Graphic Design + Architecture: A 20th-Century History, by Richard Poulin is an engaging read and an essential tool in understanding the relationship between the two unique yet very connected disciplines. In short the book is the first historical overview of twentieth-century graphic design in the built environment. It explores the in-depth relationship between typography, image, symbolism, and the built environment by examining principal themes, significant technological developments, important manufacturers, and innovative designers over the last 100 years. Since hitting the shelfs in 2012 Richard’s book has quickly become an essential read for design students and professionals alike. We would recommend this thorough and highly enjoyable book to all our creative friends out there.

Poulin will be a featured speaker at the 2013 SEGD Conference (June 6-8) in San Francisco. In his Friday, June 7, presentation, he’ll take a slightly different approach to the history of EGD, focusing on the five “Game Changers” who have been key figures in positioning EGD as a discipline and a practice today. If you’re lucky enough to be in attendance or making the journey to Above The Fog, his talk is not to be missed!

Being highly involved in the world of EGD, environmental graphic design, BrandCulture are always in search of resources that help educate and communicate those interested in such a creative world. We love what we do and enjoy learning more about our amazing industry so we can help translate such knowledge into helping our clients thrive through delivering well executed projects with character and life.

A professional walks into an office and thinks, “This is somewhere I want to work”, instead of “oh well, this is somewhere I have to work”.

They got the job and after a couple of months they’re really enjoying everyday in their new found office; becoming increasingly aware of the history, values and vision for the company. Great so far…

They find out there’s a good possibility a transfer is in order, so they talk to their HR contact and tells them they love where they live, really enjoy where they’re working and don’t want to move anywhere. Fortunately the HR contact is aware of the CEO’s vision – to create a stable working environment with happier (more profitable) employees,

so agrees that they can spend 4 days working from their current office and only one day interstate. Still looking good…

The employee is overwhelmed with everything going their way and starts to make plans to have a family and settle down. Knowing that starting a family is rather expensive and in order to do so he or she needs to earn more money, they ask their HR contact how they can move up the corporate ladder quickly. A learning and mentoring program is put in place and they excel expectations. Within 5 years they achieve everything they set out to do. Could life get better they think?

BUT then…Actually there is no ‘but then’, this isn’t the joke with the inevitable crippling punch line anymore, it’s the security and culture most corporations offer their employees. Brand cultures that actually ‘walk the talk’ and live by their brand values, appreciate their heritage and are driven by the CEOs vision…

So a customer walks into an office and is greeted by an enthusiastic, positive, well informed employee of that company and thinks “thank goodness I walked into this place.”

It makes all the difference when you interact with people who love what they do. Building a brand culture within your organisation has to start somewhere, be the person who starts the ball rolling, talk to your HR contact, ask your boss, take the initiative and make a real difference in not only your life but that of everyone around you.

Think about your values, think how you can make a difference both personally, socially and in the working environment, then give us a call.

Are You Going to San Francisco?

When our MD, Stephen Minning returned from his recent Society of Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD) Board of Directors meeting in San Francisco, he felt a sense of pride being part of such an inspirational group of people at the forefront of this innovative and cutting edge medium. We are already planning the next trip to San Francisco for the “Above the Fog” conference June 6-8 for an exceptional three-day event to celebrate environmental graphic design (EGD).

With its theme inspired by the famous fog that descends on the San Francisco Bay, the 2013 SEGD Conference will provoke participants to look above and beyond, be inspired, and connect with designers, artists, planners, makers, and global thinkers from around the world. Through diverse conversations and innovative perspectives on culture, art, and design, the focus will be on the design strategies, visions, and new ideas that take you Above the Fog and into the blue sky. 

The event will include a great line up of experiential tours, knowledge sharing, inspirational speakers (see list below) so if you want to know what the future holds and be part of this trend in the built environment then go talk to your boss or HR manager and get inspired in an amazingly creative city! 

Here is a teaser as to what to expect….

Thursday 6 June
- Practice & Purpose Leadership Summit
& Project Tours
- SEGD Academic Summit
 Workshops: Technology, Accessibility, and Documentation

- Design Improv
- President’s Reception


Friday 7 June
- Breakfast + Registration + NEXPO
Urban Metadata: Culture: Context, and Constructs
- Lunch + NEXPO
Urban Experience: Ephemera, Exploration, Empathy
- Cocktail Reception + SEGD Auction for Education

Saturday 8 June
- Breakfast
- Global Impact: Into the Blue Sky: Global Design Visions
- Lunch + SEGD Fellow and Excellence Awards
Trending the Future: Above and Beyond- Reception + SEGD Global Design Awards

To find out more about joining this wonderful experience‘Above the fog’

please click here…

LIST OF EVENT SPEAKERS

John Bielenberg - Future
Claudia Boggio – Infinito
Anne Burdick – Art Center College of Design
Alfredo Burga – Infinito
Ben Davis – Words Pictures Ideas
Chris Downey – Architecture for the Blind
Vince Frost – Frost* Design
Nik Hafermaas – Art Center College of Design/UEBERSEE
Natasha Jen – Pentagram
Tim Kobe – Eight Inc.
Sascha Lobe – L2M3 Kommunikationsdesign GmbH
Christian Moeller – Christian Moeller Studio
Tom Rockwell – Exploratorium
Tim Smith -Tim Smith Design

A message to all; Architects, Graphic, Interior & Retail Designers, Industrial & Digital Designers, Branding & Experience Consultants, Fabrication & Production Specialists and Design Educators…

SEGD – THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE, WORKING AT THE INTERSECTION OF COMMUNICATION DESIGN & THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT…  ARE TURNING 40!

YOU MAY ASK – WHO ARE SEGD?

SEGD (The Society of Environmental Graphic Design) has helped foster the discipline of Environmental Graphic Design globally and as a defining educator delivers public awareness, design excellence, standards of practice, research, collaboration & community.

This forward thinking organisation has more than 1,600 members in 33 countries who work in the planning, design, fabrication, and implementation of communications in the built environment. BrandCulture is a proud member and our work has been recognised through their awards program for the last 3 years consecutively. These include Sydney Water, UTS and Multiplex projects.

We are proud to announce our MD, Stephen Minning has been appointed to the Board of Directors,

along with other elite industry professionals to name a few; Moira Gemmill (V&A Museum), Graham Hanson (Graham Hanson Design) Alex Wood (Holmes Wood), Gary Stemler (Archetype). Stephen is looking forward to embracing this opportunity and collaborating with SEGD’s new CEO Clive Roux.

We’ve been exceptionally busy of late, alongside our commitments to our clients we’ve overhauled our brand, values and vision to deliver a comprehensive, professional and inspiring offer… we hope you

will b inspired.

Most importantly, we have strived to align our online presence with who we are as an organisation and the services we provide.

We are now in an even better position to add considerable value to your next project and we’d love the opportunity to show you how.

BrandCulture is a multi-award winning design firm with a passion for branding, environmental graphics and wayfinding so take a look at the 7 things you should know about BrandCulture…

BrandCulture actively participates in social media, you can find our thoughts and news, project updates and industry conversations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. We would like to take you on a wonderful journey, so join us on the BrandCulture ride…

MLC Heritage Stairwell

BrandCulture has had great pleasure in developing heritage works for some of Australia’s leading brands, either as a stand-alone commission or as part of an integrated environmental graphic design project. We have been uniquely positioned (with our deep experience in branding, environments and wayfinding) to uncover, create and deliver both sensitive and inspiring results.

We collaborate with architects, interior designers and other stakeholders to create a surface skin that enhances and educates within the environment and with this have developed working methodologies that enable us to uncover insights that

todays employees and their visitors connect with. We deliver them graphically in ways that recognises the past and brings the environment to life, on time, on brand and importantly on budget.

BrandCulture’s Managing Director, Stephen Minning was selected to be on the judging panel for this years Wayfinding category in the Sydney Design Awards 2012. Stephen will join a panel of influential and highly recognised elite industry experts, to apraise the designs which will show diversity and culture of the Sydney design industry. Following the success

of the Melbourne Design Awards over the past 3 years, Sydney can now join in with it’s first round and we look forward to being part of the wonderful, high level of design and celebrating those who produce excellent design works.

Key Dates
15 October – Extended date -Entries close

19 October – Judging panel session
30 October – Finalists announced
12 November – Public voting closes

21 November – Awards Night & Design Christmas Party

Some of the BC team were fortunate enough to attend the

latest AGDA NSW talk last week by Damian Borchok, CEO Interbrand Australia and New Zealand. A full house clearly filled with Sydney’s design industry leaders expectant to hear how arguably one of the regions most progressive studio’s is run.

It proved both insightful and comforting to note how many of our own policies align as he talked through 9 key principles for running a successful studio. We thought we’d share a couple of the key ones with you. 

Principle #5 was around current best practices that challenge the status quo for competitive advantage. Not just for design but for ‘designing’ better businesses.

Depending on the way you look at it, today is a scary or exhilarating time for companies and brands. On the one hand you’ve got old business models that are slow to change or adapt to opportunities and we’re seeing many cases of mergers, take overs and bankruptcy. On the other hand there’s the opportunity to develop something truly unique, powerful and fluid that can adapt or deliver to the ever increasing and changing demands of the consumer. Businesses with safe, familiar and commoditised offers that blend in to their competitive environment vs extraordinary potential, extraordinary brands and extraordinary financial returns that operate on a whole different level, across categories or indeed defining new categories.

One example that Damian offered for instance, was if you were selling orange juice, you’d probably look at your competitors and develop a very similar looking pack – same size pack, translucent (and therefore orange colour), have a picture of an orange and maybe a glass or juice and your logo on the top. But why? You need to stand for something and be totally single minded about it. In the industry we’ve seen it a million times when great concepts go into testing they get sanitized to an incredible degree because the research group confirm that is what consumers expect to see (its effectively looking back not forward) so it doesn’t open doors to what might be, because consumers don’t know until you show them (sometimes they don’t even realize how profound the change is when you do show them). For a brand owner/manager it takes clarity, commitment and bravery but what if your juice had none of those attributes it just had one single point of difference and a powerful brand, indeed the whole company from end-to-end were built around it, inviting a very different ‘tribe’ to belong, to trial, to imagine or escape the norm and stand out?? I don’t like using Apple as they’ve become such a cliche but they are the benchmark example of this strategy right now.

When a brand authentically stands for something – it’s powerful and believable. And you build a single minded proposition into everything about the brand from the staff you hire, the manufacturing or service setup to the more visible brand marketing. And everything is qualified against if it aligns with this proposition??

Principle #6 was concerned with building a team of the best ‘big talent’ and of course how to manage the friction that often occurs when a number of big egos and strong voices are on the same team. Focussing on the big talent, Damian noted that people in any business are the power. You have to have top people on your bench. It makes going in to pitch, to present, to lead is much easier. Knowing they are committed, visionary and got your back. It allows you to step back and let them do what they do best and what follows are both surprising and brilliant results. Having a great business model = great work = sustains great people.

In summing up: the key takeout to running a successful studio and doing extraordinary work was:
Decide what you want to be, Find talent to bring it to life, Get brilliant at getting work, Make sure nothing gets in the way and don’t stop!

Food for thought.
Jeremy Tombs, Design Director

We all know the loyalty of mans best friend. Should you take care of your dog it will follow you to the end of the earth and back. They learn from us and we learn from them, they do what we ask (most of the time) and we comply with their requests for food and walkies…It’s this reciprocal connection that keeps the owner and his/her tail-wagger together.

So when it comes to the daily grind, do you feel the connection between yourself and the company you work for? Do you feel like staying together? In an article by Padma Iyer of The Australian, it seems like the answer is no, in most cases. As the title suggests, loyalty is passe, we more than ever seem to be in search of a work place that holds our common interests and values at heart. According to the article a good percentage of employees are itching to get out of their organisations and reach out for another workplace who has a corporate culture worthy of working in or another set of values similar to theirs.

BrandCulture have always stressed the importance of aligning the beliefs and values of their employees and clients, to that of

their own. Whether we are working on a wayfinding project, environmental graphics or branding, it is our objective to ensure we not only exceed expectations but make sure everyone involved are on the same page.

Your values and beliefs are important, they are a critical influence in your day to day decision making so it’s no wonder why, you should want to work for a company that understands and respects them.

The above image is by Seth Casteel, a creative photographer specialising in lifestyle pet photography.

We are happy to announce another SEGD award win 2012 for our wonderful design project Sydney Water – Potts Hill. 

Among 387 entries, only 10

were selected for Merit recognition, we were one of them.

Judges Comments
“This project reminds us of the role that civic institutions play in creating community. By referencing both the historical and the environmental role of the reservoir, the project invites the people of Sydney to reflect on their shared relationship to both.”

“The simple dot treatment of the wayfinding typography establishes solid design language to make it appropriately clever without being cliché, whether it’s the look of water drops or punched tin.”

Founded in 1973, SEGD (the Society for Environmental Graphic Design) is the global community of people working at the intersection of communication design and the built environment. Through educational programs, research, and publications, SEGD’s mission is to provide learning opportunities and resources for professionals involved in EGD, promote the importance of the discipline in establishing place, and continue to refine standards of practice for the field.

Last night BrandCulture were participating in the inaugural DMI Nightout Sydney, one of 12 events organised in cities around the

world this month.

Gathered for a relaxed evening at COFA were senior representatives from a broad spectrum of design including architects, product designers, graphic designers, academics and more. The evening delivered insights, discussion and healthy debate around the topic of ‘Inspiring, design entrepreneurship (and intrapreneurship): initiative, innovation and risk’.

One of the many questions posed was: What do you think makes the design industry unique in this country?

Many views were put forward around this question but by far the most popular revolved around the notion that Australia is a young melting pot of influences that being geographically distant from many of the design capitals of the world, makes it an ideal test bed for ideas. We’re pragmatic, resourceful and being a comparatively small market means we can respond quickly to trends and challenges… With the world today being so connected, we have a wonderful opportunity and responsibility to embrace and use design innovation to elevate the industry here to a whole new and truly global level.

Do you agree? Disagree? Have your own theory?

If this kind of event sounds like your thing, maybe we’ll see you at the next one.

For those not familiar, the DMI or Design Management Institute is a global body that connects the world’s design leaders to the inspiration, knowledge and community that they need to succeed. Nightout events aim to do this on a local level. For more info including dates for future events, see www.dmi.org

The above image is the founding members of the Justice League, an organization comprised of the world’s most powerful super-heroes dedicated to fighting crime and injustice! Sure super hero stories are aimed at guiding our youth, but they contain the core beliefs and values that make the world a better place.

So what’s the protocol when you work for a business, large or small? Where do we draw the line in the sand so to speak, is your conscience a clear reflection of the business you work in, can a corporation have a social conscience?

CSR –

Corporate social responsibility or otherwise known as corporate conscience is a major influence in not only the design industry but the way we operate on a day-to-day basis. In a perfect world corporations would all employ a CSR policy that would not just ‘sugar coat’ business activities to make them look good but would implement effective policies that in turn would influence the way they do business and thus have a positive bearing on todays major issues such as poverty, education, sustainability, ethics, globalisation, governance, responsible finance etc… However this is not a perfect world and profitability is the driving force and ultimate goal of most CEO’s, which is scary considering some organisations hold more power than most governments. They are better synchronized, faster to make decisions, and possess more tools to influence and change the economy and in turn effect all of us, now more than ever before.

We highlighted the importance of good design (previous post – ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’) and the ability to incorporate creative thinking to solve a common problem, ‘sustainability’ being the number one priority in the public eye right now, and for good reason. Good design equals a smarter choice, better internal and external support and solid longevity of these decisions being made in the process. For a long time, and speaking very generally here, companies would keep their CSR policies private and feed the masses with propaganda through the media which was in a big part controlled by those exact companies (partly through their advertising budget). Over the last decade or so, the power of the media is slowly filtering back to the individual, people power is on the rise and the ‘little guys’ have a voice through social media where we get to decide on what’s interesting and important. This is making companies take CSR much more seriously, anyone can be a whistleblower and the smallest problem can shoot to the top of the media in hours.

We are in a world that questions company motives, there was a time where the end product was all that mattered, the process was their intellectual property, and over saturation of big brands seemed imminent, Nike was made cool through celebrities (looking for yet another pay cheque), but did we ever question where and how our football boots were made? Some of us maybe but most were just happy to be wearing the same shoes as Michael Jordan. If you’re actually interested in Nikes CSR check out their website, they’ve designed a page dedicated to their efforts on creating a more sustainable brand.

Where do we fit in, Brandculture that is?  We constantly strive to impart wisdom through our design process, our objective is to add heart, soul and culture into an environment, resulting in the observer to stop, think and understand the importance of the companies identity and their own, building brand values through story telling. Brandculture has a solid CSR model in place, we understand the importance of having one, we continue to utilize sustainable design when it comes to all of our projects through sharing knwledge, choice in materiality and production processes. We endeavour to instil a better level of social conscience and try to encourage lateral thinking through our work, actively engaging all employees to be a part of the outcome.

One hundred percent sustainability in a business is unattainable, however good design and creative thinking are both valuable tools in the composition of Corporate Social Responsibility, both powerful ingredients in the fight for a more sustainable future. We were humbled by the opportunity to partake in work for the AHRC – Australian Human Rights Commission, the project was titled ‘Every Voice’, a powerful testament to what they do as an organisation. Most of our projects incapsulate these ideals in communicating good brand values to create a better work place and social conscience.

You are responsible for your own actions, don’t abdicate responsibility, you have the ability to create change for the better, small and large. Your voice might is not insignificant but one of many, you can alter our world for the greater good of mankind……

Manipulated image referenced above is a Tex Avery illustration (he made Little Red Riding hood sexy, think of  ’Who Framed Roger Rabbit’)

It’s time to re-evaluate the status quo, time to tap into our roots and discover what it really means to design…So the destructive process of planned obsolescence isn’t really getting us anywhere (see last post ‘how long will it last…) let’s discuss the importance of good sustainable design. Design that is no longer about

‘patching’ up a problem (physical or economical), design that isn’t focused on consumption as its primary objective but design that concentrates less on the material and more towards lateral thinking.

We mentioned a couple of products in the last post that were good examples of ‘Heirloom Design’, products built to last and attain their desirability over time, however it should be noted that when creating such a product a certain type of thought process is implemented. We at BrandCulture understand the importance of creative thinking, we know design has the ability to transcend beyond a physical object and in to the subconscious. Design is more than just the aesthetic, it must be functional, evoke emotion, adapt and ultimately solve a common problem with a sustainable solution.

Take the two projects we did for Sydney Water for example. Without going into the jobs in to much detail (Potts Hill & Parramatta) the objective was to not just create ‘pretty’ pictures on any given wall, sure it’s nice to have something to look at it in the work place but there has to be meaning behind it, it has to have purpose. This purpose should then give birth to emotion and help the observer find the connection or relationship between his or her environment. It instills a sense of identity and thus highlights the importance of culture and context.

BrandCulture ‘s objective for every environmental branding project is to encourage creative thinking through the built environment; a work-place (habitat) that stimulates senses, thought and behaviour resulting in thinking laterally about ones surroundings, continuing the practice of good design that is Semi-permanent and inturn sustainable. Think less visual noise and more about the brand story that will be owned by the people who inhabit those spaces.

Above (left to right): Sydney Water – Potts Hill ‘Memoirs’ and Parramatta ‘The Journey’.

Over the last decade there has been significant change in many matters, from Global Warming to Health and Security,  now design is slowly reverting back to its origins, no longer preoccupied with creating stylish, popular objects but more focused on longevity, identity and sustainability. BrandCulture believes this should’ve been and should always be the case. We must not only concentrate on creating physical products that last, but also strive towards designing working and social environments that encourage and arouse the creative thinking process, through smart and innovative design we can truly make the world a better place to live in.

Ingrid is the President of the International Association for Community Development and is committed to fostering an international dialogue about designing innovative methodologies for sustainable development.

If you’d like to take some time out, we suggest you watch this interesting TED talk from Tim Brown (CEO of IDEO) on the subject at hand.

It’s getting close to that time of year again, when BrandCulture and the world unite for a good cause. Earth hour is upon us, 8:30pm Saturday the 31st of March 2012. We take this event seriously and have since its launch in 2007, we switch off the lights, computers, servers, printers… everything on weekends when we leave the studio…  it ALL makes a tiny difference, but collectively it puts a real dent in the energy consumption (and bills ) which is changing the way we think…. let’s turn more electrical equipment off every day and do more to make a difference to our planets future.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Earth Hour concept here’s a brief rundown. Earth Hour was the brainchild of the WWF Organisation, conceived in Sydney 2007, the company inspired a population of thousands to band together for a common cause; climate change. Businesses large and small, politicians and children alike all took a stand against Global warming by switching off their lights for an hour. Today Earth Hour has more than a hundred million participants in over 135

countries!

We urge you to get involved,  to commit not just for the hour but to make changes in our lifestyles to help save our beautiful earth and ask yourself – “How long will it last”…

Our MD, Stephen Minning went to see how Coleman were progressing with the production on our next big project (we can’t reveal who it’s for just yet!). BrandCulture have devised an innovative solution using Lumisty, a 3 layered film which has never been used this way before, specially imported from Japan.

Originally developed for privacy when using ATM machines, lumisty is the world’s first ‘Point of View’ Glazing Film or perhaps the only glazing film that changes from clear to frosted depending on the viewing angle.

Upon first encountering the product, people are often struck by what they think is an optical illusion. Walking past a window with lumisty applied, a perfectly clear, transparent glass surface becomes, in a step or two, partially frosted. Two or three steps later, the same window is completely frosted. Walk backward or forward, and it’s clear again. As the viewer’s angle shifts, so does the transparency or translucency of the film.

On a lighter note, Coleman (who like a challenge!) have an “office hit list” out on their

clients at the moment and after Stephen and team BrandCulture came up with the idea of the global map made up of thousands of dots, each dot to be cut and installed on location exactly 45mm apart over an 11m glass stairwell, using the lumisty material, they decided to make Stephen #2 on their hit list. I wonder who #1 is??!!

Check back soon for an update as to what and who this project is for!

To the guys at Coleman – another great job, thank you!

BrandCulture has recently completed an installation design at Commbank Place at Darling Harbour that has roots influenced by the Swiss artist Falice Varini. The key messaging for Commonwealth Bank was to welcome the cus

tomer into their new branch and to display one of the most recognisable and trusted brandmarks in the Country to their clientele, a reminder of why they choose to bank with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. BrandCulture was asked to work on a zigzag feature wall within the space that could display information to people both leaving and entering… Longtime fans of Varini’s work, BrandCulture set about to integrate the Commonwealth Bank messaging and branding into the environment.

The following is a excerpt from Varini’s site…“My field of action is architectural space and everything that constitutes such space. These spaces are and remain the original media for my painting. I work “on site” each time in a different space and my work develops itself in relation to the spaces I encounter. I generally roam through the space noting its architecture, materials, history and function.”

BrandCulture looked closely at how the customers would move through the space, making use of the traffic workflow and spaces… Personal banking areas equipped with iPads, telephones and printers are located along the main feature wall. If more assistance is needed the teller location at the back of the office does away with security screens and a more personable

experience with relaxed tables and offices. Turning to exit the space, an automatic foreign exchange converter and coin counter sit opposite the feature wall. These locations create a natural viewpoint for the feature wall, part of an “inevitable route” within the space, a perfect opportunity to view the installation.

Varini goes on to say “From these spatial data and in reference to the last piece I produced, I designate a specific vantage point for viewing from which my intervention takes shape. The vantage point is carefully chosen: it is generally situated at my eye level and located preferably along an inevitable route, for instance an aperture between one room and another, a landing… I do not, however, make a rule out of this, for all spaces do not systematically possess an evident line.It is often an arbitrary choice. The vantage point will function as a reading point, that is to say, as a potential starting point to approaching painting and space.The painted form achieves its coherence when the viewer stands at the vantage point.”

Entering or exiting the space gives the viewer multiple viewpoints of the branding, the messaging and the images that focus on the inter-dependant relationship between the bank and their clients. The imagery of these moments represent the customer and also the development of our communities right across Australia by capturing local imagery to the branch. Whilst the Entry and Teller points highlight these assets, the real experience is had moving through the space and seeing the movement and construction of the logo, the development of the typography and the visual moments featured along the wall.

Lastly, Varini deals with the changing view points… “When he* moves out of it, the work meets with space generating infinite vantage points on the form. It is not therefore through this original vantage point that I see the work achieved; it takes place in the set of vantage points the viewer can have on it. If I establish a particular relation to architectural features that influence the installation shape, my work still preserves its independence whatever architectural spaces I encounter. I start from an actual situation to construct my painting. Reality is never altered, erased or modified, it interests and seduces me in all its complexity. I work “here and now”. Felice Varini

To view the Commonwealth Bank Darling Walk Branch, please click here

This work has also been published at the Desktop Magazine’s and AGDA Website

Gordon Eckel and Stephen Minning went along to the Kit Cuttle talk  (RETHINKING LIGHTING) at the Australian Institute of Architects.

How do humans really perceive light and spaces? Kit Cuttle proposes a fundamental rethink of how lighting should be assessed and designed so human response, visual

clarity and assimilation with architecture are considered to ensure the lighting is elegant, visually effective, energy efficient and actually enhances the experience.

Kit proposes a new measurement of ambient light PAI (Perceived Adequacy of illuminesance) where light would no longer measured at desk height (horizontal work plane) but at a persons eye level with reflected light from the surrounding surfaces and objects in a room. Thus the environment would play an essential part in creating the lighting required for different situations such as reading, walking, eating and meetings, not all need high levels of light.

Apparently in 1911 a lighting report published in a handbook by the London Illumination Society noted required lighting levels at a fraction of what are current standards today.

A couple of years ago BrandCulture were engaged by xyznetworks (Foxtel) to work on the new offices in North Ryde. The staff had moved from a ‘warehouse’ style of office with considerably less lighting and were generally aggravated and complained about th lighting in the new office, to the extent of taking out the lights themselves to reduce the overall glare in the office. Most of the surfaces were white; desks, walls, powerblades, pillars  etc… needless to say there was an issue that needed to be addressed in order to make the occupants feel comfortable in their work place.

BrandCulture devised a solution (working with lighting engineers) where walls and columns were painted matt black, in the instances of the building columns blackboard paint was used so the staff could use these surfaces. The end walls in each work space had key focal environmental graphics installed using an updatable frame system in conjunction with wall wash lighting. The powerblades were also wrapped with up-dateable environmental graphics and small down lights were added again to focus on these areas to create a more dramatic effect in the space.

There was little budget to change the ceiling grid lighting system so we devised an innovative solution of printing to opal acrylic panels (using the brand graphic in B&W so as not to affect colour) in order to reduce lighting levels without changing the light fittings completely. The end result was a more content workforce and a branded environment the company felt was a true reflection (no pun intended!) of what they did.

These projects above were referenced by Kit Cuttle in his presentation; Kerry Hills Architects created a cleverly layered series of interlocked spaces over several levels when they designed the The State Theatre of Western Australia, lighting design by Electrolight. The lighting is an integrated element of the architecture which helps to create a distinctive daytime and night time appearance that delineates both the function and the form of the various spaces. The overall design concept for the lighting to the State Theatre of WA seeks to metaphorically support the activity of making of theatre, a craft that informs explicitly and subtly the way we think about the world. The lighting always seeks to impart a sense of drama and possibility in its application and appearance. Light leads the visitor on a journey through the space that resolves around the dedicated illumination of specific elements and functional requirements. We have not designed for blanket uniformity but rather a quality of light which provides strength of focus and contrast. Light accentuates material selections, reveals textures and supports the fabrics palette. Luminaires that are not concealed have been deliberately positioned to create unexpected arrangements on the ceiling surfaces that encourage a renewed sense of character for the space.

A word from Alex B, one of our designers. A follow on from our June Cubic post.

Here it is! The Cubic Group head office in Newington had the BrandCulture treatment! We’re all pretty excited as to how this project has come up and wanted to share it with you, our followers… The concept behind this environment was to render images of Cubic’s impressive portfolio of work to compile a virtual tour of their projects and in turn make the office environment an extension of abstract spaces and line-work.

Entering the building the bold orange taken from

the Cubic identity is seen throughout the environment and extends to the up-dateable portfolio wall in the foyer. Highlighting some of Cubic’s most notable projects the wall also served as an inspiration board for the environment… It was from this amazing collection of photos that we selected the images for the glass graphics. The stairwell on your left features more line-work and a reference to the heritage of Cubic’s Italian ancestry, culminating in a family portrait on the second floor.

Within the environment the sense of theoretical space is enhanced by the use of the transparent orange vinyl across different sections

The meeting room features a rejigged construction floorplan, a metaphor for the engine room of Cubic’s business. It is here that plans move from idea to concept to a realisation and we thought it fitting to document the walls as such.
BrandCulture is looking forward to fully photographing the space for our Portfolio section, stay tuned!”

Over the years BrandCulture has taken COFA students during their professional experience componenet of their Bachelor of Design degree.  Earlier this week Stephen Minning, Creative Director of BrandCulture was advising the panel on the commercial realisation relative to the students that are coming out of COFA.

The panel comprised of various Academics which included; Dr David Clements, Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering, UNSW, Associate Professor Barbara de la Harpe, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor Learning and Teaching, Design & Social Context, RMIT University,  Vince Frost, Head of Interdisciplinary Creative Studio, Frost Design.

The Bachelor of Design supports and encourages future designers to have a voice in the development of a sustainable, environmentally and socially aware world. The program is the equivalent of 4 years full time study with the opportunity to undertake Honours study in the 4th year. It recognises the College of Fine Arts’ particular strengths resources and requirements to provide an undergraduate program which places emphasis on an integrated approach rather than on narrow vocational specialisations.

Cubic Group Installation – Interior Fit-outs, Refurbishments, Construction Management. Following on from our Vector Graphics and Anamorphisis post back in February, Cubic Group’s new environmental branding is now finalised and installed.

We took some of their key projects and applied them to the glass walls of their offices and meeting rooms. Each room has a different project which includes; ATO, Jessie Street Centre, Parramatta / Pinnacle Office Park, North Ryde / Sydney Water Head Office, Parramatta / Macquarie Bank, King Street Wharf / UNSW Cancer Research Facility etc.

Here’s is our Business Dev. Manager, Gordon looking rather happy with the job.

The images were cut out around the key features and linework extended from it to create a further sense of dimension while creating a

‘screen’ on the glass to add slight  seclusion between the two sides.

Following on from last week’s post on the Forgotten Sydney Opera House by the late Bill Lambert, some of our team went down to

check out the Vivid Lights at the Opera House, which are now in full swing here in wonderful Sydney.

Stephen Pavlovic, the creator of this year’s Vivid Live and founder of Australian independent label Modular Records, has selected an extraordinary team from France, who has pushed the lighting of the Sydney Opera House sails further than it has ever been taken before.

The multi-disciplinary, art & design collective, SUPERBIEN create sumptuous environments of animation, photography, light, space and graphic design. I wonder what the late Bill Lambert would have thought about this spectacular?

If you have not yet had the opportunity to see these amazing visuals, go take a look… Happening every night until 13th June.

www.vividsydney.com

Like many forward-thinking businesses, we at BrandCulture are committed to sustainable design, and a greener future involving environmental graphics. We take pride in offering sustainable designs and have green polices in place in our work environment.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mxjbip6y04

As we continue to work and collaborate with top architectural companies and developers, incorporating greener ideas, we are also researching materials, fabrics, and printing equipment which are environmentally sustainable. We support Green Star, the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) environmental rating system for buildings and with extensive experience designing in compliance with Green Star guidelines, we are confident in creating sustainable design solutions/environmental graphics that add credibility and meaning to the values and practices of each individual company.

Last year BrandCulture worked with the Baragaroo Delivery Authority team, who will be delivering a Climate Positive precinct that values the wellbeing of people and the planet. Great

work guys… find out more here…

Join us in making this world a better place – Earth Hour is around the corner – 8.30 PM on Saturday 26 March 2011, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour. Switch all your lights and power sockets off, get outside and watch us make a difference together

Glass graphics and Environmental Branding are becoming increasingly popular within corporate and retail cultures. Utilising the latest in printable materials BrandCulture create designer screen graphics and glass graphics, perfect for office environments.

Our designs are bespoke to each project. As shown above in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry project, glass graphics featuring monochromatic super-graphics form the

centre-piece that interconnects floors throughout the building, and the wayfinding system.

With the University of Technology Sydney – Digital labs – in the Design, Architecture and Building faculty, the use of space is visually open. Glass graphics are applied to full height glass walls continuously over forty metres in length to maintain visual connectivity throughout the learning spaces and central collaborative area, eventually leading you through to the print shop and tutors private rooms.

Origin Energy’s Melbourne office, was translated across five levels throughout the entire office complex. The ‘energy circles’ glass graphics, subtly printed on semi-translucent film act as a seclusion zone from either side of the glass but keep the areas open.

Every modern office has a breakout space, in this instance it was an area adjacent to the main work area divided by

a half height glass wall. Objective – to make it inviting and inspiring, whilst keeping audible noise between the spaces to a minimum.

We approached the project from both angles; pragmatically we dealt with the sound issue by building in 2 layers of glass, fully sealed and with a hidden tray at the bottom full of silicone crystals to soak up any condensation. Creatively, the image was chosen to represent the communities that Mirvac (the client) creates through their residential developments – two kids jumping off a pier into the water below… at the same time it captures a moment of freedom, surprise and happiness.

If only we could capture the energy and motion from the image… So we looked into children’s animated book covers as a reference… lenticular graphics… by viewing an image through multiple small lenses you see a slightly different part of the image from each eye creating a 3D effect. Obviously we didn’t have multiple lenses, but we had 2 planes to work with and several paths that you can approach the wall from. We adjusted the artwork of the printed image to create the 3D motion effect we wanted as you walked towards ‘The Playroom’. We experimented with colours, application of the image across the two glass planes, widths of printed image and clear space until we found the perfect balance in this environment.

The result is impressive, even mesmerising. The 3D lenticular wall captures your eye from anywhere in the main work area, there is a real sense of movement. It’s intriguing at first then you’re drawn into the room where the deconstructed ceiling and interior (designed by Geyer, Australia) takes you far away from the workspace but few inches away. Time to kick back and have a coffee and a chat, check out the sports results or snag a sandwich.

If you are interested in reading more about this project take a look at ‘The living line’ project we did for Mirvac in Western Australia. This lenticular wall was a key feature in the overall branded environment created for the innovative office which also included environmental branding and wayfinding signage wrapping ceilings, walls and cut into the carpet. Read more…

BrandCulture were recently included in this months InDesign Magazine, issue 44 which featured a 4 page spread on the 8000 Sq Meter Sydney Water Potts Hill project designed by Bates Smart Architects and built by Brookfield Multiplex. The branded graphics we created, interpreted some of the historic aspects to the site, where Sydney Water has history stretching back over 100 years. Further elaboration of the branded graphics adorn the meetings rooms show; the old pump house, schematics of the water flow, important documents of the time and local area maps.

If you are interested in this project you may want to take a look at the original project BrandCulture undertook for Sydney Water, it is their headquarters in Parramatta, a complete bulilding of 25,000 Sq Meters (see image below). It incorporates large scale branded graphics on glass meeting rooms and wayfinding signage with a through-the-builging concept. We also resolved the problem of displaying  internal communication posters and worked with the heritage department to create a museum style display across an entire floor around the formation and history of Sydney Water.

The image below is of  the xyznetworks reception, a part of the Foxtel network. Our  brief was to bring all the channels together under one roof, while retaining their individual identity and culture. These branded graphics were the first time the identity had been explored in the built environment. However as you go though

the offices it was essential to capture the essence of each channel within the environment, given the high originality and diverse content being constantly created. Read more….

Wall murals can be used to great effect in offices, retail complexes and leisure/hotel environments. They change the mood of a space dramatically through the use of images, colour and wording. Depending on what you would like the viewer to think, wall murals are probably the most effective way of creating a positive emotional response from people.

Producing wall murals is far less expensive in comparison to changing the materials or structure of a space and are much less intrusive to install. Another great benefit of wall murals is that they can be updated easily making the space they are in fresh and interesting.

BrandCulture create stunning wall murals for a wide selection of corporate and retail clients across Sydney and Asia Pacific, our work on the  Qantas Branded environments includes graphics in Bangkok and london.

Staff areas at The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry display wall murals above the printer stations on each floor depicting everyday experience of Australians working in the industries represented by the Department. Read more…

At Interiors Australia Group sydney office the wall mural feature in the reception area (image above) was designed to appear floating above the floor on a stainless steel supports, the colours of the sunset image matching those used in the graduating silk carpet. Read more…

In Mirvacs headquarters Sydney, colours and wall graphics individually selected for each floor act as an orientation reference. From the building’s core, it can be difficult to orientate, therefore ‘wall murals’ were positioned

displaying the rising and setting sun. The sunrise located on the eastern side of the building and the sunset on its west… Read more…

BrandCulture has just finished an installation piece at George Weston Foods head office in North Ryde and were inspired by this amazing artist – Gabriel Dawe. By working with thread and textiles, his work has evolved into creating large-scale installations and environments that deal with notions of social constructions and their relation to evolutionary theory and the self-organizing force of nature. We were inspired by this use of colour, texture and effectiveness and his search for creative freedom.

www.gabrieldawe.com The images used above were sourced from the cool hunter website

The String art installation recently installed at the George Weston Foods head office at North Ryde. The concept that evolved into the built manifestation, came about after several experiential interactions with the company by a number of us. We then collated and referenced our research into what we understood about the client and what they do as a company and from there we could map out what the brand meant to the people who worked there.

Our primary insight was the complexity of system and process that made the company run were immense and individual but it was the whole, that transpires into the brand. George Weston Foods is a complexed company and it’s many brands and their products are experienced by ninety percent of Australians nearly every day of their lives.

The string art encapsulates this insight in the way it starts as an installation in reception, a five meter glass box as you enter the offices at North Ryde, each side branded. The initial viewing is of the GWF identity and it’s divisions, the reception side shows GWF as a part of the parent company Associated British Foods plc and it’s formidable portfolio of global companies. The sting art then takes a graphic incarnation on the meeting room glass exteriors, to offer an elemnt of esclusion but also signifying a connection to the GWF brand.

We will be adding the other elements of this project soon and will elaborate on other aspects of the environment, please let us know your thoughts meanwhile…