How to Design for a Brand

It’s a branded world, very one is thinking “brand”. Brands are an external expression of an internal culture, so developing a culture that supports the brand intent is critical. Enter the workplace, it is the theatre where the drama of the culture and brand is played out. It is very important to support the company’s ideas and culture in the office space as it affect the employees’ behaviour, the space should inspire people to work in a particular direction, the space should help the workers to be productive and relaxed.

Architects, designers say it is important to understand the brand and culture of the organisation before planning the space. You have to go back to the essence of the company, explore with the client the whole picture: the culture, the products, services, people, competition. There is an exercise designers often use: they ask the client to describe the essential concept of the company in 5 words. If you are not using physical space as a lever to further the brand and culture, you are missing an essential part of the production. The space should answer the questions: What does the company do? How does it operate? What is the company all about?

Think Multi-Layered: Brand is a multitude of different customer communications and experiences. Space should be similarly multi-layered. Using corporate colours, logos, and product imagery and messaging is just the beginning. Ingenious office design actually help businesses perform better. Productivity, morale and creativity go up. Energy bills, sick notes and resignations go down. Effective office design can increase your productivity by up to 50 per cent. Whether it’s an office fit out, commercial refurbishment or interior design project.

Examples:

Vodafone, the mobile Telecommunication giant, designed a space for its Amsterdam Headquarters that personifies the wireless work style their products are designed to provide. The workspace has no assigned desks or private offices, but plenty of space that encourages mobile workers to rub shoulders in collaboration.

Royal Caribbean, the worldwide cruise line, opened a call centre in Oregon that from the outside looks like a ship ready to sail and one the inside feels like an aloha shirt. Unlike call centres laid out as a maze of cubicle, this one is a s bright, colourful and nearly as open as a cruise ship.

The question every designer should ask him-herself before starting to work on a design : Who is using the space? How many people will be using the space? What are their needs? Their aesthetic hopes and dreams concerning their office interiors? Projected growth? Next 3, 5, 7 years? What type of office space set up would work for them? private, semi-private, public? What are their public access needs? What are the clients functionality needs and/or requirements? What are their interaction needs? What kind of work relationships and communication patterns do they have? Furniture requirements? Are they going to use existing furniture? Client’s technology usage: in house networking, teleconferencing? What kind of office storage needs, storage area needs? Filing, HVAC equipment, computer network, storage for supplies? Needs for natural light, air and view? Special acoustical requirements? So, what does good office design include? A thorough analysis of the workplace needs: square footage, storage, breakout areas, meeting rooms, audio-visual, air-conditioning, IT, kitchens, etc.

• Test fit drawings — understand how it all fits in the new space.
• Concept drawings — an overall feel and flavour of how it will look.
• Space planning — see how the new layout flows in real life.
• Finishes and fittings — textures and colours that reflect the companies brand and inspire their staff .
• Office furniture — from funky to functional, what works with design and budget .
• 3D visualisations — picture the new space with 3D walkthroughs that make the plans leap off the page.
• Working drawings — all the drawings needed to get planning permission, and to fit out the space

Feasibility studies: help decide how much office space is really needed, for now and in the future. And don’t forget things like storage space, departmental adjacencies and new ways of working.

Organisational mapping: help decide how the space is organised depending on the activities performed by the client.

Space planning and Office furniture:good space planning is a harmonious design between the physical space and the furniture.

Storage survey: helps define the kind of storage needed and where it needs to be.

Corporate identity consultation: helps define the look, the mood and the needs desired by the client.

Planning & building regulations: Building services make sure air-conditioning, heating, ventilation, lighting and telecoms requirements all work in conjunction with the space plan.

Concept drawings, 3D walkthroughs and test fit drawings: help define what the new office will look like before the job starts on site.

Building appraisals: help decide which space is more cost-effective. A full survey of the shortlisted buildings helps decide which one is right for the company.