It’s likely that the brand image you attribute to Nike, Coca Cola, or Old Spice has come from the think tank at international advertising agency Weiden + Kennedy. What makes the agency’s ad campaigns so successful is its knack for thinking outside the box. Its creativity, one can argue, is a direct result of the resources that the company spends on fostering inspirational work environments.
Hello Neighbour is one such resource. Through the program, W + K’s London office works with local artists to design its storefront windows. Its most recent installation, titled Real Life at Work, concluded last weekend. W + K’s employees took turns occupying a comic book–like office space, created by graphic artist Emily Forgot. Inspired by pop art painter Roy Lichtenstein, the temporary black-and-white printed façade served as the backdrop for W + K employees to show the outside world the way they work.
Here at the Labs, this immediately stood out to us as a vivid, visual example of the retailing of the workplace. I also can’t help but wonder how companies might design their offices if they were always open to the public eye… Good ideas tend to spread!