A New Design Studio’s Founding Manifesto
If your company has ever been through, is going through, or is considering going through a move or renovation project, read this.
Hello! We’re INDIO.
The word INDIO is what you call a portmanteau, a word that results from blending two or more words, or parts of words, such that the portmanteau word expresses some combination of the meaning of its parts*. Examples of portmanteaus include motel (motor + hotel), chortle (chuckle + snort), and twerk (twist + jerk). Velcro is also a portmanteau that comes from combining the words velvet and crochet. INDIO is a combination of four words: interior, identity, design, and studio. The meaning of these four words together is exactly what we are: an interior identity design studio.
Interior identity design is our term for interior design driven by brand identity. We developed the phrase to describe a new approach to the design process, an approach that brings branding, interior design, and architecture together and flips the traditional process of designing spaces for brands on its head.
Having worked in traditional architecture firms, interior design studios, and branding agencies, we’ve experienced firsthand how the traditional design process is flawed. Fragmented, confusing for clients, and counterproductive to delivering a cohesive end result, every step of the traditional process comes with a chance for design, vision, and brand identity to become lost, much like a message in the game of telephone.
Why is that? Let’s look at an example of a hypothetical design project to identify some of the issues that can arise along the way. Yes, it’s a long process. That’s part of the problem.
Client has a need for a new or improved space. Let’s make it an office for this example, and let’s say this client has outgrown their space and needs a fresh start (hooray for them, business must be good!).
Client meets with a real estate broker to help find a new space. The broker is going to ask about square footage, budget, amenities, geographic location, etc.
Client narrows their options down to two available spaces to lease. How will they decide which one to choose?
Broker brings in an architect or interior designer to “test fit” the two options. A test fit is a floor plan drawn very quickly with a minimal amount of detail to give the client a visual of how and if their office requirements fit in a specific space. Test fits are not design plans, they are studies of the limitations of space to help make real estate decisions.
Client chooses a space, signs a lease agreement, and is ready to hire a design team. Who do they hire first?
Architect. Most likely, the broker or landlord will have a preferred architect or shortlist of firms who will be invited to bid on the project. With very little information about the client’s real needs and no design conversations, the architect will provide a quote for their fee and the lowest bidder will likely be awarded the contract.
Now it’s time to design. Right? Not quite. Before design can begin, the architect needs the client to provide a program. Programming is a term for determining exactly what needs to be included in space and all of the ways in which it needs to function. For our example client, this means providing a list of how many private offices, open office desks, conference rooms, phone rooms, restrooms, etc. need to be accounted for Programming also involves understanding privacy, adjacencies, and storage. All of this will be asked of the client in the form of a survey or in an interview-style meeting.
How does the client answer these questions? Do they ask their employees what they want/need or does the CEO make an executive decision? Our example client takes a democratic approach and surveys their whole staff before giving the architect a program based on the majority opinion.
Architect creates a space plan based on the program, accommodating as much of the client’s needs as possible into the layout. Aside from some possible design moves that might happen in 2D, perhaps a curve here or an angle there, the space plan is pragmatic, a more detailed and final version of the test fit.
Now the design begins! We’re 10 steps in and tons of decisions have been made that become parameters for the interior designer who is engaged for the first time.
Interior Designer creates a schematic design package with materials and furniture ideas, proposing three options for the client to choose from. One is a very modern, sleek scheme. One is a rustic, industrial scheme. The third is a bold monochromatic scheme featuring the color of the client’s logo.
Client isn’t sure which to choose. They might take a week to decide, consulting with employees, polling friends and family members, and referencing their own Pinterest boards for clues on which direction to go. They decide on a hybrid of two of the schemes: a rustic vibe featuring their bold logo color.
Architect and interior designer set out to complete the design based on the approved schematic design. Final plans are sent to contractors for pricing.
Contractor pricing comes back and the project is 30% over budget. The architect and interior designer do a round of value engineering, which means substituting or eliminating aspects of the design to reduce the overall project cost.
Client approves the value-engineered plans. What choice do they have?
Architect submits the plans to the city for permitting, and the construction team prepares to mobilize.
City approves the plans and the construction team starts. Some unforeseen building conditions come up in the field and compromises are made to the design to keep moving forward.
Client is ready to think about wayfinding and signage for the building. They also notice that with their new office design, the old logo feels out of place.
Branding agency is hired to design wayfinding graphics and signage for the building. First, they need to update the logo. They change the color.
Branding agency works with architect and contractor to coordinate signage. Illuminated signs require power that wasn’t in the drawings. Wall graphics require a level 5 drywall finish that wasn’t in the budget.
Construction finishes, signage goes in, and furniture is installed. The space is ready for move-in.
Client moves in, happy to be finished with this long and taxing process. Did all of their decisions amount to a successful final office? Are employees happy and excited to come to work? It’s hard to know for sure, but at least it’s better than the old office, right?
Believe it or not, this is a very VERY simplified version of the process. We left out engineers, furniture dealers, subcontractors, change management officers, art consultants, IT/AV companies, project managers, landlords (big one!)…so many people who contribute greatly to the final product, each with the opportunity to impact the design in subtle ways that either reinforce or dilute the vision. If these 22 steps felt overwhelming to read, (or if you got bored and skimmed them) understand that a real project could easily have 50 or more. That makes for one giant game of telephone.
Let’s dissect some of the problems at work in the traditional process we just outlined. There are many, but we’ll focus on a few for now.
Design was excluded from the preliminary phases. The current process gets off on the wrong foot right from the start by minimizing the importance of design until a real estate decision is made. Starting with the test-fit, the snowball effect of decision-making without vision began. The plan moved from phase to phase checking the boxes without knowing what the ultimate goal was beyond budget, size, and location.
Once designers were involved, their design process was reactive, not proactive, putting an extreme amount of pressure on the client to know exactly what they want and need. Don’t get us wrong, occasionally a client may have this information and be able to communicate it in the form of a program to their designer. In our experience, however, most business owners/executives are incredibly busy people who haven’t had time to become experts on workplace culture or design trends before becoming a key decision-maker on their office renovation project. An architect asking a client for a program rather than helping them create a strategy, is like a chef asking a restaurant guest for a recipe rather than providing them a menu.
To continue our restaurant metaphor, there were too many cooks in the kitchen with overlapping jobs to do. Even when interior designer and architect are able to work closely together (which doesn’t always happen), the brand agency came in at the end and made decisions that were likely best for the company’s brand but did not align with the interior space at all. There are so many different roles that contribute to any project and each professional brings their own value, but without sharing a unified vision, a large project team means a larger chance for the project to end up confused and disconnected.
The most important problem of all: no one involved knew the client’s interior identity. It wasn’t their fault. We’re sure our example client knew their own values– let’s say they were honesty, innovation, and reliability. What they didn’t know is how to communicate those values, never mind how to translate their message into the design of a space. When given three completely different schemes, the client thought about their personal tastes and preferences, not what that design would say about their company to employees and clients. Without truly understanding the client’s identity, the designers simply accepted feedback and pushed onward, unable to guide the client toward the most meaningful design option.
INDIO was founded on the belief that one concept, interior identity design, can be the solution to the biggest problems facing everyone involved in the design process today. It is like a compass, if you will, that can guide clients, designers, contractors, and consultants from the start of a project to the end, taking the guesswork out of decision-making, saving hundreds of hours of time (which mean thousands and thousands of dollars), and most importantly, creating spaces that feel right in the end because they are designed with intention and purpose each step of the way.
When it comes to interiors and architecture, good design is not about drawings. It’s not about permits or complying with codes. It’s not about building walls or fancy staircases. It’s not about furniture selection or making sure the right person gets the corner office. It’s not about photorealistic renderings. It’s not about colors, carpet, paint, or base. It’s not about a neon sign that says something inspirational. Good design isn’t about putting things places or just getting things done. Good design is about creating something that sends the message you want it to send. Good design is branding.
If you’re a company in 2022, your brand identity is your biggest asset. It’s everything you have that sets you apart from your competition, that makes your clients loyal to you, that makes your employees want to come to work every day. Your brand is the one thing with the power to outlast you, your office, and even the product you sell. If you design a space, like our example client did, without knowing your own brand identity or what message you want your space to convey to everyone who walks in the door, you risk investing a massive amount of time, money, and opportunity on a project that will at best be meaningless but beautiful and at worst be an actual detriment to the brand you’re trying to build or maintain.
We know that sounds dramatic (this is a manifesto after all). But the good news is that no matter what phase of a project you’re in, whether you’re about to start a renovation or considering a move, whether you’re somewhere in the middle of the process still making decisions every day that will impact your design, or whether you’re looking around your space right now, new or old, and thinking that you might have a bit of a disconnect between your brand and the environment you’ve built to represent it, it’s not too late to implement interior identity design and maximize the value of your precious space.
More good news. An interior identity design approach is not more expensive than the traditional approach. It was designed to increase efficiency, which saves time and money. Interior identity design is also a departure from the idea that more expensive is better when it comes to the project itself. The construction scope, materials used, furniture selected, technology integrated, and so on do not need to be the most expensive options to be the right options when you are making decisions based on brand. Trends become virtually obsolete. If your brand’s identity aligns with a current trend, it’s by coincidence, and you can embrace it fully knowing that your design will not go out of style with the passing fad because it has enduring meaning for your brand.
So how does interior identity design work? Simple. It starts with one design team that understands architecture, branding, interior design, and strategy. Experts in design from each discipline work with you to understand your true brand identity before the project starts. We use industry and proprietary research and tools to help you define your brand’s identity and understand it fully, then we create a guide that anyone in your company or on the larger project team can reference to understand how to make on-brand decisions at any phase of the project, and even long after the project is done.
Once we have a clear message and design vision, we get to work implementing your brand values into custom design solutions. Our team works together internally to make sure nothing gets lost in translation between architect, interior designer, branding expert, and strategist, and collaborates externally with all consultants and contractors along the way to protect the vision and bring to life a space that is an authentic representation of your brand. Our clients have full visibility into our process each step of the way. When we present a design, we don’t bombard you with options, because if we’ve done our job well from the beginning, there is almost always a clear solution that fits the brand better than the rest.
Lastly, by giving our clients the tools and vocabulary to speak about their brand and recognize when a design decision needs to be made, we empower them to make decisions without us. When you understand your own brand and have a design framework to work within, you can confidently make your own design decisions without worrying about making mistakes or having to pay a design fee every time.
At the end of the day, INDIO will always be first and foremost a design studio. We have big plans to change the industry that start with changing the design process to make our clients' lives easier and every project better. We are looking for clients who we believe in and who believe in us. If you value your brand, care about your clients and staff, and want to see the dollars you spend on design turn into a space that not only looks beautiful but truly makes you feel the way you want to feel when you walk in the door, we should talk. If you’re a fellow designer who would like resources on interior identity design, hang tight, we’re working on it and excited to share our tools and ideas with anyone interested in our approach.
Well, here we are, at the end of this manifesto and the beginning of whole new chapter. If you’re still reading, something we wrote must have resonated with you and would love to hear what it was. We’re excited to be joining a community of innovators and creators. We are also incredibly appreciative of everyone we’ve worked with up until now who has helped us arrive at this place. We’re INDIO. We’re so happy to be here. Let’s design something amazing together.
Yours Truly,
Team INDIO
Michael, Christy, Alex, and Cassie