A strongly-branded WOW space on a shoestring budget for FUEL Advertising, Canadian subsidiary of Chicago-based global agency Draft/FCB. FUEL wanted a creative, hip and engaging statement to motivate employees, attract new hires and engage clients in their early 1900’s loft-style industrial warehouse space.
CLIENT OBJECTIVES • FUEL Advertising, a Canadian subsidiary of Chicago-based global advertising agency Draft / FCB (which is part of the IPG network out of New York City), was looking for a strongly branded space on a shoestring. • The mandate was to deliver a creative and engaging message – a hip style to motivate employees and attract new hires and a strong creative statement to engage clients. • Tight budget considerations demanded a high degree of creativity for FUEL’s loft-style space in an early 1900’s industrial warehouse. • FUEL’s iconic trademark “The Power of the Possible” was the point of departure for the design aesthetic for the project: “Power, Punch and Pop.” o Power in establishing a significant presence for the Agency; o Punch in the sharp color accents that energize the space; and o Pop (art) in the 1970’s retro fabrics and inspirational sayings that are prominent throughout the space.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS • The new space had to incorporate (i) a powerful main Reception area with branding, (ii) Boardroom/presentation area, (iii) alcoves for Client Services, (iv) Executive Offices, (v) open creative space, and (vi) a Lounge/Café.
DESIGN CHALLENGES • “The Power of the Possible” emerged in four ways: • Power – the bright red wall in reception contrasted with pure white bench seating / the superscaled corporate trademark “The Power of the Possible” / the strong directional perspective provided by corrugated metal ceiling panels in Reception and leading to the Boardroom, emphasized by the linearity of the Reception desk / the overscale sliding doors into the Boardroom revealing a 25-foot Boardroom table – all provide a strong sense of arrival. • Punch – 13-foot high plexi screens (also a sense of power) / the vivid plexi colors contrasted with the clean white backdrop and white laminate workstations / the progression of color from the bright red in Reception, to the vibrant pink and orange of Client Services, to the cool lime green and white of Creative / the task chair fabric colors reflecting the plexi colors. • Pop – pop art Marimekko fabric panels on the walls of the Lounge and adjacent Café with oversize images of iconic flowers and birch trees vibrate with the color schemes of the Lounge (vivid purple, white and green) and Creative. Inspirational phrases from John Lennon, Kurt Vonnegut, Steve Jobs and others, in black on white canvases, establish an uplifting backdrop that links into the powerful corporate trademark established in Reception. • Budget – the loft space established the basis of the design solution, with choice of materials reflecting existing metal ductwork, the refinished wood flooring, the choice of economical Artopex furniture and the power of the printed word (after all, the printed word is FUEL’s world). The Lounge breakout area and adjacent Café allow informal client presentations to flow between these two multipurpose areas.
SOLUTIONS • First – a powerful sense of arrival. • Second – a space that engages clients, employees and new recruits alike. • Power, Punch and Pop are now clear, emphasizing the Agency’s influence in the fashion and tourism sectors of their core clients. • Bright colors against a neutral white backdrop create energy and help to define spaces. • The successful use of existing elements, responsible design materials, multipurpose Lounge/Café adjacency and attractive workstation price point all result in a project that came in well under budget – totally appropriate for the current environment.
