Project Challenge
Harland Clarke Holdings Corporation moved into its beautiful new corporate headquarters and discovered very quickly just how much wall space they had. They asked us to convey the company’s goals and values throughout the building’s five floors while paying tribute to the work teams that sat in specific areas. With more than 129,000 square feet of space and empty walls to complement — we had our work cut out for us.
A primary point of focus for the client was what they referred to as the Growth Wall – a wall that just about every employee passed, every day on their way to and from the company’s eatery. Growth was one of the central message points identified during the Discovery Phase of the project. But how many times has “business growth” been depicted and in how many ways? How could TMac Design stick to its commitment to produce something unique on such a subject? And what did the building need? There were white walls and white tile and white furniture.
Approach
The primary point of focus for the client was what they referred to as the Growth Wall. Growth was one of the central message points identified during the Discovery Phase of the project. But how many times has “business growth” been depicted and in how many ways? How could TMac Design stick to its commitment to produce something unique on such a subject? And what did the building need?
Dimensional Signage/Art
The Solution
Utilizing the shape and flow of a leaf with movement going up and to the right — the way we all want business growth to go — the Growth Wall began to take shape. To add even more life to this piece, we decided to make all of the components dimensional. Seeking expertise in fabrication requiring great detail work and multiple material types led us to SRO Associates. Collaborating with them allowed us to bring the three-dimensional concept to reality with custom-cut, hand-shaped and painted PVC pieces and stained wood with the primary point of focus – Growth – routed into the wood material. The entire wall was assembled offsite, taken apart and then reassembled on site at Harland Clarke during installation. Installation spanned approximately 20 hours.
With the success of the look and feel of the Growth Wall, other natural components began to mesh with other message points: a nautilus shell conveying Performance Excellence; tree rings mirroring fingerprints within Security; leaves resembling and made up of circuit boards in Technology; blades of grass imitating and meshing with belts in machinery communicating Alignment in engineering.