Chronicling 250 years of rich and radical shoemaking tradition –

The Imprints of Time

With the team at AKQA, we set out to craft an immersive digital archive that brings 250 years of BIRKENSTOCK’s history to life. We meticulously curated and categorized thousands of product, cultural, and family stories and transformed them into an interactive experience that allows users to explore rather than just consume history.
Our approach was deeply rooted in storytelling and usability. We lifted and tagged nearly a thousand pieces of visual history, designing an intuitive filtering system that dynamically reshapes the archive with every selection. This fluid interaction ensures that users can navigate seamlessly through different eras, product evolutions, fashion movements, and global influences, uncovering new narratives with each click.

As the lead designer on BIRKENSTOCK 250, I was responsible for translating the brand’s 250-year heritage into a dynamic, intuitive online archive. From the initial concept phase, I helped shape the design direction, working closely with strategists to define how storytelling and functionality could coexist. I created interactive prototypes to test narrative flows and entry points, ensuring the experience remained both exploratory and accessible.

Throughout the project, I upheld and evolved the UI design system, balancing consistency with the flexibility needed to express the rich visual language of the archive. I ensured design fidelity through detailed documentation and worked closely with developers during handoff, maintaining a guardianship role to preserve design quality through build. My attention to typographic rhythm, motion, and digital tactility helped bring the project to life as a seamless, culturally rooted user experience. The result is an experience where every image invites deeper exploration: revealing its origins, context, and connections to the broader BIRKENSTOCK legacy. The result is not just a digital museum but a living, breathing history that adapts to how users choose to explore it.