dna creative

casebook.03 | design for the built environment

01
A flock of birds takes flight, an
undulating pulse of light moves
beneath a wave-like surface,
frangipani blossoms and exotic parrots
populate the corridors, and bands of
steel flow along walls welcome to
the wonderful world of Nestls new
Oceania headquarters.
As the flagship for one of the worlds
best known brands and largest
corporations, the new Nestl building
at 1 Homebush Bay Drive is the
management epicentre of its regional
operations, consisting of a five-level
glass-walled pavilion with spectacular
views across the bay and eastwards
towards the city.
The move from the Darling Park tower
provided an opportunity for Nestl to
re-think its workplace design strategy,
and Nestls incumbent consultants
Group GSA were appointed to oversee
the interior design of the new building.
An important component of their
thinking was a thematic graphic
overlay that would work in synergy
case study 1: global giant
PROJECT DETAILS
Design of interior graphics and artworks
for the new Nestle Oceania headquarters at
1 Homebush Bay Drive in Sydney.
CLIENT: Nestl Australia
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: dna creative
INTERIOR DESIGNERS: Group GSA
PROJECT MANAGERS:
Event Project Management.
CONSTRUCTION: Australand
GRAPHICS PRODUCTION: Signwave Newtown
WOOD/STEEL SCULPTURE: Artizania
KINETIC LIGHT SCULPTURE:
Ruth McDermott Design/OggiLuce
STEEL SIGNAGE: Arrow Signs
Left and above left: a specially commissioned
kinetic light sculpture occupies a wall of the
entrance lobby, to the left of the entrance
turnstile as visitors enter. Programmed lights
pulse and change colour beneath a modular
surface of moulded fibre inspired by Oceanic
landscapes and natural forms.
Above right (and cover): a feature wall on
Level 4 consists of a field of laser-cut bas-relief
letters, with the words welcome, enjoy
repeated in the fourteen major languages of the
Oceania region, including the Aboriginal Darug
language, spoken by the original inhabitants of
the Homebush area.
Photography: left Ruth McDermott,
above Martin van der Wal.
01
Left: a breakout area on level 2 is signalled by
this vibrant supergraphic consisting of a wall-
mounted high-resolution digital print.
Above left: ground level breakout.
Above centre: detail of level 3 breakout
graphics.
Above right: wide view of Level 3 breakout, also
showing frosted nesting motif on glass
partitioning, which fulfils both safety and
privacy functions
Photography: Martin van der Wal
with their design to enhance colour
systems, orientation and wayfinding,
and also to express Nestls brand
values throughout the building in a
way that is both visually engaging and
livable with in the long term.
dna creative was engaged to work with
Group GSA and Nestl to achieve their
vision, and this entailed immersing
ourselves in Nestls global corporate
philosophy (Good Food, Good Life),
and at the same time working with
senior communications executives to
develop a uniquely regional expression
of these values. Nestl were emphatic
that they wanted the design solution to
reflect and be relevant to customers,
business associates and staff from all
the countries of Oceania, not just
Australia, and our starting point was
one of cultural and geographical
diversity.
From the outset it was proposed to
develop themed imagery and visual
concepts derived from the basic colour
palette already established by Group
GSAs design team. The ground level
has a blue colour scheme and is
associated with thirst-quenching
liquids, and with lakes and oceans
(above left). Level 1 (green) with fresh
leafy flavours and forest landscapes,
Level 2 (yellow/gold) with grains,
baked foods and temperate landscapes
(opposite), and Level 3 (red/brown)
with spicy flavours and desert
landscapes.
This palette and imagery is expressed
in the form of giant wall-mounted
digital prints that add colour and
visual interest to corridors and staff
breakout areas, and are designed to
have a life of several years, yet are not
expensive to replace or renew when
new imagery is needed in the future.
Common to all levels of the building
are significant amounts of glazing, and
for both safety and privacy reasons
large areas of glass need to be semi-
obscured without unduly reducing
light. A nesting motif was developed,
based on the companys logo (a birds
nest with chicks), that is applied to
glass in the form of etched glass film
01
At the far end of the corridor is a
tensile sculpture devised by dna
creative and made by Artizania an
abstract evocation of a flock of birds
taking flight (opposite page).
The sculpture consists of aerodynamic
shapes in a variety of timbers, with
gleaming metallic undersides,
suspended on floor to ceiling cables, in
such a way that viewers can circulate
around the sculpture and appreciate
the play of light and form from many
different angles. As well as adding a
visual focus to the passageway, the
installation when seen from a distance
is intriguing, and calls the viewer to
come and take a closer look. Plans for
a giant outdoor version of the birds in
flight, to be suspended along the
eastern facade of the building, are
being considered.
Left: A delicate tensile sculptural installation
inspired by birds taking flight is situated at the
end a fifty metre-long corridor on the public
level 4, which leads to meeting and conference
rooms on either side. The installation adds a
visual focus and calls the viewer to take a
closer look.
Above left: A view of the corridor, showing the
sculpture at the far end. Meeting rooms on
either side are indicated by raised acrylic letters
that interrupt the frieze of welcome words in a
contrasting colour.
Right: also on level 4 is a feature wall that
leads to the River Cafe, for both staff and
visitors. Bands of subtle colour defined by laser-
cut stainless steel sweep across the wall, and the
cafs logo also in steel, is echoed in menu
boards and other signage within the area.
Photography: Martin van der Wal
(previous page, top right) in such way
as to be functional while
simultaneously enhancing Nestls
branding within the environment.
Finally, and by no means least, there
was a requirement for visual
enhancement beyond the two
dimensional, especially in the fifty
metre long corridor on Level 4 where
most public business is conducted in a
series of meeting and conference
rooms (above left).
Along both walls of this corridor runs
a raised frieze of welcome words in
the fourteen major languages of
Oceania (echoing the feature wall
shown earlier), interspersed with the
names of the various rooms, in
contrasting colours, which are derived
from various products made by Nestl.
02
The Office of Protocol and Special
Events (OPSE) operates within the
NSW Premiers Department, with
responsibility for co-ordinating the
annual Australia Day celebrations and
major one-off events such as the 2003
Rugby World Cup. dna creative has
worked with the OPSE team on
branding and design of many events,
and when the organisation moved to
new offices in 2004, we were asked to
create a cost-effective environmental
branding/identification solution for
reception and meeting room areas.
Frosted vinyl motifs were applied to
extensive glass partitioning, creating a
discreet celebratory feeling while
admitting plentiful natural light.
The advantage of vinyl laminates, in
addition to being economical and
easily renewable, is that they can have
both positive (opposite and above left)
and reverse (above right) applications,
and are therefore highly adaptable to a
variety of situations where varying
levels of privacy are required. See also
Case Study 5: Rugby World Cup 2003.
case study 2: flying the flag
PROJECT DETAILS
Design of environmental graphics
CLIENT: Office of Protocol and Special Events,
NSW Premiers Department
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: dna creative
GRAPHICS PRODUCTION: Signwave Newtown
PHOTOGRAPHY: Kerry Wilson
03
In December 2003, Campbell Arnotts
Asia Pacific moved into its newly
re-furbished regional management
headquarters in the original Homebush
biscuit factory which was first completed
in 1908, nearly a century earlier.
The old factory, a massive two-storey
brick sawtooth with the generous ceiling
height and confident proportions of
Victorian industrial architecture, needed
extensive renovation and alteration, but
is filled with natural light, and provided
an inspiring raw space in which interior
designers Group GSA have created a
contemporary high-tech management
and communications centre.
Their design concept celebrates the rich
manufacturing tradition and history of
a 140-year-old company, and
simultaneously signals the dynamic
corporate culture of a forward-looking
global corporation that is passionately
dedicated to quality and innovation in
all its aspects, from products and
services, public and staff relations,
to visual design and communications.
The old and the new co-exist in a quirky
case study 3: australian icon
PROJECT DETAILS
Design of interior graphics and artworks
for the new Campbell Arnotts Asia Pacific
headquarters at 24 George Street,
North Strathfield.
CLIENT: Arnotts Biscuits Ltd
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: dna creative
INTERIOR DESIGNERS: Group GSA
PROJECT MANAGERS: Waterman AHW
CONSTRUCTION: FDC Building
GRAPHICS PRODUCTION: Signwave Newtown
PARROT SCULPTURE: Artizania
STEEL LETTERS: T&M Industries
STEEL SIGNAGE: Arrow Signs
PHOTOGRAPHY: Martin van der Wal
Opposite: a two storey high wall next to the
main internal staircase provides an opportunity
to deliver a graphic message conveying
corporate values, in the shape of a giant heart
made up of key value words.
Above left: the entrance lobby features simple,
polished steel directional signage on a field of
tomato red, which guides visitors to the upstairs
reception area.
Above centre: the reception area is a timber
box within a box and carries similar polished
steel signage.
Above right: beyond reception a large hanging
bas-relief sculpture depicts the famous Arnotts
parrot on its golden perch.
03
somewhat pared back and direct
graphic approach which has proved
popular with both staff and visitors.
A good example of this is the
supergraphic shown on the previous
pages and left a giant stylised love-
heart made up from a series of key
value words. This graphic occupies the
whole wall adjacent to the new
stairway, introduced by GSA to provide
additional internal movement between
the two levels. Management specifically
wanted a graphic in this location that
could be changed periodically, so the
words are formed from laser-cut vinyl
that can be removed and replaced
without significant cost.
Architectural and interior branding is
often more implicit than explicit
subtle visual elements woven through
interior graphics in a thematic way that
wont become tedious after a short
time. There are some brand
manifestations, however, that are so
iconic the red and white Campbells
Soup can immortalised by Andy Warhol
for instance, or the Arnotts parrot
that they have become much more than
simple branding trademarks. They are
icons that have become part of popular
culture, and not to shine a light on these
would be to miss a great design
opportunity. If youve got it, flaunt it!
Both of the above icons are celebrated
in a very direct but playful way. A
giant Campbells Soup can contains a
circular meeting room (opposite), and
nearby hangs a large sculpture of the
Arnotts parrot (earlier pages).
and eclectic layering of materials and
styles, that nevertheless balance
beautifully to convey GSAs
characteristically clear and lucid
articulation of space.
dna creative was appointed to work
with Group GSA to create graphic and
sculptural elements that would enhance
this articulation, add further layers of
colour and texture, and provide an
explicit interior expression of the
combined corporate values of Arnotts
Biscuits and the Campbell Soup
Company.
In addition to a sophisticated visual
celebration of its iconic brands,
management wanted to express
contemporary corporate values in a
very direct way, and briefed us on
relevant words and expressions that
captured these values. At its heart, it
seemed to us, was the concept of love
of the brand(s) of course, but also as an
attitude fostered in the workplace,
extending to clients and customers, and
as a simple and enduring human value
worth celebrating. From this evolved a
Opposite: a giant red and white Campbells
Soup can houses a circular meeting room,
beyond which can be seen another meeting area.
Above: the top of the central stairwell shows a
different view of the love heart wall shown on
the previous pages, beyond which is a staff
meeting area situated in front of a shopfront
screen and departmental identification signage.
03
banners which carry stylised graphic
icons representing the four main
business divisions (Campbell, Arnotts
Biscuits, Arnotts Snackfoods and Asia).
These icons and associated colours also
occur on internal orientation signage
that identifies key areas, as well as
appearing in miniaturised form as safety
strips on extensive internal glass
partitioning (above centre).
Meeting room identification signage is
realised in the form of etched glass
laminates applied direct to glass doors
and partitions, avoiding the need for
wall-mounted signs, and serves the dual
purpose of identification and safety
visibility (above centre and right). In
some cases whole walls of glass contain
values messages, create partial privacy
for rooms, yet enhancing a feeling of
light and openness, while in an adjacent
building value words are applied in
vibrant coloured vinyl to backlit acrylic
panels (above left) to create colour and
visual interest in a low-ceilinged and
more constrained space.
Both Arnotts and Campbells have rich
collections of memorabilia, from historic
photographs, letters and advertisements
to an amazing collection of biscuit tins,
industrial equipment and much more
besides. While not wanting to dwell
overly on the past, management
acknowledged that a place is needed to
display these many items, and GSAs
solution was to design a kind of hall of
fame a series of elegant display cases
that lead from reception towards senior
management offices and conference
rooms, and the parrot is also situated in
this area. dna creative has worked with
the internal exhibitions team on the
displays, including backdrops, labelling
and typographical conventions.
Returning to the love theme, another
expression of this value is shown
opposite, in a staff breakout area. The
word itself is here spelled out in giant
polished steel letters, in such a way that
passing staff catch glimpses of
themselves and others. In front of these
letters are stretched translucent fabric
Opposite: three metre high letters in polished
steel reinforce the love message in a staff
breakout area, while transparent stretched
fabric banners carry icons of the main business
divisions.
Above left: key value words appear on vibrant
backlit acrylic panels in an adjacent building.
Above centre and right: etched glass vinyl
provides room identification signage and also
safety strips which take the form of miniature
departmental icons.
04
Parker Bridge are executive
recruitment specialists, and briefed
dna creative to design interior graphics
for its new offices that would add
colour and interest to a busy
workplace, and at the same time
express their dynamic corporate ethos
and commitment to human values.
Budget limitations meant that
solutions needed to be realised
inexpensively.
The design solution involved painted
walls in strong primary colours, with a
series of equally vivid value words
applied in contrasting laser-cut vinyl.
In the reception area (above left) the
words take the form of a continuous
frieze, with dramatic visual contrast
being provided by floor-to-ceiling
vertical type in internal corridors
(opposite), partition walls and
structural pillars (above right).
As well as being highly cost-effective,
this approach is easily renewable and
updatable, with a life expectancy of
three to five years.
case study 4: human values
PROJECT DETAILS
Design of supergraphics for corporate offices
CLIENT: Parker Bridge Recruitment
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: dna creative
SUPERGRAPHICS PRODUCTION:
Signwave Newtown
PHOTOGRAPHY: Kerry Wilson
05
The 2003 Rugby World Cup
culminated in Sydney in November,
and the final weeks leading up to the
cup final saw record numbers of
visitors congregating in the city to
share in the atmosphere. As during the
2000 Olympics, special live sites were
established at key locations Sydney
Opera House, The Rocks, and Darling
Harbour where giant screens and
staged entertainment catered to the
excited crowds.
dna creative was appointed to create
visual branding and city dressing for
the City of Sydneys Rugby Live 2003
program, as the sites were named, to
be carried across banners, staging,
directional signage, street posters and
advertising collateral.
The branding solution consisted of a
stylised slice of the IRC rugby ball
symbol, combined with typography that
communicated the immediacy and live
action aspects of the sites, with a
vibrant blue livery that suited the
spring mood, and paid discreet homage
to the host states own team colours.
case study 5: welcoming the world
PROJECT DETAILS
Design of event branding, city dressing and
promotional collateral for the City of Sydneys
Rugby Live 2003 and Avenue of Nations
(overleaf) programs during the 2003 Rugby
World Cup.
CLIENT: Major Events Board, NSW Premiers
Department
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: dna creative
BANNER AND GRAPHICS PRODUCTION:
Selbys, Signwave Newtown, Look Digital
PHOTOGRAPHY: NSW Premiers Department
Opposite: Rugby Live 2003 banners on
Sydneys Macquarie street during the lead
up to the Rugby World Cup final.
Above: the event branding was applied to
many kinds of signage at the live sites, as
well as staging, posters, leaflets, websites
and advertising.
05
into popular national symbols, team
emblems, colours and cultural
artifacts, followed by detailed concept
development, resulted in designs that
were then checked with national
embassies for cultural relevance. Only
minor changes were requested, and
competing nations greatly enjoyed the
somewhat irreverent but affectionate
Australian interpretation of their
national identities, with some countries
requesting use of the banners after the
event. The final four metre banners
hung in pairs the length of Martin
Place throughout the tournament,
to great enjoyment and acclaim.
A separate program was located in the
Martin Place pedestrian precinct (see
below), Sydneys de-facto town square.
Named the Avenue of Nations, it
featured banners representing the twenty
competing nations, elaborate floral
decorations known as the Rugby
Pansies and a specially commissioned
installation called the Stairways to
Heaven.
dna creative designed the banners,
and the brief called for a playful and
celebratory interpretation of each
national culture, rather than a strict
adaptation of national flags. Research
Opposite, left to right: the banners of Uruguay,
the USA and Wales.
Above, left to right: Argentina (the Pumas),
Canada, New Zealand (the All Blacks),
England, South Africa (traditional beadwork),
Italy, France (pointillism), Scotland and Tonga
(traditional design).
Right: Martin Place looking east, with the
Rugby Pansies in the foreground and the
paired banners of the USA, Uruguay, Tonga and
South Africa also visible.
06
TAB Limited is the new name of the
privatised betting giant, formerly known
as the Totalisator Board of NSW.
With interests ranging from high street
betting shops, gaming and wagering
technology, to broadcast media and a
large property and investment portfolio,
their new corporate headquarters
at 495 Harris Street, Sydney, is
the flagship building of the TAB
corporate empire.
Interior designers Group GSA
approached dna creative in 2001 to
take on the major task of creating
graphics and signage that would
complement and enhance their design
for the interior and branding concepts.
The scale of the project is large, with
three disparate buildings being united
across four levels to deliver a visually
flowing and coherent sense of order.
Graphics operate at several levels within
the overall design. They are never merely
decorative, and are designed to enhance
the sense of visual order, to brand the
many different TAB business centres,
and to deliver colour into the workplace
in a thematic way that assists
orientation and wayfinding within a
complex, mainly open-plan environment.
The materials used are similarly diverse,
ranging from etched glass panels
(overleaf), embroidered silk hangings,
tensile fabrics, giant digital wall-
mounted prints and suspended banners,
transparent films and vinyls applied to
glass; steelwork, lighting, and an
internal signage system.
Parallel to this process TAB Limited has
conducted a separate corporate identity
program, and dna creative has worked
with these elements to develop
case study 4: this sporting life
PROJECT DETAILS
Design of supergraphics, signage and banners
for the interior refurbishment of TAB Limiteds
Harris Street corporate headquarters, a major
project involving the uniting of three separate
buildings over 4 levels.
CLIENT: TAB Limited
INTERIOR DESIGNERS: Group GSA
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: dna creative
PROJECT MANAGERS: APP
CONSTRUCTION: Prime Constructions
DIGITAL GRAPHICS PRODUCTION:
Flash Photobition
GLASS ETCHING: John Crichton
SAILMAKER: McNeil Sailmakers
SILK BANNER: Meredith Hughes
STEEL SIGNWORK: Arrow Signs
SIGNAGE PRODUCTION: A&W Signs
Left: the TAB Limited headquarters features a
new central stairway located at the intersection of
the three old buildings, providing a spacious
vertical artery with adjacent breakout spaces at
each level. dna creative designed an enormous
supergraphic running the full height of the
stairwell, from ground to third level, which contains
graphic motifs derived from the many aspects of
the Tab Limited business (see detail, above left).
This provides a subdued but powerful colour field
that complements the blackbutt timber of the
staircase. To the left, also running the entire height
of the void, are stretched fabric sails, which are
dramatically lit from above and below, in colour
schemes that change to reflect the seasons.
Above right: hanging banners are suspended
through the narrow void opposite the staircase.
The central banner is a specially commissioned
embroidered silk hanging made up of racing silks
and gaming icons, flanked by seasonally changing
vinyl banners visible at each landing.
Photography: Martin van der Wal
06
the chief executive) do not believe in
their own corporate identity, then it will
likely be a failure with the public.
Architecture and interior design are
therefore a powerful vehicle for brand
identity, and nothing could be a more
important expression of the corporate
culture, of The Quality, than the
working environment itself.
In this context then, branding is
something that goes far beyond the
placement of departmental or business
centre logos to remind us for whom we
work. It is much more subtle than that.
It must be something we can pass many
times every day and never tire of.
Something that adds quality and value
to our working environment in ways
which we may never directly notice.
Visual motifs
In their design vision for the Harris
Street headquarters, Group GSA from
the outset planned for a major graphic
component to add layers of colour and
texture to a fairly minimalist and cool
architectural approach. At the heart of
GSAs concept is a subtle ribbon-like
flow of form, where walls curve in both
horizontal and vertical planes, and
carpets and joinery combine to amplify
this theme, providing a gentle organic
articulation to corridors and open-plan
areas alike.
Meeting and conference rooms,
executive offices and special business
centres are often walled with translucent
laminated glass or blinds (see overleaf),
while open plan workstation areas are
defined with a series of specially
designed rotatable louvres rather than
solid partitioning, all contributing to the
complementary typographical and sub-
branding solutions, for instance in the
graphic identity for the ground level
arena caf (visible left, beyond glass
panels), which is applied to major
signage, menu boards, printed materials
and other collateral.
THE PROCESS
Understanding the brand
TAB is a corporation of diverse business
centres, in the process of dynamic
change. To most of us the TAB sign on
pubs and betting shops is the most
visible aspect of the brand, making it
one of the most recognised logos in
NSW. But TAB the organisation is
about far more than just wagering.
At the heart of the brand essence is
sport, and not just racing. Even more
importantly, it is about the sporting life,
the love of the game, the willingness to
have a bit of flutter on a sporting
outcome. A natural extension of this
is the gaming life, and of course the
media which deliver the pictures and
the results Sky Channel, with all the
unique attributes of a major satellite
broadcasting business.
So how can brand identity be manifested
through the interior design of a building,
and what is the aim of the exercise? Too
often branding is seen as the
manifestation of the brand to its
audience or market, forgetting that the
primary users, the most frequent
experiencers of a brand, are the people
that work in the organisation, who daily
communicate the organisations
philosophy to the public at large. It has
often been said that if the people who
work for an organisation (starting with
Left: etched and edge-lit floor to ceiling glass
panels on the ground level provide a transparent
sporting hall of fame from the main entrance
lobby towards the central stairway, through which
can be seen arena, the in-house restaurant and
caf which also functions as an informal meeting
place for the many business visitors to TAB
Limiteds headquarters. Featured here, in pictures
and words, are Cathy Freeman, Rod Laver and
Paralympian Louise Sauvage.
Above: additional glass panels on the executive
level 3 depict Phar Lap, Sir Donald Bradman,
the iconic image from the ARL Grand Final
trophy (the Wests and St George captains
embracing, based on John OGradys 1963
photograph), and Australia IIs Americas Cup
Victory in September 1983.
06
06
sense of openness and ease of movement
through the space.
Intense bursts of colour are provided
by the fabrics of task chairs, which
vary from floor to floor, and a
combination of vibrant translucent
graphics on glass partitions, walls, and
in some cases ceiling-hung banners,
which change according to the seasonal
colour scheme, also reflected in the
lighting and banners in the central stair
area (see preceding pages).
Evocative of many aspects of racing and
sporting culture, the ribbon threads its
way through the space, briefly becoming
prominent then disappearing, only to re-
emerge somewhere else.
TAB Limited has a strong and ongoing
association with iconic moments in
sport, and we are all accustomed to a
constant diet of photographic images of
this kind through news media. Including
such imagery into architectural graphics
requires a somewhat different approach.
They are something we have to live with
in the long term, providing interesting
texture and colour to our working world,
without unduly demanding our attention.
The graphics at TAB feature a wide
range of sporting moments, but those
images are layered and muted, allowing
the eye to either treat them as
wallpaper, or on closer inspection, to
discover an amazing amount of high-
resolution detail. We may be dimly
aware of a bright red wall in a breakout
area (left), but it is only if we really
study it that we become aware of giant
close-ups of golf balls and golf clubs.
These graphics are the backdrop for
corporate life, and are designed not to
become tedious after a short time. The
same can be said for the technological
Left: Breakout areas adjacent to the central
stairway are designed as informal time out
spaces for eating, meeting or chatting.
Supergraphic wall panels, colour coded to each
level, feature playful takes on sporting imagery. In
the case the executive level 3, golf balls and clubs
provide the decorative motifs.
Above: The same breakout area seen through the
blinds of a nearby meeting room.
06
and gaming iconography that is layered
into many graphics throughout the
interior. TAB is a high technology
business on many fronts, delivering a
fast-moving and ever-changing flow of
information to countless outlets
throughout the state. Employees dont
need to be overtly reminded of the ebb
and flow of figures and odds which is the
life-blood of the business, yet this aspect
of the corporate culture needs to be
represented somehow, and made to be
visually appealing and even exciting.
It is through the successful weaving
of all of these threads into one cohesive
whole that we achieve an effective
environmental expression of the TAB
Limited philosophy modern, dynamic,
exciting and forward looking, yet at
the same time established, reliable,
efficient and trustworthy a new
business with an old tradition, a good
corporate citizen and an icon of
Australian enterprise.
Wayfinding
Unlike many public buildings, for
security reasons there are no unescorted
visitors to the TAB Limited building.
Signage therefore has a different role to
play, and is designed as an unobtrusive
orientation system, to assist staff
unfamiliar with the layout of levels other
than their own, or visiting from other
TAB offices.
Signage synergises with other aspects of
the interior, enhancing the colour
scheme of each level, and also delivers
necessary statutory information in a
visible but low-key way.
A signage design and production manual
was also produced, outlining typographic
standards and layout principles.
07
Macquarie Radio Network is a well-
known national media company with
many local radio stations throughout
Australia. Their Sydney headquarters is
home to both 2GB and 2CH, and in
2002 a new interior design by Group
GSA called for an innovative graphic
branding of the stations.
There were three main requirements
the first was a decorative one, calling for
an elegant visual branding in the core
lift area, the main entrance to the
offices and studios. The other major
requirements was functional safety
strips on the extensive glazed walls and
doors within the complex, and also the
creation of privacy in some locations.
The motif developed was inspired by
traditional wavelength diagrams, which
served to highlight the positions of the
two stations on the dial, but with a
very contemporary graphic treatment,
adaptable to different materials and
functions, depending on its location.
Starting at the lift core, framed by
stainless steel, laser-cut vinyl reveals the
polished steel through the wavelength
motif (above, right of picture). Where the
motif appears on glass it is realised in
translucent etched laminate (above, left
of picture), with colour bands as before.
Where privacy is required the motif
becomes a negative shape cut out of
floor-to-ceiling etched laminate.
This solution achieves a continuous and
unifying decorative frieze throughout
corridors and offices, at the same time
enhancing workplace safety and privacy.
case study 7: radio days
PROJECT DETAILS
Design of a graphic motif for the Sydney
headquarters of Macquarie Radio that would
serve a decorative and safety function while
reminding visitors of the wavelengths of the two
stations.
CLIENT: Macquarie Radio Network
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: dna creative
INTERIOR DESIGNERS: Group GSA
GRAPHICS PRODUCTION: Signwave Newtown
PHOTOGRAPHY: Brendan Read
Opposite: the wavelength motif brands the
stations in a continuous decorative frieze around
the lift lobby entrance.
Above: the motif features a frame and
background of polished steel against solid walls,
and continues in etched-glass translucent vinyl
across glass doors and partitions, doubling as a
safety strip.
dna 1995-2006
David Corbet
Elon Dell
Stephen Goddard
Leith Hamilton
Greg Logan
Jasmine Lai
Steve Luongo
Andrew Medhurst
El Perkin
Kate Richardson
Sinead Roarty
Olivia Schmid
Mark Sutcliffe
Bryce Tuckwell
Thank you: casebook 03
Ray Abrahams
Ian Allwill
Vergil Baeta
Michael Baird
Anthony Bastic
AdamBoersma
Anthony Brown
Toni Callaghan
Ian Connolly
Ellenor Cox
Ross Clark
John Creighton
Wayne Duncan
Peter Fordyce
Marcus Gillezeau
Andrew Graham
Teza Guanco
Matthew Joyce
Peter Kelly
Jacob Kujian
Francesca Hynes
Ruth McDermott
Katie Melrose
Rob Mirams
Peter Moroney
Shanthini Naidoo
Jonathan Nolan
Gerard ODwyer
Andrea Orpen
Brendan Read
Melissa Reid
Geoff Roberts
Amanda Rowland
Dean Rowland
George Rounis
Katherine Smith
Peter Staunton
Sue Sutton
Max Thomson
Martin van der Wal
Kerry Wilson
Clients 1995-2006
AdvanceBank
ACON
AMP
Andrew McKinnon Presentations
Arnotts Biscuits Ltd
AT&T Asia Pacific
Ausdance
Australand Holdings
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australia Day Council of NSW
Australia Council for the Arts
Australian Institute of
Company Directors
Australian Music Centre
Australian Music Examination
Board
Australian Plantation Timbers
BAE Systems
Bazmark Live
BMG Australia
Bruce Pollack Publicity
BSI People Group
City of Sydney
Coca-Cola Amatil
Colonial First State Investments
Company B Belvoir
Communi(k) Australia
The Entertainment Group
Eyelaser Australia
Firelight Productions
Glen Street Theatre
Great Southern Events
Globe FilmCompany
Group GSA
HSBC
The Hills Centre
Institute of Chartered Accountants
International Management Group
Judith James Consultancy
Kelly Marque Wines
Lexis Asia Pacific
Lexus Toyota
Living Motion Pictures
Law Society of NSW
Logan Wines
Made to Move
Mulpha Australia
Musica Viva Australia
NIDA
Nestl Australia
NSWCentenary of Federation
NSWAttorney Generals Dept
NSWPremiers Dept
Opera Australia
Sydney Organising Committee
for the Olympic Games
Ceremonies
Olympic Arts Festival
Sodexho Australia
Solution 6
Sony Music Entertainment
Screen Producers Association
of Australia
Single Market Events
Sydney Festival
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Symphony
Sydney Water
Synergy Percussion
TAB Limited
Taronga Zoo
Ticketek
University of NSW
University of Sydney
Warner Music Australia
Woods Bagot
contributors, credits and clients
A new generation of property developers
is getting the message about
environmental sustainability, materials
and building techniques suited to
Australian conditions, and most of all
about design for living. And we graphic
designers have a part to play even out in
the suburbs. Shown here are the
masterplan tender documents
designed by dna creative for
Australand Holdings, for
a new suburb near
Kellyville called Second
Ponds Creek. Described as
one of the greenest
mainstream developments
in the world by the
prestigious
independent Rocky
Mountains
Institute, the
masterplan was
developed by Cox
Richardson
Architecture and
Planning, with
additional
architectural design
by Fender Katsalidis Mirams.
The graphic design of this massive and
complex tender was crucial to a
successful bid, as was working closely
with several teams of specialist
consultants, and of course the most
important team member the client.
designer, or a client commissioning an
architect or designer. Then you notice
not only the big picture the progress
of a new apartment block or the
changing skyline, but you start to notice
all the little details the finishes and
detailing, the
lighting,
the typography, the
appropriateness of the design solution.
As we all become more design literate
we notice and care more about what
surrounds us, usually starting at home.
The innovation evident in Australian
residential architecture in the last
decade is a case in point. Even in the
much-maligned new land releases of
western Sydney, there is change afoot.
The built environment is all around us,
and Australia, we are often told, is one
of the worlds most urbanised societies.
It is easy not to see what is all around
you, or perhaps to see it but not to
really notice it. We accept it as a given
that the work of engineers, architects
and urban planners is what makes up
our visual environment, at least in cities
and suburbs, and we may enjoy, resent
or be indifferent to the advertising
billboards on freeways and buildings
that inform, persuade or cajole us with
their various messages. We
may at times be grateful for
the signage that guides us
along those roads,
through airports,
railway stations or
shopping centres,
and we might
notice the
banners fluttering from
flagpoles in the city that tell us there is
a big event on, an anniversary to
celebrate. If we are so minded we might
even take a look at a piece of public art
in a city square or the lobby of a
corporate tower, and have an opinion
about it. But mostly it is just there, and
it is only if something is poorly
designed, or not there, that we might
miss it, and think about what it is that
makes for a quality built environment.
Unless of course youre an architect or
dna creative
ABN 23 070 710 806
www.dnacreative.com.au
[email protected]
dna strategic
ABN 41 095 588 962
www.dnastrategic.com.au
[email protected]
37 St Marys Lane
Camperdown NSW 2050 Australia
Telephone: (02) 9516 3055
Fax: (02) 9516 0096
Printed on a Fuji Xerox DocuColor
Design Nation Pty Ltd t/a dna creative
All rights reserved.
First published 2004. Reprinted in 2006
Opposite page: documents for Australands
Second Pond Creek 1 tender submission
featured three digitally printed bound volumes,
each of several hundred pages.
The main masterplan submission was designed
in the form of a substantial ring-bound volume
with a debossed binder and tabbed section
dividers, while companion appendix volumes
were wirebound under card covers.
The submission was the culmination of
months of work by several teams of consultants,
working with Australand. They are too
numerous to mention here, but in terms of the
visual content of the submission, apart from the
architects and urban planners mentioned
opposite, key consultants were Firelight
Productions (Project leaders and DVD
producer/directors), Manidis Roberts
(environment & community consultants),
C3D Electronic Visualisation Bureau (3D
simulations), Oi Choong (landscape design)
and Marco Bok (photography). Digital printing
was by Pongrass Digital and binder was
manufactured by Les Baddock and Sons.
endpiece: graphic design and the built environment
2005 Design Nation Pty Ltd
Printed on a Fuji Xerox DocuColor