

What can you win? 

• 10×3,000€ (Approx. $4,500 CAD) for the 10 winning designs that will go into production.
• 30×150€ (Approx. $230 CAD) if your design makes it on the shortlist.
• Prize money from a total pool of 3,000€ (Approx. $4,500 CAD) if your design makes it into the Top 10 of the community voting after the submission phase ends.
• The 10 most popular designs will be produced for the Classic Limited Edition 2021 and available in stores all around the globe.

Participants can submit their designs via the platform Jovoto. After the submission phase, global voting will take place to select the 10 projects which will finally be produced for the anniversary Classic Limited Edition 2021. Please see attached for details on the theme and submission guidelines.