The Office as a Brand Asset
The Office as a Brand Asset
The Office as a Brand Asset
Role / Title
Director, Creative & Brand
Company
Jetblack
Industry
Consumer Technology
Year
2018
Project
HQ Design & Buildout
Role / Title
Director, Creative & Brand
Company
Jetblack
Industry
Consumer Technology
Year
2018
Project
HQ Design & Buildout
Role / Title
Director, Creative & Brand
Company
Jetblack
Industry
Consumer Technology
Year
2018
Project
HQ Design & Buildout
Every candidate or partner visit reads the HQ as a statement about the company, culture, and brand.
Jetblack was Walmart's SMS-based concierge shopping service, a $50/month membership born out of Store No. 8, the innovation lab behind the Jet.com acquisition. It was racing from stealth beta toward a fixed public launch, with no brand yet built to meet it.
The People Experience Team saw a floor plan. I saw a brand problem in disguise: what does an office say about a company before a single word of copy gets read? How do we showcase our culture through the space itself? A generic startup office chips away at the brand a little every day, one candidate tour at a time.
01.
Context
Jetblack was moving from a small office space in the West Village to a much larger, full-floor office in TriBeCa, New York City. With this office move came a very corporate, very drab space that was the antithesis to the brand we were building. The brand was premium, magical, and specific, built around a ‘mom's best friend’ positioning.
02.
Problem
The People Experience Team wanted an office for its employees. The one Jetblack was moving into felt like a company HQ from Office Space in the 2000s. Cubicles. Patterned carpet. A confusing layout. Nobody was owning the brand problem hiding inside it: our physical space had to represent the brand we were building.
03.
How I Moved the Org
I partnered closely with the People Experience Team to ensure that what we were building was a proper representation of the Jetblack brand. I collaborated heavily to support the office experience: decor, material choices, conference room naming system, how the space felt walking through it. Conference rooms got named after magical characters (Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Maleficent, etc), extending Jetblack's vocabulary into the walls themselves. Wayfinding, 3D signage, and a photo wall of the growing team gave the office its own narrative voice. In addition to the creative choices and partnership, my role also extended into management and coordination across leadership, people operations, office management, and outside vendors to ensure we were move-in ready. The space had to be designed intentionally or it would default to a place that no one wanted to show up to on a Monday.
01.
Context
Jetblack was moving from a small office space in the West Village to a much larger, full-floor office in TriBeCa, New York City. With this office move came a very corporate, very drab space that was the antithesis to the brand we were building. The brand was premium, magical, and specific, built around a ‘mom's best friend’ positioning.
02.
Problem
The People Experience Team wanted an office for its employees. The one Jetblack was moving into felt like a company HQ from Office Space in the 2000s. Cubicles. Patterned carpet. A confusing layout. Nobody was owning the brand problem hiding inside it: our physical space had to represent the brand we were building.
03.
How I Moved the Org
I partnered closely with the People Experience Team to ensure that what we were building was a proper representation of the Jetblack brand. I collaborated heavily to support the office experience: decor, material choices, conference room naming system, how the space felt walking through it. Conference rooms got named after magical characters (Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Maleficent, etc), extending Jetblack's vocabulary into the walls themselves. Wayfinding, 3D signage, and a photo wall of the growing team gave the office its own narrative voice. In addition to the creative choices and partnership, my role also extended into management and coordination across leadership, people operations, office management, and outside vendors to ensure we were move-in ready. The space had to be designed intentionally or it would default to a place that no one wanted to show up to on a Monday.
01.
Context
Jetblack was moving from a small office space in the West Village to a much larger, full-floor office in TriBeCa, New York City. With this office move came a very corporate, very drab space that was the antithesis to the brand we were building. The brand was premium, magical, and specific, built around a ‘mom's best friend’ positioning.
02.
Problem
The People Experience Team wanted an office for its employees. The one Jetblack was moving into felt like a company HQ from Office Space in the 2000s. Cubicles. Patterned carpet. A confusing layout. Nobody was owning the brand problem hiding inside it: our physical space had to represent the brand we were building.
03.
How I Moved the Org
I partnered closely with the People Experience Team to ensure that what we were building was a proper representation of the Jetblack brand. I collaborated heavily to support the office experience: decor, material choices, conference room naming system, how the space felt walking through it. Conference rooms got named after magical characters (Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Maleficent, etc), extending Jetblack's vocabulary into the walls themselves. Wayfinding, 3D signage, and a photo wall of the growing team gave the office its own narrative voice. In addition to the creative choices and partnership, my role also extended into management and coordination across leadership, people operations, office management, and outside vendors to ensure we were move-in ready. The space had to be designed intentionally or it would default to a place that no one wanted to show up to on a Monday.
Placeholder
16
Conference rooms named after characters
3
Scooters used around the office
83
Polaroids hung of internal employees
23
Character quotes installed around the office
Placeholder
16
Conference rooms named after characters
3
Scooters used around the office
83
Polaroids hung of internal employees
23
Character quotes installed around the office
Placeholder
16
Conference rooms named after characters
3
Scooters used around the office
83
Polaroids hung of internal employees
23
Character quotes installed around the office
"Walking into that office during my interview made Jetblack feel real. I felt the magic in the physical space."
Confidential
Candidate Interview
"Walking into that office during my interview made Jetblack feel real. I felt the magic in the physical space."
Confidential
Candidate Interview
"Walking into that office during my interview made Jetblack feel real. I felt the magic in the physical space."
Confidential
Candidate Interview
