The magazine of research, insight, and trends November 2009360steelcase.com

Bringing Brands to Work 2How the workplace can help build brand and culture

Q&A 10 Trends360 12 Green Giants 13 Photo Essay 14 Atoms & Bits 19

About this issue: it’s a branded world. Check out the business section of any bookstore, and the number of titles about “brand” abound. From pop singers to mom & pop shops, everyone is thinking about how to develop a strong brand that delivers results. brands are an external expression of an internal culture, so developing a culture that supports the brand intent is critical. enter the workplace, the theater where the drama of culture and brand is played out. in this issue we explore how the workplace can influence brand, what leading designers are saying about brand and space, and some of the latest trends about brand and culture.

November 2009

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FeAture

2 bringing brands to Work brand isn’t just a logo or ad –

it ’s your reputation. every

experience customers has with

an organization impacts how

they feel about your brand. In

this competitive environment,

the workplace is an important

lever you can use to steer

an organization’s culture and

strengthen the brand.

DepArtmeNts

10 Q&A nelson’s marty Festenstein on

the intersection of workplace

design, brand and culture.

12 trends 360 A sampler of brand morsels.

13 Green Giants Featuring blake mycoskie,

founder and Chief Shoe Giver

of TomS Shoes.

14 A Day in the Life A photo essay showcasing

Chicago designers styling their

own TomS Shoes.

behiND the Cover

If anyone is passionate about their brand and culture, it ’s Google.

The information-giant’s headquarters in mountain view, Calif.

were designed by Clive Wilkerson Architects to support the highly

demanding work culture, balancing the need for concentration

and collaboration. Photo courtesy of benny Chan/Fotoworks.

Table of Contents

Three-Sixty is published bi-monthly by Steelcase Inc. or whenever the spir it moves us. All r ights reserved. Copyright 2009. material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form unless you really want to help people love how they work -- just ask us first, ok? Contact us at 360-editor@steelcase.com.

19 Atoms & bits

Things to check out,

in person or online.

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Photos page 2 & 3: © benny Chan / fotoworks

It was a law firm that could

have come right out of a John

Grisham novel. Deep South,

steeped in tradition. Dark wood

paneling, creaky spiral staircase,

the smell of leather and paper.

The office obviously hadn’t

changed in decades.

“everything’s based on

precedent in the legal

industry,” says Lynn osborne,

legal workplace director and

managing director in the

Charlotte, n.C. office of nelson,

the global design firm. “This

ideology is indicative of the

design of the legal workplace

as well.”

Yet that old-school law firm did,

in fact, move to new, dramati-

cally dif ferent offices. It made

the change for two powerful

reasons: brand and culture.

“What happened is they

realized that clients had come

to view a traditional aesthetic

as old-fashioned, and their old

offices didn’t reflect the firm’s

longstanding brand anymore.

Law firms are realizing that an

up-to-date, forward-thinking

aesthetic is one that society

views as representing viable,

solid performers, a look that

says, ‘You can count on us.’”

The old-school law firm’s internal

culture needed an overhaul, too.

“Space affects behavior, and

today’s legal environments are

calling for spaces that provide

for collaboration, flexibility, and

efficient real estate. This firm

now has better internal com-

munication, and they’re more

efficient and more collaborative.

it’s A brAND, brAND, brAND, brAND WorLD

In a competitive global

marketplace where consumers

detect lit tle dif ference between

one product or service and

another, it ’s the brand that

dif ferentiates. A brand isn’t just

a logo or a slogan; it ’s the sum

total of customer experiences

with the company. Websites, ad

Bringing Brands to WorkHow the workplace can help build brand and culture

Google headquarters

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campaigns, and other traditional

tools associated with branding

can influence what people think

of a company, but experience

tells: a company gets the brand

it deserves.

A company’s culture – the

values, work practices, and

processes – bring its mission

to life. Culture is lived in space,

and employees’ behaviors

ultimately define the brand.

That’s why creating space to

support brand and culture is

one of the hottest issues for

everyone who plans, designs,

or manages workspaces.

“There’s an inextricable link

between brand and culture,”

says Arna banack, a cultural

anthropologist based in

Toronto who helps companies

think through how space can

help their brand and culture.

“Companies spend a lot of

time developing what their

brand should be and working

to dif ferentiate themselves in

the market. The culture of your

organization must, in turn, be all

about how to make that brand

a part of the way you do things.

Without that, your carefully

developed brand will remain just

a concept and never a reality.”

When companies create

space that supports particular

behaviors, culture helps build

the brand. “For example, let’s

say you want clients to know

that you have a great team

that works well together to

accomplish what the client

wants. If you break down the

behaviors needed to support

that brand, you can develop

a long list: working as a team,

sharing ideas, collaborating

effectively, etc. So how does

your space support that? If you

have high walls, no collaboration

spaces, and people feel as if

they don’t have the opportunity

to share ideas and don’t know

who’s working on what, they

aren’t going to behave in ways

that demonstrate the brand,”

says banack.

“Culture and brand go beyond

the interior space, of course,”

A company gets the brand it deserves.

Designed by Clive Wilkerson Architects of L.A. working together with DEGW, the space was envisioned to support the army of engineers’ need for concentration – which is a premium – and to encourage spontaneous interactions to help generate new ideas. The offices manifest the Google brand perfectly: super smart, uber functional with plenty of geek chic.

Google’s Mountain View, Calif. headquarters carries their brand from the internet to the workplace. Their spaces are like their homepage: colorful, bright, welcoming, fun places to work.

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notes Tara rae Hill, principal of

Little Fish, a brand and design

consultancy in Atlanta. many

activities define the culture

and brand, including Hr, sales

support, customer relations,

and more. “but space plays a

big role in helping companies

live their brand and culture,”

says Hill. Which explains why

companies in every industry

are connecting the three as

big ingredients of their strategy.

For example:

o vodafone, the mobile

telecomm giant, designed

a space for its Amsterdam

headquarters that personifies

the wireless workstyle their

products are designed to

provide. The workspace has

no assigned desks or private

offices, but plenty of space

that encourages mobile

workers to rub shoulders

in collaboration.

o royal Caribbean, the

worldwide cruise line, opened

a call center in oregon that

from the outside looks like a

ship ready to sail and on the

inside feels like an aloha shir t.

Unlike call centers laid out as

a maze of cubicles, this one’s

as bright, color ful, and nearly

as open as a cruise ship.

o rich Products, a food industry

pioneer that prides itself on

innovation and “caring for

customers like only a family

can,” made sure its space

nurtures collaboration and the

chance encounters that drive

inspiration. Plus, the office

can change as quickly as their

business. The headquarters

internal atrium feels like a

space for a family picnic.

o Google’s headquarters offices

are like their homepage:

color ful, bright, welcoming,

fun places to work.

o Wilson Sporting Goods wanted

their workplace to match their

standing as the world’s leading

manufacturer of ball sports

equipment. Product displays

in the lobby, a basketball

floor, exposed surfaces and

infrastructure, widespread use

of sports imagery – it all puts

staff, customers, and visitors

in the arena, Wilson’s heart

and soul.

every workspace tells the

story of a company. From

the symmetry of a corporate

accounting office to the crazy

quilt layout of an advertising

firm, workspace speaks volumes

about the organizational

culture. enter a space and you

immediately get a visceral sense

about what goes on there. The

mood, the energy level, even the

management style is palpable.

Space answers the questions:

What does the company do?

How does it operate? What is

this company all about?

The organizational center of

gravity is the space where the

work gets done, where staff,

clients, and other stakeholders

live out the culture of the

company. When space planners

and designers create the

company’s workspace,

they naturally affect culture

and brand.

CompANies thAt Get it

Uncertain economic times add

another imperative. “We have

this dichotomy in the current

economy,” says banack. “People

are not changing jobs much,

but many are less engaged in

their work. morale is low, people

are worried about their jobs,

and they feel vulnerable and

concerned about their long-term

future with their organization.

They’re not energized, perhaps

not as committed, not upbeat

about coming into work.

You want to get them feeling

engaged and a part of what

the organization is trying

to accomplish.”

vodafone is right there. The

netherlands headquarters

of the telecomm company

was designed to address

recruitment and engagement

through a space that propelled

culture change and the

brand story. They planned

to move the head office from

a rural part of the country to

Amsterdam, merge staff from

three dif ferent locations at the

new site, and, at the same

time, attract knowledge workers

and customers to vodafone.

The new space was intended to

reflect and amplify the vodafone

view of the mobile lifestyle,

becoming a physical manifesta-

tion of the brand as the world’s

leading international mobile

telecommunications group.

“Amsterdam’s cosmopolitan

lifestyle is very attractive to

precisely the kind of customers

and workers we want to attract:

urban, mobile, heavy users

of technology, and open to

innovation. The capital also

gives us ideal brand presence in

The netherlands and a location

that exemplifies mobile working

concepts. In other words, we

can live the mobile life our

customers live,” says Paul Smits,

head of human resources for

vodafone nL.

Those concepts are evident

throughout vodafone’s

workplace: mobile technology,

flexible space, and furniture

that supports mobile working.

Leadership works in the same

workspace as staff, and

everyone uses mobile phones,

blackberrys, and laptops. Paper

is discouraged. There’s just

one printer per floor, and most

people work entirely on digital

technology.

royal Caribbean Wilson Spor ting Goods

Vodafone’s space personifies its brand and culture: “We’re drinking our own champagne.”

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vodafone nL’s Amsterdam headquar ters melds brand and culture. reception hosts dress in the same jeans, shir ts, and sneakers as vodafone retail store workers. Graphics reflect company branding and introduce the color palette. Standing-height tables and few visitor seats speak to the culture. “our philosophy is: If you have a visitor, you come and get them immediately, they shouldn’t wait,” says Paul Smits, head of Hr. The space helped the company embrace a fully mobile workstyle and change the culture for everyone, from leadership on down, who all work at unassigned desks.

by engaging employees in

planning the new vodafone

headquarters, the company

forged strong connections

between the brand, culture,

and space. employees said

they wanted support for com-

munication and collaboration

throughout the office, social,

interactive spaces with plenty

of color and light, and a “wow”

space they would be proud to

show others. The new space

delivered on all counts.

Smits says the new space

exemplifies vodafone’s brand

and culture. “We practice what

we preach about mobile life and

work. We embedded the mobile

working concept in our office

design, and it’s been embraced

by our organization. As we like

to say, We’re drinking our own

champagne.”

CuLture ChANGe throuGh spACe

new space, effectively planned,

can help change a company’s

culture and better support its

brand. rich Products, a leading

supplier in the food service

industry based in buffalo, n.Y.,

has been family-owned for over

60 years. “our brand is all about

food, family, and fun, and we felt

it was very important to have our

space be an extension of that

brand,” says mindy rich, vice

chairman of rich Products Cor-

poration. The company wanted

space to support that brand

and family culture, as well as

help the organization deal with

rapid change. “We saw a need

for flexibility as an extension

of that brand,” rich says. Staff

worked frequently in groups,

often outside their workstations,

and needed more team and

collaboration spaces. How could

space provide more flexibility for

a rapidly changing organization,

yet include some of the casual,

interactive spaces that support

employee workstyles and also

their “fun” and “family” culture?

barbara Gisel, principal

of barbara Gisel Design,

responded with a very flexible

space. It has demountable

walls, no private offices, and the

capability to be reconfigured

in just 12 hours. That kind of

flexibility helps companies like

rich Products respond to a

constantly shif ting marketplace.

Gisel designed many of the

rich Products workspaces to

function as conference rooms,

team spaces, or project areas.

Casual meeting areas, cafés,

and hospitality areas abound,

and they support the company’s

desire for more collaboration

and casual conversations where

(continued on p. 7)

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Not long ago, Paul Siebert went around the U.S., asking a simple question to every architect and designer he met: What do you think of Steelcase?

The question was central to interviews with designers, dealers, and customers to get a true reading of the Steelcase brand. “Your brand isn’t what you tell the market it is, it’s what they think it is,” says Siebert. “You can design your touch-points, but the world defines your brand as a gut feeling.”

As director of corporate strategy for Steelcase, Siebert led a company-wide effort to re-energize all of the company’s core brands through a research and design driven process. “In the past, the ‘brand’ for most businesses was merely marketing communications. But greater under-standing views brand as a multitude of different ‘touch-points’ that foster interaction and experi-ences. Each one creates an impact or impression that helps define your brand. Showrooms, for example, are very important for Steelcase. We have dozens of showrooms around the world, and we wanted to move them beyond just showing products and workspaces. We see showrooms as a forum for interactive storytelling about insights, problem solving, and possibilities.”

The EXP team (for “brand experience”), of which Siebert was a part, completed research that drove nine major projects at Steelcase. This included the creation of an e-commerce site, a digital modeling and specification tool, a new approach to workstation mock-ups, interactive showrooms, and how the company could further convert factory space into a compelling new space called “WorkLab,” as a hub for learning and collabora-tion with designers, dealers, customers, and employees around the world.

Steelcase began studying the influence of space on brand and culture 20 years ago as part of planning a new research and design facility. The result was the pyramid-shaped Corporate Development Center (CDC) in 1989, designed to promote more collaboration and creativity. A new open-plan executive leadership suite,

a dramatic departure from traditional private offices, followed in 1996. Steelcase repurposed a former manufacturing plant into a dynamic learning center in 2000, furthering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing. This building has evolved to become a sweet spot where culture and brand intersects through social learning, fostering a curious and connected enterprise. The center included wireless technology, formal and informal workspaces, classrooms and labs, a café, and flexible work tools. “It quickly became a popular gathering place for all levels of the company, the local community, and customers and visitors from around the world,” says Siebert.

Steelcase showrooms were also rethought to better engage key constituencies and tell the brand story. The newest ones, Steelcase WorkLife Centers, “are active spaces where architects, designers, customers and students can come and find inspiration,” said James Ludwig, vice president, Global Design. “They experience and see the power of integrated architecture, technology, and furniture solutions firsthand. They see leading thinking in applications and products, and also some familiar settings that give them a toehold to say, ‘Yeah, I can relate to that.’”

The company is reevaluating its private spaces, too, to help employees live the Steelcase brand by living in their brand. A new space at the company’s global headquarters campus, currently under development, is being designed to better support groups working across departments and time zones. The space will replace the 20-year-old “pyramid” and is planned to foster knowledge-sharing and partnerships with key stakeholders and support people interacting in both physical and virtual workplaces. A wide range of settings will support individual focused work, collaboration, learning, and socialization. It’s also intended to meet the needs of multiple generations.

“Our goal is to foster employee behavior that builds our brand. So our design intent has to align with our brand intent,” says John Ziech, director of WorkSpace Futures Design.

“The market defines your brand” How Steelcase uses space to

reinforce its culture and brand

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Food, family, and fun. That’s the rich Food Corporation brand and culture in a nutshell, and their space embodies it. It also reflects the rapid growth of the organization and its increasingly team-oriented workstyle. Photos, ar twork, and corporate colors are frequently used to communicate a company’s brand in its space, but branding can’t stop there. rich’s uses an atrium with a suspended biplane to provide a fun, family atmosphere, as well as a variety of spaces for collaboration. Cafés and hospitality areas provide pleasurable respites and also increase chance encounters that lead to sharing new ideas and inspiration.

information and ideas can be

shared. Product imagery, wall

graphics, and the interior palette

help tell the rich Products brand

story. “To have the design be

part of their brand is the best

thing you can do for them,”

says Gisel.

The new workplace has helped

evolve the culture. “There’s

more open dialogue, there’s a

lot more accessibility, and I think

there’s a lot more collaboration,”

says rich.

many Ceos understand the

need to develop brands to

help dif ferentiate a product

or company in a competitive

marketplace. but in an era of

economic uncertainty, real

estate compression, and

cost-cutting, space is often

underutilized as a tool to support

organizational culture and

build the brand. banack says

there’s opportunity to make a

strong case with executives for

investing in the workplace as a

way of investing in their brand.

“The literature has not done

a particularly good job of

demonstrating culture’s impact

on the bottom line,” she says.

“A company’s largest fixed cost

is salary and benefits, which is

all about their employees and

organizational culture. real

estate averages about 7% of

costs, a small amount compared

to Hr costs. The opportunity

is to use that 7% as a strategic

tool to help create the kind of

culture you need to accomplish

your goals and make your

largest fixed cost – people –

more effective. Part of being

effective is living the brand.

It ’s all connected: brand, space,

and culture.”

There’s an even greater need

to reinforce the culture of

an organization with mobile

workers. For example,

professional services firms

often embed staff (accountants,

lawyers, consultants, etc.) with

clients. These workers spend

large chunks of time away from

the corporate office. They can

become so focused on providing

service to clients that they begin

to feel more a part of the client

organization. A corporate office

with a strong brand and culture

reinforces their connection to the

home organization.

triANGuLAtiNG the spACe

How do you create spaces

that express the true brand

and culture of an organization

and, as such, can advance its

strategy? Architects, designers,

and Steelcase researchers say

it’s important to understand

the brand and culture of the

organization before planning

the space.

“If you star t with the logo, the

website, the interiors – that’s

backwards,” says design and

brand consultant Hill. “It star ts

with the brand. You have to

go back to the essence of the

company, explore with the client

the whole picture: the culture,

the products, services, people,

competition. There’s an exercise

we use: we ask key stakehold-

ers to throw out five words to

express the essential concept of

the company. You’d be surprised

how many times the words

come out dif ferently or are in

conflict. Stakeholders frequently

have dif ferent ideas of their

culture, their image, and, more

importantly, what the outcomes

should be.”

marty Festenstein, managing

director at the Chicago office

for nelson, concurs. “every

project we work on delves first

into goals and objectives beyond

‘the lease is expiring’ or ‘we

want to downsize,’” he says.

That frequently means research.

“We work with anthropologists

and researchers, sometimes we

even document work processes

and behaviors with photography

to identify what the client’s

culture is all about. As a result

of our research, we often find so

many ‘ahas!’ it ’s amazing.”

many designers consider this

work part of programming.

“The process of discovery,

visioning, or programming,

however you express it, is key,”

says Festenstein. “engagement

is a critical component of

bringing people together to

understand the nuances of

where opportunities are relative

to brand. Typically we ask

the senior leadership not to be

a part of this dialogue so we

can report back to them what

the findings were, and the

people we engage with can

speak freely.”

This process not only informs

the design process. It also helps

employees feel more engaged

and makes it easier for everyone

to align around the core mission,

benchmarks, and other goals.

each and every organization has

a brand, culture, and space,

whether they’re well-conceived

or not, says Siebert. “Space

is essential to defining your

company. The workplace is

the theater for the drama, the

day-to-day rituals, behaviors,

and events. If you’re not using

physical space as a lever to

fur ther your brand and culture,

you’re missing an essential part

of the production.”

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Lessons Learned

Architects, designers, Steelcase researchers, and other workplace planners agree there are essential steps to leveraging the brand, culture, and space of any organization:

o stay authentic to the brand and culture. The workplace is where the organization lives what it believes. “If you’re supposed to be a creative and innovative company, which is how so many companies want to be perceived today, but your space is dead boring, what’s that say to employees? And to anyone else who enters the space?” asks Arna Banack, a cultural anthropolo-gist based in Toronto.

o start inside first. Start at “home,” as Tara Rae Hill, principal of Little Fish, a brand and design consultancy in Atlanta, says. Understand the essence of a company, its mission, culture, brand, people, products, etc. Under-stand the behaviors needed to ensure that employees support the brand and culture. Only then can a space be designed to support those desired behaviors. Engaging all levels of the organization in the planning process creates a better overall solution and builds company-wide support for new space, culture, and behaviors.

o think multi-layered. Brand is “a multitude of different customer communications and experiences,” as Paul Siebert, director of corporate strategy for Steelcase, puts it. Space should be similarly multi-layered. Using corporate colors, logos, and product imagery and messaging is just a beginning. Drive culture

and brand behavior through adjacencies, traffic flow, different work settings, and by paying close attention to the products and materials used in the workplace. For example, a company committed to sus-tainability will want to consider energy-saving lighting, low VOC materials, etc.

o employ symbols and rituals. Product displays are important. But what other artifacts and traditions can help inspire people to build the brand and culture? Rich Products built an internal courtyard reminiscent of a family outing to express their family orientation. Wilson employees work in a sports arena-style office, not just as a marketing statement but also as a symbol of their culture and ideals. Vodafone lives the same wireless style they promote to their customers. Express the company’s cultural tenets in the symbols, artifacts, and rituals to help make the space a true representation of it.

o Look long-term. Understand that a down economy doesn’t negate the need – or the ability – for any company to use space to further brand and culture. “Everyone has constraints with financial realities and space,” says Banack. “That doesn’t mean your space can’t contribute to the solution. There are ways to push collaboration, trust, the generation of new ideas, knowledge-sharing, and on and on, with space.” In an uncertain economic time, financial survival is top priority for every business. “But for the companies that ‘get it,’ brand and culture are numero uno,” says Hill.

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Marty Festenstein is a nationally renowned interior designer with 28 years in practice with firms including Gensler, ISD, and Nelson, where he is currently a managing principal of the Chicago office. Heir to a creative family legacy, Festenstein’s grandfather was a celebrated cake decorator (“His cakes were architecture”), and his mother was a professional calligrapher (“She had a beautiful hand with quill and ink... even wrote Academy Award invitations”). A graduate of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., Festenstein has degrees in interior design and art history.

Threesixty talked with Festenstein in Nelson’s offices in downtown Chicago.

with Marty Festenstein | On branding, design strategy

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threesixty: What is “brand” in a design sense?

MF: Years ago, brand meant logos and colors. Now you talk to clients and they say, “We want brand in our environment,” but what they’re really talking about is their culture and spirit and energy, who they really are.

threesixty: How do you convey brand and culture in the space?

MF: Through the story the space tells about the client and employee experience. For example, if the point is to get an energy level across, it’s about getting the environment to generate that experience.

threesixty: So brand involves more than just executives and marketers?

MF: What’s fascinating is that, as organizations become flatter, empowerment is had on a much broader scale. People who historically weren’t empowered are empowered now. Many more people are speaking on behalf of the organization, even at the lowest levels.

threesixty: Is it worth the effort, especially for larger companies?

MF: Well, you can have hundreds of thousands of people in a huge corporation who don’t even know it’s putting out a certain type of toothpaste. They need to know what products they’re putting out in the marketplace, so they can be more informed and in tune, and even motivated by what the company is trying to create.

threesixty: Why is branding such a big deal?

MF: Because it’s more critical now, not just to visitors to the space but to the people who are living it day-to-day. They need to be able to articulate the brand, and the product and service offerings that the company provides.

threesixty: How do brand and space rank as employee motivators?

MF: Salary and benefits are key, of course. But there are other ways to encourage and motivate a person do a better job. I think that all employees are account leaders, in a sense, and we should think about what can we do to get them keyed into what they’re doing everyday, to be challenged, motivated, to be stimulated. And that’s the environment that we create and the tools and mechanisms we support. It’s a very strategic approach.

threesixty: So branding is fundamentally more strategic than aesthetic?

MF: Fifteen to 20 years ago, I couldn’t even spell strategy. Today, the strategic approach to space is the most critical component. It has to be very much embedded into the design of the project. How does design align with the business goals and objectives the client is trying to embrace? That has to be a clearly defined element in the design solution.

threesixty: Has it always been this way?

MF: Design had a rather limiting definition years ago. Image, form, texture, color, light: design used to be limited to just those components. Design is much less about the aesthetic today. It’s more encompassing now relative to cost, efficiency, how the design solution contributes to work getting done. Just in the programming process, we’re asking questions

that we didn’t ask back then. How can the workplace solution affect speed-to-market condi-tions? How can the occupancy strategy assist you in reducing your carbon footprint? The industry has become much more sophisticated. How the workplace solution can contrib-ute to financial performance is a greater priority now.

threesixty: In this economy, some clients think designers are a cost to reduce. How can designers have an impact on profitability?

MF: You need a design solution that can respond without having to drive a significant amount of capital into the facility. Flexibility used to be associated

with things that were kinetic, moveable, mobile, demountable. It’s really more about the ability to accommodate change for a space to be whatever it needs to be.

threesixty: So branding is part of the solution?

MF: When brand is part of the design solution and deep into the facility, not just at the front door, then it becomes almost subliminal in its ability to reinforce the company brand and culture, for the staff, visitors, everyone.

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NAme this brAND

The world may be flat, but some of the biggest brands are still unheard of on the flip side of the globe. For one example, China National, otherwise known as PetroChina, is the world’s largest company by market value. Its 2008 sales: $181 billion. The

colors of the logo are taken from the national flag of the People’s Republic of China, and the petal imagery is intended to evoke business cohesion plus harmony between energy and the environ-ment. For good measure, a rising sun is there too as a symbol of, what else, prosperity.

the puNisher & miCkey?

Disney’s decision to acquire Marvel Entertainment shows the challenges companies face as their brands become one — or not. What to blend and what to keep distinct is an important and usually difficult decision for the growing number of companies pursuing mergers and acquisitions, and it brings into focus the strong tethers of culture, strategy, and brand.

WArmer, Fuzzier LoGos

There’s a new breed of corporate logo emerging from the ashes of economic recession. It’s “non-threatening, reassuring, playful, even child-like,” according to The New York Times.

Among the similarities of recent redesigns: toned-down types (lower case letters instead of bold capitals and fonts that are lighter and rounder, too). When it comes to images, whimsical twinkles and sprigs are lightening the mood (Wal-Mart’s new get-up, for example). And the colors? They’re happier. Lots of school bus yellow, for example. Greens still abound to suggest sustainability, but clear, mountain-stream blues are gaining ground as a stand-in.

iN NeeD oF A brAND-AiD

There’s never been a better time to infuse new life into brands. Interbrand’s annual survey of the value of brand names, published in Business Week, shows that the combined value of the top 100 brands declined in 2009, and even the value of the top 10 went down for the first time in the decade that the study has been done. Interbrand says the downer is due to a loss in trust that started with financial companies, then quickly spread beyond.

Just sAy No to LoGo-WeAr

Even when your company logo is as cool as Apple’s, it’s hard to be hip wearing it on your chest. Co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs successfully made a plain black tee shirt his signature statement

and, in so doing, has also made it acceptable corporate-code dress for many. Before him, says Fortune magazine, “sporting underwear to work was a pipe dream.” Attention, designers: the uniform you invented as your own has been co-opted by the masses. Time for a new look?

bFF brANDiNG

Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were roommates in a dorm room at Stanford, and they still share a single office today even though now they’re each worth about $15 billion. Staying cozy appears to be keeping their brand and business strong.

Workplace togetherness is a fast-growing trend that’s taking hold in all kinds of companies. According to recent Steelcase research, there’s a clear shift toward clan values. Most workers now want “the family room” where they can share ideas and talk amongst themselves, whether it’s face-to-face or technology-enabled.

CuLt brANDs

Tab, Coca-Cola’s first sugar-free drink, once dominated the market. Then came Diet Coke. But “Tabaholics” have kept the brand alive by consuming about 3 million cases each year. Does anybody want a stick of Black Jack gum?

DormANDise

All kinds of brands still live inside our heads, even though the merchandise no longer exists. And that makes them oh-so-hot as “dormandise,” says trendwatching.com where “dormandise” is coined as nothing more – or less – than recently resurrected products, brands, logos, campaigns and spokespersons that have been given new life. What’s the trendy soothsayers’ advice? “Dive into your company’s history and retrieve as many discontin-ued products, ancient advertising campaigns and forgotten brands as you can.” Apparently, the past isn’t as passé as it used to be. Maybe there’s still hope that Kodachrome can come back someday?

beiNG & brAND spACes

Some hotel lobbies are still primarily surrealistic pass-throughs, but many have turned into high-powered brand spaces where customers can lounge, have refreshments, access WiFi and workstations, or be seduced by plasma TV. Sheraton hotels in San Diego and Boston, for example. The hospitality industry has realized that people don’t always want to hang out in their rooms. In the same spirit, the corporate world is also looking for ways to make their lobbies engaging, brand-building spaces. Read about some in this threesixty.

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Blake Mycoskie

Founder & Chief Shoe Giver, TOMS Shoes

TomS Shoes was founded in

2006 when American traveler,

blake mycoskie, befriended the

children of an Argentine village.

Wanting to help, he created

a company that would match

every pair of shoes sold with

a pair given to a child in need.

one for one. Along with a group

of family, friends and staff, blake

returned within a year to that

same village in Argentina with

10,000 pairs of shoes to match

purchases from caring TomS

customers. This inspiring journey

was filmed and the resulting

documentary, “For Tomorrow:

The TomS Shoes Story,”

premiered at the Tribeca Film

Festival in 2008.

TomS now includes 45 full-time

employees and over 30 interns

that work out of a warehouse

space in Santa monica,

California. Shoe Drop Tours are

volunteer opportunities that take

place in Argentina every other

week, giving caring customers

the ability to hand-place shoes

on children’s feet. TomS has

since partnered with Whole

Foods and Polo ralph Lauren.

The partnership with ralph

Lauren marks the first time in

mr. Lauren’s career that he

has ever collaborated with an

outside brand. TomS has been

featured in The Los Angeles

Times, People magazine,

Time magazine, Vogue, Oprah

magazine and CnbC’s “The big

Idea with Donny Deutsche.”

As of February 2009, TomS

has given over 130,000 pairs

of shoes to children in need

through the purchases of caring

customers. TomS plans to give

over 300,000 pairs of shoes

to children in need around the

world in 2009.

Sustainable environments begin with sustainable communities. By helping

people. And by helping the planet. Sustainability of the earth and the people

that live in it. That’s the difference between just being “green” and being

a GreenGiant.

Each issue we will feature one of the GreenGiants who have inspired us and we

hope will inspire you to Be A Green Giant too. To nominate someone you know,

visit us at www.beagreengiant.com

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A Day in the LifeStyle Your Sole

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Last month the Steelcase

Chicago team hosted a “Style

Your Sole” event, with our

partners at TomS Shoes. Area

designers were each invited

to style a pair of shoes with

whatever design they imagined,

while they learned about TomS’

simple mission — with every pair

purchased, TomS will give a pair

of new shoes to a child in need.

one for one. Professional writer

and amateur photographer mike

Firlik attended the event and

captured these images.

Each issue of Three-Sixty will feature a photo essay of images that reflect

what’s on your mind. Whether it’s issues in the workplace, design, pop

culture or causes you support, share your shots. Amateurs or professionals

are welcome. Please submit your photos to 360-editor@steelcase.com

(if accepted, we’ll need high res images).

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Attracting & engaging today’s Workers The generation divide isn’t as big

as you might hear. eight major

shif ts in workers’ expectations

cross all generations. Check

it out at: http://steelcase.idigitaledition.com/issues/2/

Need your spaces to Work harder? organizations are exploring real

estate strategies and alternative

work strategies, such as tele-

commuting and hotelling, to help

their spaces be more efficient

and effective. This Deep Dive

paper introduces Steelcase’s

latest research about emerging

Work Strategies that link the

design of the physical space

to the specific needs of mobile

workers when they come to the

office. http://www.steelcase.com/na/real_estate_utiliza-tion_research.aspx?f=38584

blown Away! Check out the live data feed

from the Wege Wind energy

Farm. It ’s capable of generating

up to 35,000,000 kilowatt hours

of electricity each year – enough

to power 2,925 homes. http://www.steelcase.com/files/flash/na/Windfarm/WindFarm/index.html

ComiNG up…

steelcase inc. 10th Annual Wreath and menorah Design Competition and Charity Auction........................................................

Date: Thursday,

December 3, 2009........................................................

Time: 5:30pm - 8:30pm........................................................

Location: Chicago, Ill.

merchandise mart Suite 300

........................................................

Steelcase is partnering with The

Children’s Place Association,

whose mission is to improve the

present and secure the future

for children, youth, and families

confronted by HIv/AIDS and

other life-changing health condi-

tions. For more details visit us

at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160101402757

happy holidays From steelcase. This season Steelcase has

made a donation – in honor of our partners in the design community –

to Friends of TomS, the non-profit organization that mobilizes,

connects, and empowers supporters of the TomS Shoes one for one

movement. If you would like to join us in this gif t, you can purchase

your own pair of TomS Shoes and TomS will give a pair of new shoes

to a child in need on your behalf. one for one. Plus, your name will

be entered into a drawing to join TomS on a Shoe Drop in 2010 when

they deliver and distribute the shoes. To participate:

• Purchase your own pair of TomS at www.TomSshoes.com

• At checkout, enter the promo code “STeeLCASe”

Let us Collaborate!! Did you know that “finding

a place to meet” is one of

the biggest time wasters for

workers? 70% of employees

report losing up to 15 minutes

a day looking for a place to

collaborate with teammates.

A whopping 23% waste up to

30 minutes daily.*

small is biG mobile workers

report that they spend nearly

50% of their time working in

small groups of 2-6 people.*

Quiet please… Generation Y

may be famous for multi-tasking,

but Generation Y workers’

biggest pet peeve is getting

access to a quiet, private spot

for focused work. 91% say it’s

important, but 64% say

they don’t have those kinds of

spaces in their workplace.*

*source: Steelcase Workplace

Surveys, consolidated surveys

from 98 organizations with nearly

20,000 respondents.

Atoms & Bits

The magazine of research, insight, and trends

360steelcase.com