WSA’s graphic design team, Carolyn Price and Jacob Strous, reveal how we collaborate with our partners to create effective branded environments.

How do you begin the environmental graphic design process with clients?

CP: At the very beginning of a project, we review and analyze both the client’s existing brand and their existing space. Through interviews and visioning sessions, we define the brand’s target audience, key differentiator, and cultural aspects. We establish how people will interact with the space and what challenges need to be addressed. The first objective is to understand what will make this project successful.

JS: It’s a collaborative process aimed at visualizing the unique traits of each client. We start by asking questions, lots of questions, with the goal of helping us understand the story and business case behind the environmental graphics. Once we lay the groundwork, we make sure to check in frequently with our client to collect and incorporate feedback into the work as we go along.

How do you visually represent a brand’s values and mission?

CP: After we outline the user’s journey through the space, we identify high-impact areas to place messaging and brand representations. We consider color, iconography, type, imagery, materials to bring the client’s brand to life in the space and create an experience that aligns with the company’s greater mission.

JS: A company’s values and mission are the guiding compass for our creative work. They set the tone for the visual brand language and serve as a benchmark to help us narrow down solutions.

How do you coordinate with the architecture and interior design of the space?

CP: The project team works in unison to incorporate a company’s brand experience into every detail of the space. We work together to specify wall finishes, power or data needs, and coordinate materials and finishes. This process ensures that the graphic design, architecture, and interior finishes are cohesive and on-brand. In the end, we save our clients time and money by providing a holistic, all inclusive design.

JS: Environmental graphics should work with the architecture and interior design of the space. It’s important to pay attention to details like color coordination and scale while also keeping in mind big picture items like traffic flow and intended space use.

How do organizations benefit from environmental graphics?

CP: Organizations need environmental graphics to infuse their space with their story, emphasize their values, and to make it uniquely their own. Environmental graphics not only add personality, but they are a functional tool that can improve workflow, boost employee mood, and guide visitors through the space.

What makes environmental graphics successful on a project?

CP: When an associate or visitor learns something new; When an installation becomes an Instagramable moment; When the branding makes someone stop and look; When it helps someone find a room; When someone knows they are in the right place.

Does your space tell your story?

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Environmental Graphics

Four Things to Think About Before Plastering Graphics on Your Wall

July 6, 2020 • aaitken

Before dedicating business resources and real estate to environmental graphics, there are several considerations that will help maximize the results. For example, what if your current brand no longer represents the philosophy of your company? We design comprehensive spaces that work for our clients, which means we analyze the physical space and the business operations, […]

Carefully and thoughtfully integrating environmental graphics with architecture and interior design delivers results. It’s so much more than plastering graphics on a wall. Here are four frequent questions we dig into with our clients before beginning any project:

Does your company have a clearly defined mission and values?

Expressing an organization’s mission and values is possibly the most important role of environmental graphics. Clear descriptions and visual reminders of a company’s determined goals lend a sense of purpose to the routine. An employee’s tasks and projects become steps to accomplishing a greater objective. Installations in the working environment can reinforce this connection and boost motivation, leading to a more productive workplace.

It is equally important to demonstrate these for clients and the public. Primarily because clients want to know how they benefit from working with you, but also because people care about what a company stands for and believes in. When clients visit your office, do they walk away informed about your company’s values?

How well does your current brand represent your company? Does it need refreshed?

Rather than brand our clients’ spaces with an outdated logo and message, we first evaluate the need for change. We survey employees and business owners to uncover the foundational values that guide how the company operates, and we inquire about the company’s persona. How long has the current logo been in use? Uncovering these answers in a collaborative process helps define the core philosophy of an organization. This, in turn, allows our graphic design team to translate concepts into a set of brand elements.

Working with Bathworks in 2019, Carolyn and Jacob heard the company’s emphasis on community roots, specialized knowledge, exceptional service, and family heritage. The new logo which stemmed from this discovery session references the Bathworks name and product line with a wave motif. It utilizes a friendly sans serif font and modern color palette. The mark is instantly recognizable and the full visual brand reads accessible and professional.

Who will interact with the graphics? Where will they interact with the graphics?

Think of every person who steps into your facility on a given day. From delivery carriers, hiring recruits, full time employees, clients, students, and industry partners, each person comes with their own expectations and needs.

Consider their different paths through the building. Wayfinding near entries, exits, departments, and amenities give users access to what they need and provides the most efficient experience for every user.

Where do employees find creative inspiration in the workplace? Where does group brainstorming take place? Messaging in these dynamic environments can propel activity and collaborative work. Installations could even serve functional purposes to support creative processes. Meanwhile, quiet focus spaces where employees hardly look up from their computer screens might not benefit from bold graphic installations.

What challenge needs solved?

Maybe visitors frequently get lost when navigating a building. Maybe employees feel uninspired in their current workspace. Environmental graphics can address both spatial and emotional needs when properly fused with architecture. Understanding the need helps determine the best solution. A successful space is one that works for users.

Month: July 2020

Graphic Designers Tell All: Q&A with Carolyn and Jacob