BE Meaningful – Design for Corporate Culture

A Branded Environment makes the workplace an deliberate and positive expression of corporate culture. It prompts feelings like “We are in this together. We are all part of something special and each of us is contributing to the team’s success.” When this happens, work becomes more meaningful for employees and the workforce is in a better place for organizational success.

BE’s design approach is experience-centered and tailored specifically to your mission and vision so that it complements your workplace and has a positive impact on your office life.

10'-tall Typographical Sculpture

A ten foot tall typographical sculpture announces the word “Liberty” and “Svoboda” (translation in Czech) in front of the Radio Free Europe headquarters in Prague. Depending on the viewers’ position they can read one word or the other. The piece proudly states the organizations mission to urban public.

Culture is Multidimensional

A corporate culture is complex because it combines values, beliefs and norms that, at different degrees, influence the thoughts and actions of people in the organization.*

  • Values are what an organization deems as most important. They are goals that are often written in the mission/vision statement.
  • Beliefs are views on how to treat customers and employees, and how business processes operate.
  • Norms are the unspoken rules such as dress code or the attitudes regarding hierarchy.

Each of these manifestations is expressed in different forms: values may require creative forms of messaging, while norms may need alternative design concepts for common areas. No matter the case, our design tools are diverse and multi-faceted, allowing us to address these various expressions of corporate culture with creative solutions.

Partner Briefing Center

Partner Briefing Center welcomes international banking partners as part of firm. Providing a center inside of the organization clients are transformed to partners.

Enhancing Corporate Culture

Branded Environments has designed numerous installations across the country with a specific focus on corporate culture. Our designs educate, celebrate, or reposition corporate values, beliefs, and norms. The following case studies show how we applied our design and content skills, resulting in engaging experiences that are aligned with corporate culture.

A global payment corporation placed partnerships as a key value in their business model. Working off of this, we created Partner Briefing Centers under the motto Building World-Class Relationships. The spaces are designated meeting and learning centers with displays about the power of the network and accolades for successful product launches. The new environment gives banking partners a space to establish themselves as part of the firm.

Communicating Cultural Values

Thoughtful use of graphics and messaging communicates the important cultural values.

In an advertising agency we capitalized on the informal norm of creativity and camaraderie of the workforce. For them we produced chalkboard office name plates to celebrate individual talent. » Read more »

In another case, a financial corporation desired to commemorate and teach its strong belief on the importance of inclusion in the workforce. We produced the following displays to highlight the strong diversity of their workforce: Veterans/Military Appreciation, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Asian Pacific American Heritage. Each environment included interactive elements that encouraged participation from employees.

Décor vs. Experience Design:

Décor is about trends in the design field while  Experience Design is about YOU.

Experience Design produces environments that define the identity of your company, speaking volumes of your firm because it’s clearly understood to be a result of your culture. Common décor features like beautiful marble floors and gleaming finish are based on values that not necessarily about YOU. Our designs are centered on the culture and personality of your firm and its people. We give a voice to your company by making branded environments that speak in first person, resulting in more effective and authentic branding.

Décor is nice and will always be needed, but it is not a voice that originates from the culture of your organization.

Celebrating Individual Creativity

An advertising agency’s talent pool is an important asset. Slate chalkboard name-plates celebrates each person’s creativity.