Brandspaces - from 2D to 3D

The new m+a series on brandspaces presents strategic principles and design resources to create a lasting link between the brand and the space. The aim is to look beyond the tradeshow stand as a single spectacular event to the corporate presence as a whole, which often remains unperceived by trade fair visitors.

As designers we are inventors of images of freedom", wrote the American philosopher and architecture critic Sanford Kwinter in an essay about recent Dutch architecture. At first this contention seems bizarre. If freedom can be represented by anything, then surely as an empty space into which observers can project their personal mental pictures and visions? Architecture would be nothing more than an empty container, providing only the necessary infrastructure. Perhaps an exhibition pavilion comes closest to this. The big challenge is to imagine something into this empty space. The trade fair is a place where stories are told, topics are staged, and promises are kept.
Today, brands are no longer the simple identification of the origin or quality of goods that they once were. They symbolise the corporate identity with additional aspects such as image, aura, emotion and fascination. To achieve clear demarcation, brands are less and less often presented together but rather staged in an isolated three-dimensional environment. The fair stand is a transitory statement that synergetically groups information about the brand, corporate principles and products. But how can we ensure continuity of brand identity and still design brandspaces individually? How much freedom or "free space" is possible without jeopardising the uniformity of corporate image?
For example, Sto AG from Stühlingen in the Black Forest has developed a corporate design that systematically incorporates all visible aspects such as colour, typography and packaging. Because the companys products, that is paint, façade and coating systems, are not the type of article that can carry a brand label, the association with the manufacturer is lost the moment they are put to use. In this case, brand identification is achieved by two-dimensional elements that are also used in three-dimensional presentation. For example, the typical yellow bar does not just appear on the business equipment, packaging and all print media but is also used in the architecture.
On the trade fair stand at Farbe 2005 in Cologne, the characteristic packaging became conspicuous orientation points. In the sales centres, the principle of uniformity prevails while the regional offices are characterised by cooperation with different architects. The company head office in Stühlingen has aroused international attention with its unusual architecture. These three-dimensional presentations are then reused as illustrations in the two-dimensional media of the documentation and promotional campaigns. The three-dimensional and two-dimensional components are found side by side and are visibly a single unit.
As it turns out, the transfer of 2D corporate design elements into 3D does not have to result in uniform architecture. If such elements are integrated skilfully, it is possible to achieve an individual brandspace that communicates the identity of a company in a way that is both varied and individual.
Jons Messedat

m+a report Nr.1 / 2006 vom 13.02.2006
m+a report vom 13. Februar 2006