Designing Travel: The Zürich Card’s Flexible New Visual Identity

Most city passes look like something you’d shove in your wallet and forget about. The Zurich Card just got the opposite treatment—thanks to Studio Marcus Kraft, it now looks like a piece of design you actually want to show off.

The redesign is built around a stylised card shape, and it’s surprisingly versatile. On one poster it frames a moody photo, on another it morphs into a mosaic of bright squares, and online it flexes into animations. 

And yes, the typography is exactly what you’d hope for from Zurich. Clean, no-nonsense, and very much in line with the Swiss International Style—but with just enough personality to keep it from looking like Helvetica’s sensible cousin.

The type works hard, the layout feels modular, and everything connects back to Zurich Tourism’s broader identity system (also created by the same studio, back in 2017).

The visuals have rolled out everywhere: tram wraps, giant posters, social feeds, digital screens, video clips, even the Zurich City Guide app. It’s cohesive without being boring—which is kind of the holy grail of tourism branding.

And here’s the kicker: the Zurich Card itself just leveled up. Alongside free transport and discounts, it now offers free admission to almost every museum in Zurich. Pair that with the new design and suddenly the card feels less like a ticket and more like a cultural invitation.

“The new design creates a visual stage to showcase the numerous benefits of the Zürich Card in an even more emotional and flexible way: from free admission to museums and free travel on public transport to discounts on tours and experiences,” says Janine Rupf, Head of Marketing at Zurich Tourism.

In true Swiss fashion, the whole thing is neat, rational, and ridiculously well put together—but it also has warmth and flexibility. It’s proof that even something as mundane as a city pass can double as a design object.

See the full announcement from Studio Markus Kraft here

Alex Harper

Alex Harper is a web designer and UX specialist with 8+ years of experience creating intuitive, user-friendly digital experiences. Known for blending creativity with functionality, Alex helps brands turn ideas into seamless designs that engage and inspire.