Branditecture

Felix Stockle. Architecture and space play in the design and brand management an increasingly important role. The focus is on the target is to reach coherent and congruent brand experience for all relevant groups. This does not, however, without consummating a cross-disciplinary blend of architecture, interior design, graphic and objectivity. This idea of an entire work can still be found already in the history of architecture in the efforts of individual architects. Art Nouveau architects such as Josef Hoffmann, have pursued this goal as well as later, Le Corbusier and the Bauhaus. Another milestone was set in the wake Arne Jacobsen, the Royal SAS has designed extensively in all dimensions and facets - from architecture to furniture, wallpaper, door handles and carpets, to tablecloths, china and cutlery. He has had it too, made the first settlements on certain topics or whole brand and can therefore be regarded as a pioneer of branded environments in the sense understood today. To specify the destination of the actors, in this way marks a tangible home with all their senses in their specific environment follows, however, much more archaic origins and needs.

Where are we going? - Always home!

Why one man inhabits a wooden house at the forest edge and the other a designer loft? Why buy a Charles Eames chair of one and the other a folding chair from Ikea? Why cook one in a custom Bulthaup kitchen, while the other is in a country kitchen with Grandma's treasures from the ancient times until probably feels so right? The answer is very simple and at the same time terribly complicated.

Imagine, in a city in a specific street live two architects in the same house. Both are about the same age, have approximately the same income, are both married and have two children. And even though they appear superficially very similar to us, but from their homes look completely different, like maybe even their clothes or their cars.

Sociologically speaking, each of us creates his home with a piece of home that is more than a geographical location or a collection of home furnishings and accessories. Each home is the result and expression of its own, very personal identity of its residents. It is an expression of their history, attitudes and personality. An apartment is in one case perhaps pragmatic accommodation and in other social meeting place. In any case, it is their own interpretation of the nest, which one has built a home for himself and his family.

And never stops building. Because identity is by its nature is not static, but subject to a dynamic process of continuous change. Intentionally or not. Driven by the desire to own or influenced by the changing external environment.

Architecture as a base and equally an expression of identity

So is it task of architecture, the identity of people - to bring to term - and companies? It is the task of architecture to create a home for humans?

In an inscription at the bottom of the Gallery of Contemporary Art in Hamburg that "home is not the place, but the community of feeling." Home is the place through the attitudes, values, identity and human understanding be expressed. In private, as in the corporate context.

What makes the matter complicated is the question of the origin and effect. As the design of the space reflects the culture and values of its people, so they can design just the culture and values, of these people just to influence directly or indirectly. Understood in this sense, architecture can also be a catalyst for planned and sometimes necessary change of people and businesses.

Brand as a staple for the design of identity and change

Meet the company's view in this sense, identity, valuesculture with the necessity of continuous development together. Because there is no future without origin. And the clip and the instrument for the expression and the mediation of identity and change is the brand.

Is the development of identity and personality of people so more of a subconscious, if not random and highly dependent on the environment embossed process, so it goes for companies and brands more strongly to a conscious, quasi-planned and controlled approach.

For that reason grasps the majority of companies related to brands today, not only as a projection and expression of their identity, culture and values, but as an active instrument, a clear its own position in the respective market environment and thus to differentiate from competitors.

In order to use the mark in this sense as a management tool for their own actions, it is therefore important one that will stand for what a company experienced in making all points of contact with his reference groups. This is also true for the entire brand experience in the third dimension of space.

Thus it is not only the responsibility of architects to rebuild this area in terms of a shell, but also by the architecture of the soul of the brand for everyone who enters it, to life. The mark in the space to be experienced.

Branded Environments as designing the brand experience in the Third Dimension

In the Anglo-Saxon for this is the term Branded Environments was coined, reflecting addition to the purely architectural dimension on the intended experiential character of the reference groups and the involvement of the their individual circumstances - and thus the actual function of space from the perspective of the brand strategy more moves center stage .

Make the task of the soul of a brand is experienced in three dimensions, in equal measure for the creation of retail environments, meaning stores such as shops, stores, flagship stores or fairs, as well as administrative buildings and production facilities. While the former rather have the brand experience from the perspective of the customer in focus, it goes to second more to the mediation of identity, culture, values and inward - and their specific impact in terms of teaching and providing access to all employees.

A good example of this is not only the retail stores of Apple and the corporate office of Vitra, which are widely known and recognized, but also the new Burberry London headquarters, the employee, brand and Archiektur professionals alike as an expression of the soul of brand is perceived.

Regardless of the aim and design of a brand-Branded Environments typical room always arises through the interaction, or better, the meshing of two-dimensional and three-dimensional design elements. So where architecture, interior design, graphic representation and merge in perfect harmony and symbols that support colors, shapes and materials against each other in their effect. Always with the aim of both functional aspects and the emotional, that is the emotional experience of the space directly influence. And make it as a Living Environment in the full ambiguity of the term.

Dynamism of architecture by designing a four-dimensional experience

In addition to creating brand experience in the areas described above, three-dimensional sense, but also the fourth dimension is becoming increasingly important, the element of time. In more ways than one.

On the one hand, - to support the integration of audio-visual elements to convey the brand identity in the space - like the inclusion of haptic experiences in communicating the brand identity through forms and surfaces. In this way extends the static nature of graphic art and architecture in the positive sense is a dynamic and more interactive dimension.

The inclusion of the dimension of time allows not only the dynamic of the moment but also the opportunity to experience the brand in the space to forge ahead as a whole. Talk about changing graphic and audio-visual elements, it is possible to use the room each time you revisit again and again to experience something different and new.

Although architecture has fewer than thought for eternity in the past, perhaps this is the case, variable room concepts and have gained increasing importance and proliferation, architecture can not afford this alone. And it will usually not too well.

Branded Environments and expression as a catalyst for change

The designer offers the opportunity to, in contrast to the wear of time-keeping and to take constantly changing or evolving elements, each user or visitor on a journey and so does the catalytic moment of Branded Environments bill. In keeping with the need for continuous development and constant change.

This understanding requires a change but not least in the minds of the people involved. Not least because the creation and development process of a further understood in that sense environments, an interdisciplinary cooperation is otherwise required in trades-understand participant. But also because the company really in charge of the design space as an expression of their identity, values, and culture, as well as future ambitions must understand. Not only in purely functional terms.

This creates a complexity that has not previously existed in this form, but which is in turn broken up by the brand as a unifying target vision. Because where there is a clear understanding on the direction and soul of a brand, it is only a compass and beacon of cooperation of all parties involved.

The objective: the creation of branded environments a home and a home for the identity, values, and culture to create the company standing behind the brand.

Branded Environments for brands and companies are therefore nothing but an expression of one's own identity and their continuous development. How the four walls of each one of us. Whether by Charles Eames chair or folding chair from Ikea.

The important thing is not the price paid or the asset creators often raised questions of aesthetics. What really matters is the question of whether it is possible the people involved, the actual identity of the resident to express.

And therefore sees a ALDI store just different than the KDW in Berlin. The way my apartment looks different than yours.

www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=thinking.article&storyid=888&bhcp=1