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Private Space At Work? How 20th Century Can You Get?
The New York Times is running a piece on Grey's new offices and what motivated the move to an open floor plan. Before, most everyone had an office; now there are three in the entire company. And the floor that houses the creative and production departments lacks even cubicle walls. Tor Myhren, the chief creative officer of Grey New York, said the change was essential to foster transparency and collaboration. "Grey …
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Spotlight On NW Creative: Ziba’s Sustainable Digs
Portland's Ziba Design is a big deal. Almost as big of a deal as Wieden + Kennedy is, but in design, not advertising, circles. According to Fast Company, Ziba's new 56,000 square foot headquarters in Portland's Pearl District provided a chance for the firm to walk its talk and create a much more public presence for the Ziba brand in its home city. The new building--an urban infill project--is made of 40% recycled …
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Forget The Company Store. Microsoft Is Opening A Company Mall.
A company's physical space says a lot about a company. You might even say, the corporate campus, or workplace, is an ad for the company that communicates powerfully to the firm's workers and visitors on a daily basis. According to Seattle Times, Microsoft takes their workers' environment very seriously. The Redmond-based tech titan is quietly opening a complex of 14 restaurants, various shops, and a soccer field in …
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Girls School? Maybe. Reform School? Definitely.
Ad agency digs have long been creative, but creative within certain well heeled parameters. Lots of modern lines and Eames inspired furnishings. It's a refined creativity, not circus creativity. But there's an agency in Seattle that refuses to play by those rules, or any rules regarding the business and matters of taste. Wexley School for Girls announces it presence in a dramatic way. Creative spaces in advertising …
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The More Appealing the Core Offering, The Easier It Is To Promote
LA Times is running a story about the Navy upgrading its housing for junior officers in San Diego, Jacksonville and Norfolk. To boost morale and reenlistment rates, the Navy and a private development firm have opened the first phase of Pacific Beacon, a $322-million high-rise housing project at Naval Base San Diego. Four 18-story towers now surround a quad on what was once the base's par-3 golf course. At full …
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In Need of Head Space And Some for the Body Too
I'm about to head up the street to check out a coworking space on Fremont. Given that activity, I couldn't have picked a better time to stumble upon this meditation on open work space from Tim Siedell of Fusebox. Understand that it's not for everyone. Make sure you recruit accordingly. In our experience, the best creative people crave this type of an environment and a spirit of teamwork will prevail. On the other …
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Table It
When you work in advertising you sit at a lot of conference room tables. But what do these tables say about the organization in question? According to Ruth Haag, president and CEO of a hazardous-waste consulting firm, the tables say a great deal. • A round table hampers decisions. • A long, thin table encourages cliques. • Face-to-face at a distance encourages rudeness. • The basic solution: A rectangular table about …
