Shared Vision Monday, July 06, 2009 “The only way to create informed design is to design based on knowledge,” says Dian Duvall, a principal in Gensler’s brand practice group. At Gensler, this means design that takes into account everything from big-picture environmental design to the tiny details of how much time a visitor spends engaged in specific portions of the brand encounter—as well as tactical constraints such as time and budget. And it means having the client on-board with critical decisions every step of the way. So how does Gensler encapsulate this breath of information and get client consensus? Two key components: a visioning session and an action plan that summarizes that vision. Gensler DNA The brand practice group at Gensler comprises about 80 people who reside in 16 of Gensler’s 31 offices. Its projects include corporate interiors, retail, visitor centers, EBCs, hospitality, district branding, and destination brand development. Among its recent clients are REI, HBO, and MGM City Center.      Gensler’s brand practice group started 25 years ago as the firm’s in-house graphic design department. Over time, its capabilities grew and evolved from designing graphics for corporate interiors, to developing entire corporate identities, to defining comprehensive brand definitions and platforms. Group members often team with their architect colleagues—especially on projects in hospitality, mixed use, and urban design—enriching the Gensler offering by weaving brand sensibilities into traditional building design, interiors, and city planning projects. “We implement the brand into many touch points,” says Duvall. And by that she means a holistic, customer-centric methodology that combines 2-D, 3-D, and 4-D design—which Duvall defines as how people use and navigate space. In other words, the Gensler process touches on virtually every conceivable aspect of the customer encounter—from the big picture environment to the minute details of how much product will be displayed, and how much product to display. Got vision? Creating a brand solution Gensler-style starts with familiar steps: customer input and research. Then it gets interesting: Rather than moving ahead to concepts, the Gensler team adds an extra check-point: a face-to-face “visioning session” with the key project stakeholders. This intensive workshop immerses the client in the project and ensures that everyone agrees on the direction of the project. Duvall describes the visioning session as where Gensler defines how to solve the client’s business problem through design. “It’s how we get a better solution,” she says. Russell Banks, a Gensler senior associate, says his team won’t put pen to paper without agreement on the design criteria and what success will be evaluated on. Visioning sessions are scaled based on the size and scope of the project. Complex and large-scale projects may require a four-day off-site retreat, while sessions for smaller projects can be executed in day-long meetings in the client’s office. The attendees typically include top executives who participate in facilitated sessions that challenge them to look at their business challenges through a variety of lenses. These workshops are high energy and complete honesty is demanded. “People aren’t sitting around. They’re up and animated, and there’s lots of interaction to get some good debates going,” says Duvall. During a visioning session, the complete spectrum of the project is discussed. The original input and research are reviewed. Business objectives are defined and blue sky thinking is indulged. Participants outline what the iconic elements of the experience will be and answer questions such as, “Who embodies the style of the brand?” The group also dives into very pragmatic questions—like time constraints and budget. In the case of a retail concept, how the departments will be organized, the look and feel of the merchandising, and point of sale are analyzed. Participants identify key touchpoints of interaction. The competition and sweet spots in the market are also studied. The clients even assess where they see the brand in five years. Sometimes Gensler experts from other design disciplines participate. “What happens [in the session] often becomes the inspiration that sparks what the customer journey is,” says Duvall. “These sessions are often the first time [the key constituents] can really focus. They talk among themselves and hone down the point-of-view, audience, and results,” she adds. The result is that by the end of the session, the group has built consensus as to the direction of the project.          The right person for the job “There are always some people who are more vocal, so your facilitator has to understand who the people with the greatest stakes are and manage participation accordingly,” says Duvall. For this reason, a successful visioning process hinges on selecting a facilitator to manage the process and give everyone a voice. When a split opinion emerges during a visioning session, the facilitator has to be ready to explore the options, as two perspectives may be equally valid. Gensler relies on internal facilitators to guide its sessions. These individuals come from many backgrounds—including designers, administrators, and strategists. Regardless of their area of responsibility, all facilitators possess several qualities in common: good listening skills, diplomacy, and the ability to make logical jumps and connect thoughts. Visioning sessions also include a graphic recorder—someone who sketches pictures, creates diagrams, and makes notes on the wall that capture the discussion. Duvall says visioning sessions work best with a minimal number of voices in the room, specifically the people making the decisions. She recommends a minimum of two client representatives and a maximum of four or five. While Gensler always prepares the agenda in advance, it doesn’t share everything with the client. “We tell them how to prepare, but have a few tricks up our sleeve in terms of activities,” says Duvall. Vision at work The visioning session was an essential component in creating M-Lab, Motorola’s branded activity at Wannado City, an edu-tainment venue for families located in Sunrise, FL. the client’s objective for Wannado was to translate its brand in a way that would be relevant to tweens. The Gensler visioning session went to the heart of what Motorola cares about—quality and innovation. “We wanted the overall experience to drive home that innovation and technology are things that can be really cool, really interesting,” says Banks. It also took a close look at what motivates kids, as well as their behaviors—they tend to travel in pairs, like team activities, and love interactive technology. Through the course of the session, the group came to consensus that Motorola’s original ideas regarding the space probably weren’t going to successfully connect with its young target audience. “With tweens it takes a high level of engagement to become relevant and have a place in their lives,” says Gail Brackett, a Los Angeles-based Gensler senior associate. Based on the parameters agreed upon in the visioning session, a new idea emerged—an interactive team activity in which kids would use technology to design a mini sub equipped to attract a particular new species of fish. This concept exceeded the initial scope and budget assigned for the project, but based on what happened in the visioning session, the constituents agreed that this was the right direction to pursue. “In the visioning session, we had head-nodding—like we’re going there together. Understanding our thinking really led to consensus. We turned them a 180 from what they were originally thinking of doing,” says Banks.  Map it out After its visioning sessions, Gensler keeps the momentum going by creating a visioning action plan that summarizes the decisions made in the visioning session. This blueprint captures the big ideas and becomes the manual—so-to-speak—which the Gensler team uses to guide the design process. “It becomes almost a brand platform document,” says Duvall. The Gensler team continues to refer to the document throughout the process. “We continually go back and check: Are we keeping on track? It becomes our guard rails,” says Duvall. For instance, if the process veers off track, the team refers to the document to course correct. Or something is proposed that deviates from the decisions made during the visioning session—such as if the client wants to add more SKUs of product—the team goes back to the document and reminds the customer why the initial decision was made. Then the new alternative is assessed in terms of why it might or not be the right choice: Has the client learned something new? Will the change affect the essence of the brand? How will the change effect communication with the customer? In this way, the document keeps the vision alive and ensures that changes are only made if they are truly in the best interest of achieving the business objectives. Duvall says these documents have an extended life both as internal and external tools. “As a design team, we use the document all the time. As we move through the design process, it becomes very much an educational plan, especially as we send in additional team members,” says Duvall. Gensler customers often leverage portions of the document as well, integrating diagrams and sketches into presentations and staff training materials. Occasionally, a client won’t want to participate in the visioning process. When this happens, Gensler isn’t above resorting to a little arm twisting—in the form of explaining the importance of the visioning methodology in terms of how it serves their business and helps meet their objectives. Says Brackett, “If you can make it about how it’s going to be a smart investment on their part, they get engaged.”
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