Image Credit : Andrew Worssam
Project Overview
Every so often we are contacted by a new client with an amazingly creative and open brief….(enter) Blackbird Ventures! Blackbird Ventures is a venture capital (VC) company that has backed many successful companies that are in their infancy and many go on to becoming huge success stories such as Canva and SafetyCulture.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
The Bold Collective - Monika Branagan, Christina Maricic and Ali McShane
Project Brief
This community of start-ups and their founders sit at the heart of Blackbird and these stories needed to be celebrated in the new Blackbird workplace. Blackbird’s dynamic, fun branding was developed previously by super talented graphic design company We Buy Your Kids (WBYK) and we were thrilled to work collaboratively with them on this project particularly with such a bold colour palette and patterned aesthetic.
Aspects of hospitality and retail design were included in the project brief. The client requested an area to host new prospective entrepreneurs as they waited (most likely nervously) to pitch their ideas. We designed a highly colourful and patterned bar area at the heart of the space which is surrounded by a retail display that exhibit products, branded apparel and accessories from Blackbird backed companies.
Project Innovation/Need
We combined printed 2D graphics with 3D elements for extra impact. Further WBYK designed custom portraits of Blackbird backed founders which line the walls of the space. We designed text plaques below the portraits along with track and spot lighting to create an art gallery ambience.
Design Challenge
To celebrate the notion of fledgling start-ups and building upon the bird theme, we designed a birds nest installation as a portal to the main Boardroom and the internal Boardroom wall is also layered with timber representing a stylised birds nest. We introduced a series of printed framed logos of Blackbird backed companies into the nest, just as a bird builds its nest from found objects we developed this analogy symbolically as Blackbird backs new start-ups. We explored this bird concept further in the large breakout area. We designed oversized birdcage canopies to sit over circular booths and surrounded this area with an abundance of living greenery. The Blackbird brand colours were utilised in the upholsteries and finishes and are complemented by WBYK’s hand painted in-situ mural. Meeting rooms are colour blocked in the flooring, ceiling and upholstery specifications plus WBYK’s illustrations added a playful, whimsical quality to these spaces.
Sustainability
We were fortunate to have wonderful bones to work with and the existing tenancy had some existing elements in place. We wanted to use as much of the existing infrastructure where possible to not only conserve the project budget but less material in land fill. The existing kitchen / teapoint remained in place and the building envelope, ceilings, walls and floors remained almost untouched. Our fit out works was contained within the existing structure that was left almost in it's raw state. The effect was much more powerful visually but also reduced waste in the process.
Interior Design - Co-Working & Studio Space
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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