An Interactive Morning with WIRED25

“We used the morning to share our approach to branding and workplace strategy,” says Account Director Rachel Newell, “and what makes it unique.”

Key takeaways? “To be successful in this day and age, brands must be able to be fully experienced,” says Newell. “That’s why Rapt takes a holistic approach to designing them. We know that continued engagement is spurred by meaningful, connected experiences that can be fully felt.”

While Newell and Senior Strategist Michelle Lee talked strategy in the age of connected, integrated brands, our Creative and Account Director Louis Schump highlighted our agile approach — which tends to be more common in software design than space design. At the other end of the studio, Design Director Daniel Epperson took visitors through a few current projects that recruit the talent of graphic designers, interior designers, and architects alike.

“The spaces we design are always informed by the company’s mission, values, and purpose — which drive a company’s culture,” adds Newell. “Our branding work always takes those things into account.”

Visitors left the studio with not just a more comprehensive understanding of what we at Rapt do each day, but also — and even more importantly — with a sense that design, strategy, branding, and space can all connect to create really meaningful experiences.

Image credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for WIRED.

Holding space for being human

McKinsey’s study, Culture for a Digital Age, said “Culture is the most significant self-reported barrier to digital effectiveness”. The business implications are clear.

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” Anonymous

Like integrity, culture is reflected not in what people say — but in how they act. For companies, this differs between departments, offices and geography.

Building a healthy corporate culture, as any relationship, is complicated. Brand strategy provides a foundation of values and signposts. It can also frame a purposeful narrative. But building organizational alignment around vision is critical (and beyond complicated).

I recently joined Rapt Studio’s leadership team — attracted by their approach to space…the ultimate experiential medium. The steps applied to successful design are remarkably similar to tackling cultural change.

Observe. Listen. Question. Understand. Connect.

What separates wallpaper from substance is the strategy behind design. Probing deeply into an organization to turn abstract ideas (such as brand and business values) into “something you can touch, see, smell, sound and feel”. Then creating real-world ways to deepen human connection.

 

 

The permanence of space make the design brief just as important as the final build. Good design starts with asking the right questions, challenging assumptions and examining the elements which make human connection work. At a minimum the result should:

  1. Tell an authentic story
  2. Instill a sense of pride and belief
  3. Break down silos to enable diverse collaboration and communication

Key tenets for experiential design. And being human.