Design & Lifestyle Blog

Leo Burnett, the advertising agency behind Marlboro man , Pillsburry doughboy, and  Green Giant, commissioned Hassel, a design company in Australia to come up with their Sydney office design. The “unfinished” look is the main part of their concept.

I loved their kitchen table that looks like it parts of shipping boxes, not very sure about the removed false ceiling panels. Seeing the electromechanical mess creeps me out.

The Interior designers described their concept and the outcome below:

HASSELL created a distinctive new interior for advertising agency Leo Burnett’s Sydney office, approaching the design by developing a deep understanding the basic elements of spaces that foster the company’s values of community, creatively and efficiency. Reflecting the core social and interactive nature of the way a creative agency works, the layout is open, spacious and filled with natural light. Thought provoking spaces encourage the ‘generation of big ideas.’ People regularly visit the kitchen to drink and eat so the simple concept of the “kitchen table” was developed as the basis for community. This simple concept is layered to create a communal gathering space with adjacent meeting areas and becomes a hub for the community. Creativity is fostered by making the ‘work’ and creative process visible in the belief that creativity is a collaborative process. The workplace is open, light and connected to the surroundings to reflect the creative process. Pitching for new business is a vital function. The ‘pitch’ space is purposely located away from the entry to create a journey that would tell the story of the agency. The journey starts with LCD’s showing rotating images of staff and then continues past the workplace and communal area, telling the story of the process and the culture of the agency. Building on these foundations, HASSELL related the design to the gritty urban/industrial context of Walsh Bay with a layering of raw materials like plywood ceilings, exposed services, timber floorboards, a brick reception wall and timber screens.

Photography by Brett Winstone

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About Hassel

Founded in Australia in 1938, HASSELL is a single, privately owned international network of design studios. Each has the flexibility and autonomy to service local clients, and the advantages of access to an integrated culture, combined resources and collective experience. A multidisciplinary design practice,Hassel are structured around the key disciplines of architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and planning, with integrated sustainability and urban design capabilities.

Hassel has offices in Australia, China, Singapore, and Thailand.

T +61 2 9101 2000
F +61 2 9101 2100
sydney@hassell.com.au

Web site: http://www.hassell.com.au/

About Leo Burnett

Chicago-based Leo Burnett Company, became the 10th largest advertising agency in the world, the eighth largest in the United States, and one of only a handful of top-ten American agencies not headquartered in New York City. It is best known for major advertising campaigns , grounded in traditional American values, for major American consumer products corporations.

The Jolly Green Giant, Morris the Cat, and Charlie Tuna are all Burnett inventions. And that is only the beginning of the list. The near-unemployed Maytag repairman, the Pillsbury doughboy, Tony the Tiger, and the legendary Marlboro Man are also examples of the Leo Burnett agency’s talent for giving a product an image that endears it to the consuming public.