branding theme hearkens back to an
organization's early beginnings, while
communicating their current, unique niche
in the marketplace and where they are
heading.
are fully aware of their origins, so it's not
uncommon for LPA designers to don their
detective hats and do a little digging.
inspiring, they directly contribute to the
culture of the company and influence its
most valuable asset--its people. When we
start our design process, we leave no stone
unturned. We want to know how and why
the company started, what they are doing
currently and how they want to redefine the
future of their marketplace.
history and creatively expressing it through
an architectural design recently occurred
with the Watson Land Company's new
LEED Platinum headquarters.
issued the first piece of land to a private
citizen in California--a 75,000-acre grant
that included all of Los Angeles harbor-- to
Juan Jose Dominguez, a former Spanish
soldier who came to California with the
Portola expedition and again later with
Father Junipero Serra. Consequently, LPA
decided to utilize an image of the actual
land grant map and had it etched on a
20-foot glass wall, which clads a two-story
+
corporate headquarters in Carson, Calif.
significant historical documents in the company
with everyone who enters the space, but it's
very subtly done. In fact, as you traverse the
stairs, you discover names and places, as
depicted in 1784, on the glass wall that has
relevance to the current day.
the visual messaging needs to resonate the
evolving nature of the company. For example,
the imagery, artwork and projections need to
periodically be refreshed.
and we have to plan for that so that the design
doesn't have a date stamp on it. Fortunately,
a rich combination of unique organizational
identity, great ideas and advancing technology
can easily help with that.
Associate at LPA Inc., leads the interior design
efforts of LPA in Northern California. He has worked
on more than 70 projects, which include corporate
offices, community centers, K-12 schools and higher
education facilities.