PROJECTION
ECAL is proud to announce the selection of three films by its recent graduates at the 2025 edition of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF).
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Elric Petit
As part of the CITY TREES project, students were invited to design an object in connection with a tree of their choice within the urban landscape of Lausanne. Drawing inspiration from dendrology, they observed an existing tree and envisioned a subtle, respectful, and reversible intervention. The aim was to highlight the unique characteristics of the tree while ensuring the project harmoniously blended into its surroundings.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Christophe Guberan
In collaboration with a local craftsman, the students designed a reusable packaging solution suitable for production in a little series. The project aimed to enhance the value of an everyday food product while addressing current challenges related to transport, sustainability, and the second life of packaging. The intervention had to be simple, functional, and eco-friendly, offering a purpose beyond its original packaging function.
FILM STUDIES
with Benoit Rossel
The 2025 documentary film workshop for 1st year students was lead by french swiss director Benoit Rossel.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Natacha Lesueur
Documenteur – The Power of the Fake Based on projects developed around a common theme, students create a personal and in-depth body of work exploring the notion of deception. They build a project that plays with the boundaries of photographic truth, using the medium as an artifice of lies.
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
The graduation ceremony held on 27 June 2025 was also an opportunity to highlight many diploma projects through the awarding of Grants and Prizes. Congratulations to all the graduates and award winners!
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
Sara de Brito Faustino and Aline Savioz, respectively a graduate and student of the Bachelor's programme in Photography at ECAL, are among the winners of the 2025 edition of the prestigious Dior Prize for Photography and Visual Arts for Young Talents.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Maxime Guyon
OBI: Object Brochure Investigation More than just a store, OBI has become an integral part of local history. This Renens landmark also maintains a close link with ECAL, serving as a landmark and source of inspiration for its students. In fact, there is an architectural filiation between the two: Jean Tschumi's son, Bernard Tschumi, is the architect who designed the ECAL's renovation. This generational dialogue further strengthens OBI's place in students' visual and creative imaginations. OBI embodies the spirit of “Do It Yourself” (DIY), a concept that emerged in 1968 under the impetus of Stewart Brand, founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, an alternative publication born of his exploration under 200 micrograms of LSD. The DIY movement advocated an alternative lifestyle and resistance to hyper-consumption. Today, this philosophy is far removed from that embodied by OBI, considered to be a mass-market store. This paradox will be the focus of this semester's project. Since DIY has been structured around a publication, students will come full circle by producing an OBI-inspired edition of their own.
PHOTOGRAPHY
with Matthieu Gafsou
This year's “Documentary Practices” course is devoted to a territory that is very close to us and, in a way for most of us, very far away: the countryside. For a city-dweller, the countryside is an out-of-town territory where you can go for a walk, where there are farmers, fields and forests. Recent votes in Switzerland testify to a considerable widening of the gap between town and country: the far right would be the place of rurality, while the left would be urban. This territory is not only topologically different from the city, but also seems to be inhabited by people whose lifestyles and thinking are at odds with the city. The reality, however, is obviously more complex and resists such simplification.
OTHER
Dedicated to young graduates and professionals alike, the “ECAL Talent Day” event aims to build bridges between training and working life by offering the opportunity to forge links.
PRODUCT DESIGN
with Christophe Guberan
‘Stool Story’ invited students to explore innovative, re-contextualised, or intriguing materials and production techniques to create a simple yet fundamentally structural typology: the stool. Each process was documented through a short, vertically formatted video. The result is a range of stools, each demonstrating a unique perspective and approach.
EXHIBITIONS
ECAL is taking part in the 2025 edition of 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen with the project Sound & Vision, created in collaboration with Swedish brand Offecct.
PARTNERSHIP
To celebrate the collaboration between the three branches of government, the Vaud Parliament is unveiling its very first vintage wine – adorned with a label designed by ECAL.
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
Following the nomination of 28 of its graduates as finalists for the Swiss Design Awards 2025, ECAL is proud to announce that 13 have been awarded this prestigious distinction by the Federal Office of Culture. This strong representation once again demonstrates the quality and diversity of the talent trained at the university
FOUNDATION YEAR
with Sylvain Meltz
Introduction to moving images and animation (video, kinetics, etc.) using After Effect.
EXHIBITIONS
On the occasion of Design Days 2025, ECAL presents HOMEWORKS, a new collection born from its collaboration with micasa.
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
The animated short film Qui part à la chasse by ECAL graduate Léa Favre has been selected for the official competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
EXHIBITIONS
ECAL teams up with trail running brand NNormal for a unique photography project that blends visual exploration with pushing physical and creative boundaries. Inspired by the mountains, this collaboration invites students to challenge conventions through technical precision, immersion in nature and bold imagination.
FILM STUDIES
with Radu Jude
<meta charset="UTF-8">On the first year of their Master degree, students embark on a “Grand Voyage” to discover the region and a filmmaker. In 2025, they went to Romania.
MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN
with Valerio Meschi
During the Realtime Narratives course, second-year students had to create a real-time narrative experience using Unreal Engine software. The aim of the project was to raise students awareness of the use of 3D realtime engines and the various links with other software specific to each stage of development.
PARTNERSHIP
HOMEWORKS: a limited collection designed by ECAL's Bachelor of Industrial Design programme for the swiss brand micasa
EXHIBITIONS
On the occasion of the Mapping Festival 2025, ECAL presents three Bachelor Media & Interaction Design diploma projects as well as the ECAL 360 LAB.
EXHIBITIONS
ECAL is taking part in the 2025 Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne with a selection of projects by its students, graduates and faculty members, along with several contributions to the event’s conference programme.
SHOP
ECAL invites you to its major editorial archive sale, accompanied by the launch of the new issue of its magazine Offline, on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, from 5 PM to 7 PM at ECAL.
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
Congratulations to artist Lucas Erin, ECAL graduate, who has been awarded the 2025 Manor Cultural Prize for the canton of Vaud. The jury was impressed by his approach, both precise and poetic.
EXHIBITIONS
Pipistrelles, Serotines, and Bachelor Fine Arts students gather at Cinéma Bellevaux for an evening of performances, screenings, and sounds emerging from the invisible.
EXHIBITIONS
On the occasion of Offprint London 2024 at Tate Modern, ECAL presents a selection of its latest publications
PARTNERSHIP
When gastronomy meets design to elevate the dining experience
PARTNERSHIP
HUG: ECAL's Swiss chair for the World Expo 2025 in Osaka from 13 April to 13 October 2025.
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
Klaudia Reynicke and Mégane Brügger win the ‘Best Feature Film’ and ‘Best Graduation Film’ awards respectively.
Learn more about projects and activities
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