Galaxy Digital Office | A Futuristic Space for a Radical Company

The landscape of in person work has decidedly changed since the COVID-19 pandemic and will likely continue to do so. With it, environmental branding and placemaking is rendered ever more important as companies seek to create inviting and authentic spaces and experiences for employees whose priorities may have shifted. Our team knew that taking risks such as using innovative techniques like 3D printing not typically seen in signage and wayfinding systems would present challenges but offer high rewards, allowing the graphic system to feel more integrated and custom to the space.

Working against a fast timeline, our team developed an integrated custom signage and environmental graphics system for the office that embraces the futuristic and unexpected, drawing inspiration from depictions of space in classic films and video games.

Upon arrival, visitors are transported through a spaceship-like elevator lobby. A custom low-resolution ceiling display features Satoshi Nakamoto’s cryptocurrency founding document, White Papers, in a slow Star Wars-style crawl. A glowing logo entrance identification is backlit with programmable LEDs, allowing the Galaxy team to change the color as they please. The glass doors, leading you into the lobby and scattered throughout the office, feature variations of Galaxy’s helmet inspired logo mark at life-sized head-height, creating an interactive interpretation of the Galaxy brand—framing people’s heads as they pass by.

Drawing from the depth and movement of the undulating cast plaster lobby walls, our team created a bespoke 3D printed character set using a dimensional interpretation of a pixelated typeface—a delightful mix of digital hi- and lo-fi. The 3D printed letters were used throughout the system on large-scale placemaking walls featuring Galaxy’s value statements as well as amenity and conference room identifications. Gradient effects throughout the space provide a further sense of depth, such as the yellow gradient spray-painted wall and layered, varying opacity printed vinyl installations and code signage backers.

On the office’s featured curved glass walls, we implemented a system of fine linework distraction banding and full height graphics to indicate the wall without drawing away from its elegance. Through varying thicknesses and opacities, the graphics give the feeling of ephemeral portals. This portal-like linework continues in a large-scale integrated LED installation of the company’s first initial “G” in one of the main communal spaces.

As described by Architectural Record, the project team “was able to create an aura of strangeness at the project’s necessary warp speed.” Our innovative graphic system for this radical company supports their mission to not just be another face in the crowd of investment banking. The results were out of this world.

Design Team

Dungjai Pungauthaikan (principal)
Dungjai Pungauthaikan (creative director)
Helen Sywalski Prisco (creative design lead)
Gilda Gross (senior project manager)
iGotcha Media (digital fabrication)
Duggal Visual Solutions (physical fabrication)
Young Projects (architecture)

Collaborators

Colin Williams (3D modeling and rendering)

Photo Credits

Naho Kabuto

Open Date

January 2023