Sarah Furrer, known as SAFU, is a Swiss illustrator and mural artist. Her illustrations are published in prominent magazines like Reportagen or Bilanz. Her murals welcome people at places such as the Zurich airport or MAZ in Lucerne. Sarah Furrer has also been teaching graphic design in Switzerland and held guest lectures at the University of Tokyo.

Illustration & Mural Art

Sarah Furrer creates illustrations that depict a wide variety of objects, people, animals, and buildings, characterized by clear black lines. Her work combines both digital and analog techniques. Inspired by mural and urban art, she often integrates illustration with graphic design.

Graphic Design & Art Direction

Whether working on a product, a person, or a topic, Furrer’s graphic design adapts to the content, shaping it with a distinct visual language. She strives for designs that not only communicate but also embody the passion and energy of the people they represent.

Education & Background

Furrer studied graphic design at the School of Art and Design in Lucerne and gained experience at various design agencies in Berlin, Bern, and Zurich. Since 2014, she has been working as a self-employed artist.
Born in Switzerland, she spent the first six years of her life in sunny San Diego before returning to Switzerland, living in Lucerne and later settling in Zurich. Her artworks reflect a rich tapestry of influences, drawn from her travels, books, magazines, daily life, and music. She merges these inspirations into a distinctive artistic style, shaping each of her projects with a unique visual identity.

Personal Highlights

2025: Invited by FUMETTO GOES CHINA to participate in a group exhibition at the Tsinghua Art Museum in Beijing, designed by Mario Botta. During her two-week stay, she will create a mural for the exhibition.

2024: Released Arigato Nippon, an illustrated travel book about Japan, which debuted at the Fumetto Comic Festival in Lucerne. The book is also featured in Deborah Enzmann’s Emojization, published by Niggli Verlag.

2023: Contributed to the Urban Art Project at Zurich Airport, painting a large-scale mural in the tunnel connecting "The Circle" with the terminals.

2019 & 2021: Featured in the Fumetto Comic Festival in Lucerne with her zines SUKSMĀ BALI and This Isn’t Happiness.

2014: Invited by the Athens Street Art Festival and the Swiss Embassy to paint a mural for a local school. The festival hosted international artists, using street art as a means to counter the prevailing crisis through creativity.

Clients

Stadt Zürich
Grün Stadt Zürich
Stadt Zürich Hochbaudepartement
Raffinerie AG für Gestaltung
Reportagen Magazin
MAZ - Institut für Journalismus und Kommunikation
Planted Foods AG
Swiss Life
Karl der Grosse
SWATCH
berry AG
Universität Luzern
SJW Schweizerisches Jugendschriftenwerk
ainiac entertainment gmbh
Zürich Flughafen
ortoloco - die Gemüsekooperative 
Les Belles de Nuit
Schulverlag Plus AG
HILTL
Sihlcity
Allianz
Comerge AG
Hive Club Zürich
Bilanz Magazin
YamaSake – Manufaktur
Stala Sett
Atelier Ushi Tamborriello
Züritipp
usw.