Design & Space Planning
Fit-Out
The team at Ziff Davis is energetic and creative, enlisting us to translate their company ethos into a high-impact space with the feel of a cool ‘urban village’. Driven by their reputation as global pioneers of digital media, the resulting workplace design is fun, fresh and unexpected.
Before we could get going with the design stage, we first had to help find an office space to work with. An industrial-style space in Aldgate proved the favourite of both the AIS and client team, chosen for its edgy urban feel and blank canvas interior, the perfect foundation on which to layer the brand’s colourful personality. The relatively modest square footage also had to incorporate a variety of workspaces, including a recording studio, meeting rooms and desks for its 70-strong team.
We agreed a space plan to suit all of the client’s needs, combining open-plan workspaces with casual seating and meeting areas, arranged around a large recording studio. Once these fundamentals were in place, it was time to have some real fun with the design. Our design team decided to wrap a 15m graffiti feature wall around the central workspace, and involved staff in the process by asking which relevant figures they would like to be depicted. Given the company’s background in gaming and film production, they proposed an interesting collection of characters and genres for us to work with.
We teamed up with award-winning design studio Soulful Creative to bring the graffiti wall to life. Adding to the edgy warehouse feel set by the feature wall, offices and meeting rooms are divided using black glass, and the unfinished ceiling is left exposed, which also offers more flexible lighting options. The look and feel is youthful and visually stimulating – a fitting expression of the dynamic people who use it.
