a new brand world

a new brand world
Pentagon Row
Arlington, Virginia
a new brand world
taking identity to the next level
Every time you hum a television commercial, decide to test a new
flavor of toothpaste or pay more than average for a cup of coffee,
you, as a consumer, are revealing a relationship with a product or
company that today’s savvy companies pay great amounts of time
and money to develop. This relationship, measured in emotional
currency, is forged by a company’s or a product’s strategic identity—
of what is commonly referred to as its brand.
In today’s competitive market, with so many shouting voices, it is difficult for one brand to stand
apart from the fray. Increasingly, companies are looking for ways to achieve market differentiation,
while further reinforcing their identities. A potent, compelling brand is one way to do that.
As you’d expect, brands come in many shapes and sizes. Most people think of them as a logo—
a two dimensional identity that exists on a brochure or tee shirt—but more and more, businesses
are coming to understand the importance and value of creating brand-rich environments. This
special type of customer-facing environment choreographs a deeper, richer experience and
creates a lasting memory.
But how do you get there? How do you ensure that your brand will align with your mission,
while also forging critical links with your market? It begins with great design.
Berceo Retail and Entertainment Centre
Logroño, Spain
unlocking value
Although design is an integral component to the creation
of brand-rich environments, the first exercise must be a
strategic one. Understanding the essence of your company
and translating it into tangible messages and a unified identity
are critical to successfully infusing your brand with your
environment. Done right, a brand-rich environment can improve
your profits by offering a wealth of benefits.
A brand-rich environment is a meeting point for corporate
objectives, values and positioning, and consequently helps
to strengthen and position the brand. It differentiates the
brand and the products from competitors. It makes buying
more enjoyable for the consumer. It increases customer and
employee brand awareness by providing a showcase for the
products. Finally, it creates a more enjoyable work environment
for employees, which translates into lower turnover and better
productivity.
using your brand
as leverage for your
bottom line
Mandarin Oriental
Miami, Florida
bridging the gap
Many people associate branded environments with retail.
Stores and shopping centers, already designed to showcase
products, make ideal spaces for communicating deeper
messages about the lifestyle components of particular brands.
But some of the most successful brand-rich environments are
those that take place outside of the retail environment,
in hotels, the workplace and even in healthcare settings.
In the workplace, branded interiors can put a corporate mission
at the fingertips of employees, visitors and clients. Whether
a firm utilizes a showroom format to bring the products and
those who represent them closer together, or simply integrates
the firm’s message throughout a traditional workplace, the
results can have significant impact on attracting and retaining
the best and brightest. In hotels, infusing the space with brand
cues can help to extend the memory and ultimately foster
guest loyalty. In healthcare environments, where customerfocused issues are increasingly driving facilities (think women’s
health and elective surgery), brand-rich environments bring the
retail concept a step further.
brand-rich environments
in hospitality, healthcare
and workplace
The Streets at Southpoint
Durham, North Carolina
designing touchpoints
The goal of any successful brand is to express the essence—
the DNA—of the company or product it represents. Once
defined, that DNA may play out in a series of ways and in
various media. For this reason, design is a key component in
successful brand-rich environments. Without dynamic design
that reflects core values and strategy, these places can fail to
forge critical connections, or worse, they can carry the wrong
message.
The best way to achieve positive results is to create a series or
sequence of touchpoints. Every time a stakeholder (a customer,
an employee or a client) “touches” your product, workplace or
services, he or she engages in a scripted and meaningful part
of the overall experience of your brand. These touchpoints
combine to tell an overarching story, much the way chapters
of a novel tell a story. Each one must work individually, but as
a cumulative sequence, they should create a compelling and
powerful brand expression.
make the right connections
our work
Solutia
DFS Galleria
On the Border
David Beckham Academy
Shinsei Bank
Bank Spot
UCI Cinemas
Credit Suisse Private Advisors
Hall & Woodhouse Badger Brewery Visitor Centre
SRAM World Headquarters
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
Mercy Medical Center
Our Lucaya
The Printworks
Yankee Candle
SubZero/Wolf Showrooms
Seven Worldwide
Chiao Tung Bank
Solutia wanted to adopt a unique marketing approach in the interior design
of their 2,500-SF showroom. Making its debut in time for NeoCon 2002,
RTKL’s design for the space achieves two primary goals: showcasing the
Solutia brand and marketing two core products, Ultron carpet fiber and
Vanceva Design performance films.
The arresting entry façade features vibrant red lighting behind transparent
glass walls, floors, and ceilings. Solutia’s name is prominently displayed
through a recessed cutout. A custom printed carpet runner showcasing
Ultron’s color capability encourages visitors to enter the space. The
energized color scheme of the showroom reflects Vanceva Design
development, with bright red, blue, and yellow hues complimenting
polychromatic colors. Two custom display areas for prestigious annual
awards, a hands-on Vanceva display, and theater seating further the
interactive brand environment.
an interactive mix
of brand and design
Solutia
Chicago, Illinois
luxury brands shine in
comfortable surroundings
In Naha City, Okinawa, Japan, domestic visitors used to leave
In order to reduce the big-box feel of the one-story retail
the airport and drive north in rental cars to the area’s beaches,
space, the design team created a series of rooms, each with
battling traffic on the way and completely avoiding the city.
a different feel and featuring a particular high-end luxury brand
Duty-Free Shops saw a way to change this traffic flow by
or a collection of goods, such as Louis Vuitton, Cartier, leather
locating the airport’s rental car facility across the city from the
goods or beauty. The Galleria’s exterior, which features a blend
airport and linking the two with a new monorail system. While
of modern and traditional local materials, provides a fitting
travelers wait to rent their cars, the new DFS Galleria provides
gateway for tourists arriving and leaving Naha.
100,000 SF of duty-free shopping in a convenient, luxurious
environment designed by RTKL.
DFS Galleria
Okinawa, Japan
On the Border restaurant was suffering from a design that
Inside, the space is broken into three distinct rooms—a central
resembled the numerous Mexican chains around the United
courtyard with balconies and windows, a “family room” with
States. As a result, they sought a prototype redesign that could
an authentic feel and warm furnishings, and a large, edgier bar
make them stand out and more effectively communicate their
area. In the center, the Fajita Grill provides the main event, with
history and brand. They hired RTKL in order to get an outsider’s
sights and aromas of sizzling meat and vegetables to entice
perspective, and enthusiastically received RTKL’s “Casa”
surrounding guests.
redesign concept.
The prototype redesign has been an immense success from
Based on the idea of a traditional rambling Mexican home,
both an aesthetic and an operational standpoint. Ticket times
the new design achieves comfort and warmth through its
are six times faster now, and both sales and guest volume
materials and layout. On the exterior, stucco, stone and cedar
figures have greatly exceed expectations.
accentuated by bright colors are inspired by the design team’s
research trip to Mexico.
a mexican restaurant
redesigned to stand
out from the rest
On the Border
Numerous US Locations
an interactive
sports facility
David Beckham Academy
London, UK
As part of a multimillion-dollar redevelopment of London’s
The innovative shape of the building’s interior resembles
Millennium Dome, RTKL was commissioned to design the
Beckham’s signature free kick, and includes two covered, full-
David Beckham Academy. Sponsored by soccer star David
sized pitches. A 2,200-SM pavilion houses a reception area,
Beckham, the unique design of the facility helps shape an
classrooms, dining facilities, locker rooms with a medical suite,
educational and entertainment experience for 15,000 children
a retail store, and a variety of administrative accommodations.
annually.
The latest audio-visual technology is located throughout the
player tunnels and the stadium. The interactive design of the
Designed with an initial 10-year lifespan, the facility is an
facility caters directly to the Academy’s curriculum, which
immersive environment for visitors to five-day training camps.
focuses on the integration of education and a healthy lifestyle.
a dynamic brand sets
new standards for
Japanese banking
Shinsei Bank
Tokyo, Japan
Shinsei Bank, under new ownership, sought a contemporary,
of the past, Shinsei communicates warmth by using a casual
branded environment that would stand out from all other
illustrative style as the basis for the brand. Along with the new
Japanese banks by making banking an engaging and fun
corporate logo, this theme became the basis for credit cards,
experience. RTKL created a space that combines a personal
ATMs, murals and signs. The positive result of this design
touch with the latest in technological expression.
was revealed in a recent Japanese business survey that said
Shinsei’s brand awareness has greatly improved in less than a
From collateral material to interiors and environmental graphics,
year. The bank has managed to accomplish its high customer
RTKL’s design provides a complete program that emphasizes
acquisition targets and provide a completely new banking
lifestyle. Unlike the traditional cold and institutional banking
“style” to tradition-dominated Japan.
While Shinsei Bank has been very successful in Japan, they
sought to extend their presence by opening a large network
of mini-branches. As efficient sub-brands, called Bank Spot,
the RTKL-designed facilities appeal to a younger market
comfortable with automated banking.
Self-service technology and innovative design are the focal
points of the small facilities, which have fewer staff and
little back-of-house operations. Each facility houses a user-
technology enhances
a successful brand
friendly series of automated banking pods, comprised of
flat-screen computers enclosed in translucent plastic casing.
The pod screens and scattered plasma screens help visually
advance the Shinsei brand. A streamlined, all-white interior
color scheme, offset by the modern shapes of the banking
equipment, emphasizes the idea of a technology-driven
environment, while dynamic signage and artwork add a
stimulating human element.
Bank Spot, Shinsei Bank
Various Locations, Japan
a new identity takes
movie-going back to
its “golden age”
United Cinemas International, a worldwide movie theater
Through detailed research, RTKL created a brand and
company, wanted to improve the aesthetic dimension of
identity based on a contemporary interpretation of the “golden
their operations and become the “Authority of Cinema” in an
age” of cinema. Utilizing non-traditional elements blended
increasingly competitive and expanding cinema market. RTKL
with modern interpretations of early cinema, the design
was hired to help create a global prototype for theaters
centers around customer behavior and is welcoming of all
around the world.
potential customer groups. Comfortable seats and perfectly
unobstructed views compliment a highly integrated information
and wayfinding system that orients visitors and reinforces the
UCI identity at every stage. Brand is emphasized, creating a
high-quality experience reminiscent of the days when moviegoing was a night on the town.
UCI Cinemas
Numerous UK Locations
Located in the prestigious Four
Seasons hotel in the heart of
Miami’s international financial
district, RTKL designed the
offices of Credit Suisse Private
Advisors to stand out from its
more traditional neighbors. The
design of the 3,000-SF facility
maximizes its small space while
offering a comfortable feel in a
modern aesthetic.
Innovatively designed glass-walled
hallways give the impression
of a larger, open space. Sliding
doors and floor-to-ceiling windows
gradually increase in size along
a subtly angled ceiling that
culminates in a main reception area. Connected to the lobby are private
conference rooms, shielded by frosted glass and bronzed brick walls. The
streamlined, Asian-inspired design scheme mixes soft and bright lighting,
selectively bold artwork and plush furniture, allowing for an atmosphere
that both soothes and stimulates prestigious clientele.
sophisticated
design in a high-end
financial facility
Credit Suisse Private Advisors
Miami, Florida
a beloved brand celebrates its
past and the future with design
Since 1777, the family-run company of Hall & Woodhouse—
profile; and remain true to the firm’s history, while embracing
producers of beloved and award-winning beers like Badger and
its modern, state-of-the-art brewing practices. Overcoming
Tanglefoot—have enjoyed their ascent to a position among
limitations of the malting facility site, the design team created
world-class brewers. To celebrate this success and extend their
a double-height, airy interior that blends artifacts and new
rich history to the public, the firm invested £400,000 into the
materials. A modern, glass exhibition wall runs the length of
new Badger Brewery Visitors Centre—a place that serves a
the center, providing both aesthetic and functional roles, while
company, a community and a brand.
a conference room, bar, restaurant, and catering kitchen add to
the overall experience.
RTKL’s design team determined several key goals for the
project: Create a place for visitors to eat, drink and be
entertained; give the town of Blandford a higher tourism
Hall & Woodhouse Badger
Brewery Visitor Centre
Dorset, UK
an innovative office
promotes a company’s
hip culture
SRAM World Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
Armed with a strong identity, SRAM, a global manufacturer of
innovative bicycle components, sought a new office design that
would reinforce its existing hip culture without reinventing it.
Their resulting world headquarters provides a high-performing
industrial yet comfortable workspace that encourages crossfunctional teaming and collaboration.
Designers and engineers at both RTKL and SRAM worked
closely throughout the project under a fast-track process.
Together, the design team transformed three floors of an
industrial loft building, adding a 650-foot oval bike test track that
doubles as a primary pedestrian circulation path. Custom reconfigurable workstations reflect the unique style of the client’s
product design. Amenities cater to the largely bicycle-riding
staff, such as locker rooms with showers and bicycle storage.
Creative selection and reuse of materials met budget goals and
provided sustainable design solutions.
Located in the new Midfield concourse at Washington Dulles
A freestanding curved wall and mezzanine pavilion divide
International Airport, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is a fully-
the clubhouse into five activity areas, all adorned with bold
equipped departures lounge. Designed to accommodate 75
colors and shapes. Filled with overstuffed leather armchairs,
people, the facility caters to passengers on the go with a
the main lounge is a circular space that links to a reception
stimulating interior and functional amenities.
lobby, luggage stowage, a bar and pantry, a terrace library and
private shower rooms. A winding staircase with metal detailing
a stimulating design
environment for
passengers on the go
accesses the mezzanine level, where modern furnishings
surround a variety of audio and video entertainment. A window
wall spans the entire north side of the facility, affording an
abundance of natural light and offering panoramic views of the
airport’s classic Eero Saarinen terminal.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
Loudoun County, Virginia
Mercy Medical Center, a downtown Baltimore mainstay,
underwent a massive identity revitalization to re-connect the
hospital to the community. RTKL’s comprehensive design
strengthens the Mercy brand through a flexible framework of
identity, wayfinding and environmental graphics that fosters a
a new logo is the first step in
re-connecting a hospital to its
community
comfortable, inviting patient environment.
Logo redesign was essential to recasting the hospital in
its surroundings. In a sea of dark buildings, Mercy was the
first to proclaim its identity to the city with a bright new
logo on the side of its tallest building, prompting a local
paper to call it, “the best addition to the Baltimore skyline.”
From there, the logo extends to collateral materials and
decorative type adorning centers of excellence and other
structures throughout the hospital. Life and faith, two
themes of the environmental design, are carried out in leaf
patterns etched on decorative screens and windows, and a
donor recognition pool incorporates the hospital’s theme of
water—a symbol for healing. Color-coded signage provides
visitors with an easily navigable route from the street to
the lobby to the appropriate elevators. Wayfinding in the
parking garage directs traffic to appropriate destinations and
reinforces the hospital’s identity.
Mercy Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland
a variety of identities
diversify a resort’s
offerings
Our Lucaya
Grand Bahama Island
Throughout the design of Our Lucaya, one of the Grand
Bahama Island’s largest resorts, capturing and exposing the
spirit of the tropics was a large part of creating an inviting
destination. RTKL took that concept to the next level by
developing identities that span a variety of services and media.
Ideally situated on a half-mile strip along the island,
Our Lucaya is an extensive resort that invites guests to
immerse themselves in the local amenities and environment.
A pedestrian path leads visitors through the buildings,
each with a distinct look in order to appeal to a variety of
expectations. To continue this expression of an authentic
vacation spot, every amenity’s identity is different, but all
capture the spirit and meaning of the resort as a whole. From
the spa to the coffee shop, Our Lucaya represents more than
just a resort, offering an array of vacation experiences that
appeal to a variety of aspirations.
The Printworks is an essential component of the
redevelopment of Manchester city center in the aftermath
of a bombing. The five-level leisure center aims to capture
the essence of Manchester’s heritage while meeting
the commercial needs of today’s operators. RTKL’s
environmental design facilitates this need by helping to
recreate the excitement of a traditional Manchester high
street.
From the newspaper-inspired logo down to the
“manholes” in the pavement, RTKL’s design casts every
visitor in an exciting retail and entertainment destination.
Neon restaurant signs contrast with traditional-looking
product posters. Wayfinding and signage provide more than
just directions, but contribute to the feeling of standing in a
vibrant urban town center. Tenants, given design criteria that
allows for liberal expression of storefronts, add to the vitality
of the center, a true urban mecca and beacon for the future
of downtown Manchester.
graphics enliven a
revitalized bomb site
The Printworks
Manchester, UK
Seeking a total brand re-imaging, Yankee Candle Company
The creation of strong visual connection to the brand’s
selected RTKL to define a style that would highlight the brand’s
traditional fragrance, value, and history guided the design
strongest attributes. The resulting design prototype is a holistic
process. A lifestyle-based environment, featuring cherry
approach that embraces new and contemporary styling while
furniture product displays, pendant lighting fixtures, and a
creating a sense of history and nostalgia.
cozy chair alongside a fireplace allows for a comfort-driven
retail experience. A history wall reacquaints guests with the
company’s past, and dynamic signage with a new corporate
a contemporary twist
on a classic brand
logo reaffirms the Yankee Candle name.
Yankee Candle
Asheville, North Carolina
In Hollywood, the new 7,200-SF corporate facility features
a training room with an adjacent demonstration kitchen
and refrigerator-display area. The centerpiece is an octagonal
showroom featuring eight distinct kitchen vignettes,
ranging from a contemporary European kitchen to a cozy,
wood-paneled setting with wine storage and refrigeration
The Westye Group, distributor of Subzero refrigerators and
units. Similarly, the 14,000-SF Atlanta showroom features
Wolf appliances, operates showrooms in the southeast to
eight customized kitchen vignettes in addition to a live
assist customers, designers, architects and builders in selecting
demonstration kitchen, wine storage and billiard room,
luxury appliances customized to their needs. In order to achieve
laundry room, and an outdoor barbeque area. In these
spaces that would adequately showcase their product lines,
inviting showrooms, clients and potential customers can
Westye sought the interior architecture services of RTKL to
interact with an array of kitchen environments,
design the company’s high-end showrooms in Atlanta and
test-drive product lines and participate in product
Hollywood, Florida. A third is currently in design.
demonstration classes.
an inspiring showroom
and cooking destination
SubZero/Wolf Showrooms
Hollywood, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia
distinct offices unite
into one identity
Seven Worldwide
Chicago, Illinois
Seven Worldwide, a global pre-media services company,
RTKL’s solution reflects Seven’s dynamic and interactive
consolidated their Chicago operations from six leased facilities
culture and its exciting and inspiring brand identity. Interactive,
into a single company-owned loft building. The new building
collaborative areas define the floor plan, with highly organized
unites the distinct, customer-focused locations—each with
teaming spaces, meeting rooms, lounges, coffee bars and
its own production, creative and administrative staff—by
recreational areas. The vibrant colors and graphics that drive
redefining the way the company works and solidifying its
the brand are exemplified in the playful patterns and hues found
niche in the market.
in the carpet and wayfinding around the office. This highly
informal yet supremely functional environment—also featuring
mobile furniture and plug-and-play capabilities—encourages
the creative process and creates a cohesive corporate culture
and image.
Chiao Tung Bank (CTB) sought to re-invent its image, linking
its traditional reputation with a desire to be at the forefront of
the technology revolution in banking. Having set a precedent
with the re-branding of Shinsei Bank in Tokyo, RTKL was
commissioned to design an environment that would equally
reflect CTB’s unique identity and client values.
The resulting design integrates high technology with a human
appeal. Repeating patterns and graphic shapes are highlighted
by bright, recessed lighting. A cool color scheme and leather
seating maintain a streamlined look while establishing a
relaxed atmosphere. Sleek, metallic structures contain
user-friendly ATMs and flat-screen computers, serving as
focal points that emphasize CTB’s commitment to customer
brand meets technology
service in a technology-driven setting.
Chiao Tung Bank
Taipei, Taiwan
Shinsei Bank
Tokyo, Japan
bare essentials
At RTKL, we’re about more than just buildings. While we have
With building for the future comes a need for flexibility and
the experience and the know-how to deliver well-designed
agility in everything we do. Preparing and adjusting to changes
places to a variety of clients, merely meeting your functional
in the economy, security and technology are essential to
needs is not enough to fulfill our mission. Instead, we pride
creating viable places. Some of that is achieved through
ourselves on developing long-lasting, meaningful relationships
the connections we make to communities, our fluency in
that help companies and public institutions develop their real
environmental design and by building in adaptability. The
estate assets. We want to get to the root of what inspires your
rest is accomplished with intelligent engineering and applied
organization, and translate those goals and ideals into tangible
technology services. In every project, our MEP and structural
spaces that not only reflect your company’s best, but foster it
engineering teams, our Applied Technology studio and our
as well. Ultimately, when you succeed, we succeed.
telecommunications specialists provide a convergence of
technologies that meet your daily needs and increase the
How do we get there? By doing what we do best. We offer an
value of your assets. By tightly integrating these systems with
unparalleled breadth of services that, when integrated, bring
the plan and design of buildings, we ensure fluid, cohesive,
holistic solutions to even the most elusive design challenges.
sustainable environments that will operate smoothly today and
From urban design, to architecture, interior design, branding
down the road.
and telecommunications, our comprehensive approach ensures
a stronger, better-coordinated product.
Our process springs from a tight-knit corporate culture
that fosters collaboration and teamwork. Though we boast
Always at our table: great architecture. As architects, we
offices throughout the country and all over the world, we are
deliver high-quality buildings that meet your real estate goals
organized by practice group, rather than geography, thereby
as much as they redefine aesthetic ones. We take that model
ensuring that every project benefits from the partnership of
to the next level with interior design, bringing efficient and
our most talented people. We bring experts from all disciplines
comfortable environments to assist in your daily operations,
together to serve on hospitality, corporate, public, retail and
making our workplaces truly work. And if architecture is the
entertainment, mixed-use and residential projects. With so
show, our signage, wayfinding, environmental graphics and
much experience in such a wide range of disciplines, we
collateral materials are the guides, reaching out and fostering
have found we offer a unique perspective that spans these
physical connections that increase productivity and craft a
sectors. For example, our workplace projects benefit from our
consistent sense of place.
knowledge of floor plan efficiency in hospitals and user comfort
in hotels.
But a well-designed building is only as successful as the
relationship it forms outside of its walls. More and more,
Ultimately, with RTKL you’ll find a talented, knowledgeable
we are re-establishing ourselves as leaders in developing
team of experts that blends an appreciation for the human
places that connect to the environment, the community and
experience with a steadfast understanding for your
the world. With an extensive portfolio in planning and urban
bottom line. Since our start in 1946 as a two-man office
design, we look at the spaces between buildings, public areas,
in Annapolis, Maryland, we have designed award-winning
landscaping, links to transportation and use of resources
buildings, communities, environments, and engineering and
and infrastructure. The result? Long-lasting, highly relevant
telecommunications systems. As we enter the new millennium,
places that benefit from—and catalyze—the communities
we look forward to decades more of working closely with you
of the future.
to build our legacy—and yours—while designing places that
capture the human spirit today and into the future.
RTKL.COM