Live a united purpose
Client: Lion
Bringing together two organisations with diverse brands and cultures inevitably creates confusion for employees regarding what the organisation now stands for.
Lion asked us to express their ‘sociability and wellbeing’ brand promise on the walls of their new Olympic Park offices in order to unite and excite their staff.
In covering all four floors with fun illustrations and bold messaging, we created a world where their core purpose has come alive in a relevant and engaging way.
The Brief
We’ve worked with the Lion corporate team for over 12 years now. In 2011, we worked with them to unite Lion Nathan and National Foods together under one brand - Lion. The new brand was based on the underlying core purpose of ‘growing sociability and wellbeing in our world.’ In 2012, Lion asked us to bring this external brand purpose to life, for employees, in the busy working environment of their new Olympic Park offices in Sydney.
The Solution
Working alongside the architects, we illustrated sociability and wellbeing in a fun and engaging way on almost every wall of Lion’s four-story offices. In developing a series of illustrated characters, interacting with Lion products and supported by direct brand messaging, we created a world where Lion’s core purpose came alive with real attitude.
Sociability walls largely depict Lion products being enjoyed – in a fun and responsible way - in a variety of family and social settings. The design style is energetic, fun, multi-layered and with incredible detail so that you discover something new each time you look.
Wellbeing walls use strong colour and typography to express key people messages in a warm, friendly and positive voice. These walls are located within the centre of the building so are designed to be less cluttered, providing breathing space from the fast-pace of the outer walls.
We also created a number of specialist designs including splashbacks for themed kitchen areas (e.g. Beach, Beer Garden, Laneway), a wayfinding system and glazing panels for meeting rooms. And in designing a continuous illustration over the four floor stair (17.7m x 5.5m) and lift wells, we’ve created a unique piece of art that truly represents the spirit of Lion.
The Result
The ‘Lion Walls’ have helped raise awareness amongst staff about what Lion’s sociability and wellbeing brand promise means and looks like, in a highly accessible way. Every time staff look at them they see something new which generates new discussion and further engagement with the brand.
Just as importantly, it has made a big contribution to instilling a new culture at Olympic Park – not Lion Nathan, not National Foods – but a unique forward-looking Lion internal identity. The design is now being rolled out to new Lion offices and refurbishments throughout Australia and New Zealand.
