Stories are how we think, they are how we make meaning. Call them schemas, scripts, cerebral maps, or metaphors. Stories are how we create our identities and define and express values.

This is no truer than in today’s highly competitive world of workplace design, where effective brand storytelling is so much more than an oversized logo or illuminated signage. Increasingly, companies are looking to designers to create meaning and tell their brand’s story authentically. As design influencers, we have the power to leverage experience of space as a window into who they are.

An empathetic design approach

Impactful brand storytelling begins with a curious and open mind. At Perkins and Will, we keep our eyes and ears open to every nuance. We are constantly asking ourselves ‘why’ and ‘how come’ to develop highly branded experiences with a level of engagement and emotional connection that sets our clients apart.

It’s only when designers understand their audience – the end-user – that they can build spaces that reach both their hearts and minds.

Twenty-five years ago, there was a belief that workplace design needed to assimilate, to be like everyone else. Today, there is deep value placed on leveraging design to create moments or experiences that take users on an emotional journey through the company’s brand.

I constantly strive to empathise and develop emotional connections with the clients, cultures and communities I’m designing for, so that the messaging, meaning and novelty is tailored to them.