Project Overview

BBC Worldwide engaged THERE to help make the new Sydney HQ feel 'undeniably BBC' and imaginatively showcase their iconic brand.

Project Commissioner

BBC

Project Creator

THERE

Team

PAUL TABOURE (EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR)
CHARLIE BROMLEY (HEAD OF ENVIRONMENTS)
JUSTINE LESMANA, CHRISTINA MARICIC & JON ZHU (DESIGNERS)
DANIELLE SENECKY (PROJECT MANAGER)

Project Brief

We were tasked with curating a workplace environment that reflected the huge array of TV content that the company distributes, whilst creating an imaginative workplace in line with the Sydney team’s ethos.
Our scope extended to experiential graphic theming for meeting rooms & breakout spaces, as well as a series of engaging placemaking pieces aimed at both visitors and staff alike.

Project Innovation/Need

Our solution centred around ‘domesticating’ the workplace by curating a series of spaces around homely themes and features, which in turn conveyed the key characteristics of BBC Worldwide channels.

Meeting rooms became The Living Room or The Study - reflecting the comfortable quality of BBC First’s home-grown dramas or the geeky documentaries found on BBC Knowledge. BBC Earth’s focus on the environment informed The Conservatory and an eclectic kitchen theme created the backdrop to team huddle spaces.

Two key placemaking pieces were also designed to activate both the front and back of house. The Gallery showcased a wall of interactive picture frames, allowing staff to personalise a rotating display of images. And in Reception, a sculptural feature wall of domestic objects formed the backdrop to the visitor experience.

Whilst on first impression the objects appear to be a random assortment of bric-a-brac emerging from the wall, each object actually represents a BBC TV show. Covering a range of ages, demographics and content, the brand’s unique heritage was brought to life through a playful piece with a hidden layer of story-telling.

Design Challenge

The primary challenge was devising a scheme that unified the broad spectrum of BBC Worldwide products and content within their new workspace. The domestic theme allowed us to treat the whole space as a typical home, and each area was given a distinct functional personality.
This encapsulated the essence of BBC Worldwide and their engagement with viewers sitting at home in their lounge rooms.

For the reception piece, we wanted to create a lot with a little - so we used CNC routed foam to create the sculptural feature wall. This helped to produce a lightweight and economical sculpture, that was big on impact but came in within budget.

Effectiveness

The graphics and placemaking features have garnered immense engagement from staff and visitors, with trivia buffs eager to challenge their knowledge of BBC shows and heritage. The distinctively themed areas have also aided in the navigation and usage of the spaces amongst staff.

Graphic Design - Environmental

This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the intersection of communication design and the built environment, and is concerned with the visual aspects of wayfinding, communication identity and brands, information design and shaping the idea of place. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching of information style to audience.
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