THE VIDEO

Here is the video that I put together for my final presentation.  I had a blast making it, and am happy to share it :).  Obviously it won't be the same without me there in person, talking you through the video (which is what I did for my presentation), however I did add voice to part of the video in hopes of it still being okay.  Enjoy!

Allsteel. Never Sit Still.

Allsteel is the company that manufactures most of the office products I specified in my design.  They focus on designing products to cater to the client, and the type of environment the products will be used in.  What I love about this company is how they design to promote productivity in the office for all types of workers.  Looking back at the 6 features that I focused on in my design, Allsteele could provide products to support all aspects.  Whether it is an open office space or a more private office, they've got it all!  They also focus on making environmental decisions which supports my design for the TOMS headquarters.  I specifically used the STRIDE System for my main workstations.  Check out the website. It's pretty neat.  http://www.allsteeloffice.com/

Strategic Planning

The following concepts were what I focused on while strategically planning my office.  Keeping the client philosophy and corporate image in the forefront was key in my design as well.  These concepts are expanded in the video used for my presentation.

Determining the Client Needs

The TOMS website describes their current head office (situated in California) as "what it lacks in bells and whistles is made up for with a fun company culture and the benefit of working towards a greater purpose".  How refreshing to hear is that!?  This company may not have a glamorous head office... because well, that is just not the TOMS culture.  It was a challenge for me to dissect the culture of the company enough to make all of my design decisions based on working towards a greater purpose.  I broke down my client needs and this is what I came up with:

• An office that supports close community.
• A space that allows for increased productivity as the company grows and expands. 
• Organizational layout and flow. 
• Available communication between all departments.  There is a lot going on at TOMS, and in order for things to run smoothly, all ideas must be communicated throughout the office.
• Eco friendly and environmental based decisions.  This will not only maintain the health and well being of the employees, but will also respect the earth we live in.
• Diversity and variety.

"Giving is what fuels us.  Giving is our future." -Blake Mycoskie

I decided to base my design on the passionate and humble nature of the company.  Simple yet creative.  Rustic-earthy yet clean and fresh.  Giving is their culture.  Taking in consideration all of the client needs, I began with numerous freehand sketches, bubble diagrams and adjacency matrix's to begin the design process.  What drove me to put in so much time and effort into this project was knowing that the giving had to begin somewhere... perhaps that place would be the TOMS headquarters?

This was something I included in my display:

The Client

TOMS.  What an amazing company.  Not only did I end up purchasing a pair of TOMS shoes for myself and also for my boyfriend while researching the company, I was inspired by the company and excited to be "designing" their headquarters. 

What is TOMS?  TOMS is a shoe company (they also now do eyewear aswell).  They are not just an ordinary shoe company however-- everytime a pair of shoes is purchased, a pair of shoes is given to a child in need.  One for One.  I encourage you to check out their website and blog at www.toms.com.

The Project

Design is not only created from inspiration, but is to be an inspiration.  This blog was soley created to share with you the story of my Corporate Design Project.

My name is Sarah and I am an Interior Design student at Fanshawe College.  This past semester, we were focussing on Evidence Based design for the workplace.  The assignment that was given to us at the beginning of the semester was to research how the physical environment affects productivity in the workplace.  Considering all aspects of our findings, we were to design the headquarters for a client of our choice.