REI NEW HQ

Client is building a new corporate campus in Bellevue, WA. Exhaustive brand research and stakeholder workshops informed our design. The project consisted of experience and environmental graphic design for an expansion public/private outdoor space. A extensive 2D and 3D art program was develop which indirectly articulated their brand values and company culture. The series of sculptures were to be used as landmarks to reduce signage. What little wayfinding was needed repurposed yellow I-beams from that were salvaged from the demolished building on the site.

To accurately inform our design we wrote a manifesto, shared below:

The Co-op represents the coming together of people to celebrate and support the life outdoors. Conscientious use of materials, messaging, and form will cultivate a soulful beacon to the outdoors and the community that supports it.

A place that fosters connections.
The atmosphere of the Co-op HQ will energize everyone to contribute to the mission of enjoying and preserving the outdoors. Everyone will feel inspired to connect with one another and with nature. We will create opportunities for employees, members, and vendors to feel represented and proud. The space will also invite the public to discover the Co-op and become active members of the outdoor community.

Curating stories of the life outdoors.
Every member has a story of how the outdoors changed them. The site will become a tapestry of these stories to represent the outdoors as the great equalizer. Stories from women and minorities expressing how nature is theirs. Stories of people coming together to appreciate wilderness. Stories of pioneers striving to protect the outdoors for future generations. These stories will become a poetic representation of the intrinsic value of nature and the impact it has on us as human beings.

A soulful, authentic, and mindful representation of the Co-op.
The on-site experience will be authentic, with all signage and landmarks communicating the Co-op’s values. Sustainable materials that improve with age will create a timeless and honest aesthetic. Everything on the site will encourage people to stray from the path to explore the outdoors near and far. The Co-op HQ will be a monument to a life outdoors, adding soul to Bel-Red, and inspiring stewardship in the community.

Led experience and environmental graphic design through Design Development for project exterior, responsible for all client presentations to Chief Creative Officer, Creative Director, and Director of Store Design.

Project team included: Daniel Bender, Brooke Shary, Anne Cunningham, Sam Stubblefield, Mindy Levine-Archer, Eric Levine

Project completed while Lead Experience Designer at NBBJ Seattle.

ALL WORK IS CONFIDENTIAL. DO NOT DUPLICATE.