3M Heritage Wall
Project Vision
For 3M’s new Australian headquarters, THERE was asked to create an extensive branded environment that celebrated the company’s heritage of landmark innovations, as well as the engineers and inventors behind them. While mining the 3M archives, the design team unearthed a rich trove of materials that charted the development of the company from humble origins to a global powerhouse of innovation and technology. The exploration also unearthed a long history of graphic symbols and logos.
Charting the visual trail, THERE created an interpretive graphic evolution of the 3M logo, a dimensional mural spanning an 80m2 wall in the headquarters foyer. Fabrication was a monumental undertaking. The logos were routered into horizontal slats at various depths, a strategy designed to play on the abundant natural light in the foyer. The wall was finished in white to contrast with the shadows cast by the dimensional logos. The routered horizontal slats blended perfectly with various architectural details throughout the building.
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Project Details
What’s remarkable about this wall is that it’s a timeline that showcases the history of the company through the evolution of its brand. It presents 3M’s history through a coherent and timeless treatment that is subtle yet remarkable. It’s the brevity and quietness that make this solution so effective.
Design Team
Paul Taboure (creative director), Jon Zhu (senior designer)
Design Firm
THERE
Project Area
1,076 sq ft
Project Budget
$150,000 AUD
Consultants
Colliers Project Services (interior architects)
Fabricators
Spike Design (lead fabricator), Infracraft (timeline wall)