24 Jul, 2017

Before and After: The New Pixel Office

The importance of the right office environment cannot be overstated and this is something we know all too well at Pixelbuilders. Our last office, while right at the time, soon became a space we out grew as our team expanded and our client list lengthened. More meetings increased the demand on the boardroom and more staff increased the demand on the floor space, as we kept squeezing in “just one more desk”.
Thankfully, our location at The Tannery meant upsizing to a new office was pretty straight forward. We were able to upgrade to a much larger space within the same building and meet the needs of our growing team. We went from an open plan office with a single meeting room, to a large, main office space with a bigger board room, separate kitchen, extra storage space and server room and a break out come informal meeting space.

However, moving within the same building might’ve meant no change of address and no nightmare for the marketing team, but the same couldn’t be said for the design team.

While our marketers were spared the trauma of updating all our marketing collateral and business listings with a brand new address, the design team couldn’t ignore the off-brand blue walls and corporate blank canvas our new office presented. It was time to roll up our sleeves and get out the paint brushes.

Pixel Towers Before The Makeover
(Pixel Towers pre design team takeover).

The Design Team Take Over

As a digital agency, our office sees a lot of visitors. From clients dropping in for project kick off meetings to agency partners coming over for project catch ups, it’s important our office looks good and makes the right impression.

First on the agenda was making sure our new office décor was firmly on brand. That meant eliminating the existing shade of blue and replacing it with our own Pixel blue. On top of that, our directors invested in some new wall art including posters featuring our four step process: discover, design, develop, deliver and a 3D effect Pixel logo complete with lighting, to really make it stand out and deliver that all important first impression. 

As the new office has several separate rooms, we were able to use the décor to create a different look and feel in each of the spaces. The entrance is all about the Pixel brand and who we are, and that’s why it features the blue branding and our shiny new logo. The pool table also makes a statement and represents our personality (and of course, it helps add that well known “digital agency vibe”).

The pool table is about more than just fun and aesthetics though (really, it is). It creates a focal point in the office where the team and even clients alike can enjoy a quick game of pool to help socialise and take a break from work. This is even more important as our new office is arranged into banks of desks. Our directors are grouped together at the back of the office, the dev team are seated together in the middle and our marketing and project management teams all sit together by the door. 

Our Collaborative Workspace At Pixel Towers
(A Collaborative Workspace)

This has helped improve collaborative working and increased how much we share ideas and discuss problems within our smaller teams which in turn, has improved our creativity and the work we deliver. However, the pool table and break out area ensure we get up and move around throughout the day, getting our heads together with the team members we don’t usually sit with as well. It’s all about communication.

Speaking of desks…our old office furniture was firmly banished from the new office and replaced with more stylish versions including dark wood desks, super stylish tripod lamps from Made.com and industrial style filing cabinets.

The most stylish and arguably most impressive room in the office has to be the boardroom. Here our design team really embraced the chic, industrial interior design trend that subtlety reflects The Tannery’s industrial manufacturing heritage, while still presenting a cool, calm and sophisticated meeting space.

Super comfortable and adjustable leather chairs offer form as well as function (although the adjustability while meaning enhanced comfort for some has proved to be an enhanced hazard for others, with our Commercial Director Martin Oates in particular having a few close calls thanks to over-reclining).  

The brick wallpaper adds colour and warmth without detracting from our brand and the artfully arrnaged pot of yellow pencils adds a cool pop of colour. And yes, those pencils are for decorative purposes only. 

Our Stylish Boardroom At Pixel Towers
(Our Industrial Chic Boardroom And Giant TV)

We still have one or two areas left to finish off in the new office: we are still on the hunt for some funky furniture for the break out room to create a more relaxed space for informal meetings and lunchtime gatherings and the server room and storage space could also do with a little extra care and attention. But all the same, we like to think our brand new office is looking pretty slick.

What do you think?