Image Credit : Steven Plummer
Project Overview
Following Telstra’s re-brand to a world of colour and services which better represent the diversity
of products customers desired, a complete overhaul of the work-place strategy was undertaken. Telstra Future Ways of Working (FWoW) is an initiative to create environments, which promote new and effective ways of collaborating for employees, consultants and clients. This new change allowed Telstra to expand and foster their industry expertise, further enabling a ‘Brilliant connected future for everyone’. BrandCulture were engaged by Telstra, onto the project team to help make this transition a reality. Located at the 400 George Street HQ, a landmark building at the intersection of Sydney’s two busiest streets, BrandCulture successfully implemented a holistic branded environment and wayfinding system to underpin Telstra’s ongoing vision.
Project Commissioner
Telstra – Future Ways of Working
Project Creator
Team
Managing Director: Stephen Minning
Creative Director: Ellen Young
Designer: Julian Frood
Finished Artist: Julian Frood
Project Manager: Lend Lease
Fabrication: AW Signs
Project Brief
Telstra’s Workplace Strategy and Guiding Principles provided the framework and foundation for brand inclusion in the new environment. Telstra’s purpose is ‘To Create a Brilliant Connected Future for everyone”, our purpose was to create branding in the environment to bring the purpose to life. Telstra wanted to identify ways for the brand culture to be visually expressed through these new dynamic environments. Along with project partners Davenport Campbell, BrandCulture were to ensure the work place expressed 3 vital qualities at specific touch points – colour, energy and angularity. It was imperative that the environment distilled the timeless and critical elements of the brand, remained simple and open but executed with courage. The strength of the Telstra brand comes from cumulative impact – at every point of connection, BrandCulture had to ensure this was true in their new workplace environment.
Project Innovation/Need
To accompany the core brand elements within the space, we developed the ‘Site Story’ signature pieces. After exploring an extensive archive of images from Telstra Museums and brand assets from marketing departments we selected a ‘gallery’ of images that represented the local context of 400 George St, an A grade landmark building located at the commercial centre of the CBD; including past, present and future technologies. The digitally printed canvases were depicted within standing phone booths, tucked away from the main workplace for privacy and treated visually as a contemporary ‘art gallery experience’ throughout the building. Their purpose is to make people feel connected, while visually enriching the working environment.
Design Challenge
Telstra and Davenport Campbell developed, tested and enhanced a methodology for the FWoW floor plans including a variety of spaces flowing from active, energetic areas and connected areas through to more private, focused work spaces . Part of our challenge was to ensure our graphics mirrored and complimented this methodology.
We also needed a way to have Telstra’s distinct colour ‘spectrum’ traverse all 16 levels of the building, without overwhelming the space, and ensure our design could seamlessly integrate into any future FWoW floors. To help infuse the Telstra ‘spectrum’ within the space BrandCulture used a 3M di-chroic, colour shifting film, a material perfectly suited to support the 3 vital brand drivers – colour, energy & angularity. The infusion of strategically placed di-chroic film at specific touch points helped enhance the visitor experience and harbour their brand culture.
Effectiveness
Extensive research was conducted to identify the objectives that would need to be met to create a world leading Branded environment for Telstra. These were; to create a set of accommodation standards to be implemented over the next 20 years across all Telstra workplaces, to create an environment that represents the transition from a Telco to a Tech Co and at the core of these objectives, was to create an inspirational experience by surprising and delighting anyone who visits a Telstra workplace.
At each stage of the design process, users were consulted before proceeding with the development of concepts. Post implementation and feedback has been extremely positive and across the industry is seen as the template for
best practice workplace environments, across Australasia. BrandCulture continues a positive working relationship with Telstra.
Graphic Design - Environmental
This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the intersection of communication design and the built environment, and is concerned with the visual aspects of wayfinding, communication identity and brands, information design and shaping the idea of place. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching of information style to audience.
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