Helvetiq

Founded in 2008 and based in Basel and Lausanne, HELVETIQ is a Swiss publishing house creating games and books that are playful, engaging, and thoughtfully designed. The project began with a simple observation: one of the founders realised that even Swiss friends knew surprisingly little about their own country. This led to the creation of a first interactive game about Switzerland, and laid the foundation for a catalogue built around curiosity, discovery, and playful learning.

Today, HELVETIQ publishes a wide range of children’s books, non-fiction for adults, graphic novels, and games, many of which are available in dozens of countries and multiple languages. From the outset, the team has worked with the same manufacturing partners, building long-term, trust-based relationships that allow for experimentation, dialogue, and continuous improvement.

Design sits at the core of HELVETIQ’s creative process. It is not added at the end, but shapes each project from the very beginning. Books and games are conceived to be both engaging to use and pleasant to live with, objects you enjoy having at home or giving as a gift. Rather than relying on prominent logos, the team seeks recognition through strong, distinctive cover design and visual coherence.

Sustainability is approached in a concrete and pragmatic way. HELVETIQ avoids plastic in its games whenever possible, favouring wood and paper certified by FSC. Packaging is kept as compact as possible, avoiding unnecessary empty space. Their manufacturing partners use cellulose-based wrapping and have invested in energy-efficient facilities, an approach HELVETIQ supported early on by producing some of their games there first.

We chose HELVETIQ because their books and games are original, well-designed, and easy to integrate into everyday life. Available in multiple languages, they are made to be shared, used, and enjoyed, whether outdoors, on the move, or at home.