Determining the Client Needs

The TOMS website describes their current head office (situated in California) as "what it lacks in bells and whistles is made up for with a fun company culture and the benefit of working towards a greater purpose".  How refreshing to hear is that!?  This company may not have a glamorous head office... because well, that is just not the TOMS culture.  It was a challenge for me to dissect the culture of the company enough to make all of my design decisions based on working towards a greater purpose.  I broke down my client needs and this is what I came up with:

• An office that supports close community.
• A space that allows for increased productivity as the company grows and expands. 
• Organizational layout and flow. 
• Available communication between all departments.  There is a lot going on at TOMS, and in order for things to run smoothly, all ideas must be communicated throughout the office.
• Eco friendly and environmental based decisions.  This will not only maintain the health and well being of the employees, but will also respect the earth we live in.
• Diversity and variety.

"Giving is what fuels us.  Giving is our future." -Blake Mycoskie

I decided to base my design on the passionate and humble nature of the company.  Simple yet creative.  Rustic-earthy yet clean and fresh.  Giving is their culture.  Taking in consideration all of the client needs, I began with numerous freehand sketches, bubble diagrams and adjacency matrix's to begin the design process.  What drove me to put in so much time and effort into this project was knowing that the giving had to begin somewhere... perhaps that place would be the TOMS headquarters?

This was something I included in my display: