Elevating the Intangible

By Lisa Bambach

Experiential graphic design (EGD) is the vehicle for communicating the intangible, value-generating factors that drive a company’s business goals. These qualitative factors within a workplace cannot be easily itemized. However, they are infused in its culture and contribute to its vision and success.

EGD’s primary purpose is to create an emotive experience that elevates a company’s culture, brand, and engagement with its mission. The appearance of permanence reinforces commitment to the message that is being shared. This adds weight to more ephemeral publications, published online or in print. EGD captures an overarching narrative and brings the story forward from an abstract concept to something that can be physically and intellectually explored.

Successful EGD is “on brand,” while at the same time, it is not branded to the point where it becomes mundane or redundant. In a workplace environment, for instance, overuse of a logo throughout can feel out of touch or even oppressive in relation to the individuals experiencing the space. EGD must strike the fine balance between reinforcing a curated, high-level message and encouraging risk-taking and creativity of individuals and teams.

Winton Woods

At BHDP, we understand that brands have more depth beyond their visual appearance. We look beyond the idea of typical signage to reinforce your what and why, stimulate team building, and encourage key behaviors. Through our discovery process, we take a deep dive into a company’s culture to unearth the narratives that resonate with specific audiences. The Harvard Business Review defines culture as an ecosystem.

The result of successfully implemented experiential graphic design can be seen in the numbers. BHDP’s strategic processes result in improved recruitment and retainment. We impact productivity by fostering positive work environments and social connections [2]. We shape employee motivation by celebrating workplace culture through encouragement of play, purpose, processes and potential [1]. We build spaces where employee growth and innovation is reinforced and realized. BHDP’s EGD team makes visible human investment by elevating the stories of people, their life’s work, and their collective vision to the forefront of its culture.

[1] MANAGING PEOPLE Proof That Positive Work Cultures Are More Productive by Emma Seppälä and Kim Cameron DECEMBER 01, 2015

[2] ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE How Company Culture Shapes Employee Motivation by Lindsay McGregor and Neel Doshi NOVEMBER 25, 2015

“The elements of culture interact with and reinforce one another […] A great culture is not easy to build — it’s why high performing cultures are such a powerful competitive advantage. […] More and more organizations are beginning to realize that culture can’t be left to chance. Leaders have to treat culture building as an engineering discipline, not a magical one.” [1]

Written by

Lisa Bambach headshot

Lisa Bambach, Experiential Graphic Designer

As a skilled Experiential Graphic Designer, Lisa has several years of experience creating branded environments for a variety of clients including P&G, Quantum Health, Ensemble Health, and 84.51°. Lisa utilizes her creativity as a designer to enhance employee and visitor interaction with physical space by integrating narratives into the environment. She also acts as an educator for younger designers through the University of Cincinnati.

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