10 Lo-Tech Interactive Environmental Graphic Design Installations

IA-DESIGNED EGD APPLICATIONS CAN INSPIRE KNOWLEDGE WORKERS AROUND DAILY ACHIEVEMENTS AND HOW THEY IMPACT THE COMPANY ON A BIGGER SCALE.

CONFIDENTIAL TECH CLIENT

The environmental graphic design (EGD) strategy of a growing Seattle company promotes discovery of the city’s history, present culture, and future developments. Changeable graphic features promote social interaction among employees through sightseeing suggestions, and fill-in-the-blanks for employees to add their own recommendations. The program extends beyond workplace team building and reinforces a culture of sharing and discovery.

CONFIDENTIAL TECH CLIENT

IA designed a chalkboard wall that features characters changing human interactions and communications for a client that communicates internally through HTML code. Emoticons and symbols compose thought-provoking questions to encourage idea sharing and engagement with the built environment.

CONFIDENTIAL TECH CLIENT

For the Seattle location of a global company, IA’s environmental graphic design (EGD) program provides a virtual portal into other offices around the world. Cities are represented by local airport codes, mileage from Seattle to that location, a short geographic description, and a photo display of images collected from staff in their respective locations. The logistics of executing the display encourage local Seattle employees to connect and build relationships with colleagues around the world.

IA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS IN CHICAGO

An urban fabric piece features an aerial view of the Chicago Loop around the office on Michigan Avenue.  Color families compose the fabric swatches: blues and cool colors symbolize water; greens and yellows symbolize park areas; and reds and warm colors represented the built environment. Staff participated with darts, tacks, or photos placed in their favorite nearby spots like restaurants, shops, museums, etc.

GE CAPITAL WINDY CITY

At GE Capital in Chicago, employees were invited to contribute to their office design by submitting personal photography of iconic Chicago scenery. The photos were then framed with a custom plaque detailing location and photographer information.

LINKEDIN NEW YORK

LinkedIn New York’s 28th floor features a pet gallery submitted by staff. Staff on the 28^th floor of LinkedIn’s real estate stack in the Empire State Building spend significant time away from their desks. The pet portrait gallery gives employees an opportunity to personalize the office beyond their assigned work space.

LINKEDIN TORONTO

A staff “clothesline” at LinkedIn’s Toronto office helps instill pride of place for employees by inviting them to help define their work environment. A brightly lit inset holds more than 100 images to celebrate staff through a display that draws from residential neighborhood elements.

SAP

In Reston, Virginia, SAP’s design was implemented in accordance with IA-developed global workplace standards, and details that reflect local culture. In an open work area, a magnetic word wall plays on the refrigerator poetry kit with key terms and phrases that relate directly to daily tasks of this Washington, DC beltway workforce.

TWITTER

In the social network’s first custom-designed European office, IA crafted a dynamic display wall that is updated by staff on a daily basis. Polaroid photos record events of the London office in real time, creating a user driven array of images that function as a message board in real time.

WHITEPAGES

The reception kiosk at Whitepages in Seattle features interchangeable magnetic cling portraits of the company’s staff in Seattle, New York, and Budapest. The design reinforces that staff is the ‘content’ of Whitepages. Employees have access to reorganize the wall on their own— sometimes, for example, organizing lineups of bearded staff, other times by team groupings.