One of our long time clients called with a new project. His Fortune 100 technology company had begun designing and building a neighborhood (campus) in Seattle’s South Lake Union. Three new buildings were underway with more planned to house an eventual workforce of 27,000 new employees in a 30 sq. block area.
Designing a Master Plan with Easter Eggs
Our first assignment: develop a Wayfinding Master Plan to guide employees and others to the new buildings and retail infrastructure (restaurants, health care, coffee shops). He mentioned two requirements: we couldn’t use the company’s name on the graphics, and he wanted us to add “Easter Eggs”, delightful, interesting images and ideas employees would find in surprising places.
Guide, Direct and Inform
We designed a series of Directories to place in plazas and public spaces around the neighborhood. The neighborhood’s urban landscape varies with new and old buildings. Visitors and team members would be visiting the site from all over the world. For ease of recognition and continuity, we recommended a consistent, cohesive design with a contemporary look and feel.
Each Directory has three panels mounted to the Directory mast:
-Top panel holds directional information
-Center panel contains a neighborhood map and retail directory
-Lowest panel has the Easter Eggs – colorful photos of bicycles, crayons, bouncy balls, cranberries and more, a subtle reference to items you might buy online from this company.
With 14 buildings built or under construction and more in the pipeline, we’ve used this expandable theme for new Directories as the neighborhood grows.
