Helvetiq

Helvetiq is a Swiss publishing house whose name combines “Helvetia,” the Latin name for Switzerland, with “IQ.” Founded in 2008, it was created by Hadi Barkat, an entrepreneur who wanted to publish accessible books about Switzerland and its culture. From the beginning, Helvetiq positioned itself between publishing and design: its books use strong visual identities and often present practical knowledge in compact formats.

Its catalogue has included guides to Swiss institutions, customs, landscapes, and everyday life, alongside illustrated nonfiction and books for children. A recognizable example is The Swiss Book, a humorous, illustrated introduction to national habits and symbols. Helvetiq has also published titles that explain Swiss German expressions, food, geography, and history to readers who may be unfamiliar with the country. Its language list has expanded beyond Switzerland: Helvetiq publishes in French, German, English, and Italian, making local subject matter available to an international audience.

The company is equally associated with modern tabletop games. Helvetiq entered game publishing with a focus on rules that are quick to learn, components that are easy to handle, and graphic design suited to a broad family audience. Bandido, created by Martin Nedergaard Andersen and published by Helvetiq around 2016, exemplifies that approach. Players cooperate to stop a prisoner from escaping through a network of tunnels by placing cards whose paths must be blocked. The game became one of the publisher’s best-known international titles and later received a companion game, Bandida, which reverses the premise by asking players to help a prisoner escape.

Helvetiq’s games include titles such as K3, a climbing and stacking game by Philippe Proux; Toko Island, a cooperative exploration game by Jouma Games; and Trek 12, a roll-and-write expedition game by Bruno Cathala and Corentin Lebrat. These releases show the breadth of Helvetiq’s programme: it does not limit itself to one national theme or one style of play. Instead, the catalogue connects clean graphic presentation with mechanisms ranging from deduction and route building to cooperative survival and spatial planning.

Based in Switzerland, Helvetiq works with authors and designers from several countries. Its catalogue therefore links Swiss publishing to international distribution without abandoning its original subject. Whether presenting a national custom in an illustrated book or turning escape routes into a cooperative card puzzle, Helvetiq consistently treats clarity and visual communication as part of the content, not merely decoration. This combination explains why the name.