Corporate art: No more upstairs, downstairs

While corporate art sponsorship has long been the territory of financial services, this particular financial giant has done something quite unexpected. You see, much like the beloved British drama, Upstairs, Downstairs, there seems to be two standard settings for businesses in the financial sector when it comes to their interiors and corporate culture. One setting for the people who sit downstairs, and quite another for the ones a little higher up.

The downstairs people tend to get offices that look like a retail space, usually plastered wall to wall with retail branding, and peppered with decidedly unsubtle illustrations that aren’t shy about hammering home various corporate values.

And the upstairs people? Well they get all the art, the framed pops of colour which may be more subtle about conveying the corporate culture, but they still give you a quick flash of the inside of the corporate wallet. Kentridges and Sterns don't come cheap.

Enter the branding era of the 90's - retail and consumer facing spaces were suddenly translated into branded experiences. This movement meant that art exclusively became an intrinsic part of the ‘upstairs’ set and a core investment and sponsorship strategy.

Fast forward a couple of decades and financial services have emerged with incredibly vast and valuable art collections, making them the heroes of South African arts patronage. Yes it’s absolutely wonderful, but I have to ask myself, what does all this do for corporate culture and the broader base of staff that don't have access to the hallowed halls upstairs? Especially when you consider the current economic downturn and that spending money on luxuries like art might get you a bit of flak from your staff.

Faced with the choice of either making their new head office look and feel like a retail brand, or going the expensive route of starting a massive high-end art collection, they decided to go with neither. What this client wanted was some African spirit and a more holistic visual style for the entire building – including the call centre, the hospitality facilities, and upper management.

It was a challenge they brought to Designvow, a senior graphic design team with a reputation for being “creative hit men” and delivering one exceptional creative project after another. The team’s lateral approach was to use Clientele’s inherent diversity in its people and the spirit embedded within its culture to inspire what would become the branded visual language for the new offices.

In doing so, the Designvow team did what few have done before. They gave the staff the opportunity to be part of the creation by inviting them to give their interpretations of what they believed were South African objects and symbols that reflected their culture. Based on those interpretations, and inspired by contemporary South African textures, colours and symbols, Designvow created artworks of each element. Some painted, some drawn, others printed.

And every one of those artworks combine to create one 6m x 4m grandmaster of artwork that greets you at the new entrance. Vibrant, engaging, authentic… the effect is breath-taking.

But that’s not where it ends. Partnering with architecture and design company Savile Row, the design team took every one of those elements, pulled them all apart again, and cascaded them throughout the entire building, both upstairs and downstairs in formats that suit the practical purpose of each room.

In the call centre areas, where the walls take a bit more wear, they transformed the artworks into wallpaper. In the more serious business areas, they framed the artworks. In essence, Designvow created one truly unique piece of art that encompasses this particular clients corporate culture and refashioned it all over the building in different formats to create a seamless experience for both guests and staff.

Now these new buildings and interiors have tipped corporate culture on its head. Rather than worrying about keeping up with the Joneses in the art game, this down to earth brand has stayed true to its values, invested in local talent, incorporated art that originated from its own staff, and ultimately created something unique that vibrantly communicates its corporate culture on all the floors. Both upstairs and downstairs.

Original. Authentic. Inclusive. That is the future of corporate culture.