Corporate identity can be visualised through architecture and interior design. This article looks at a famous example of a corporate scheme produced by a major designer. In the 1930s, the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design an industrial complex for the S.C. Johnson Company. The site was in Racine, Wisconsin (which is where Frank Lloyd Wright was born).
Wright designed the Administration Building for the company (1936-39) with a streamlined brick exterior. It shows the influence of American commercial design. He moved away from his usual geometric style and used a typical 30s streamlining. His office tower is a memorable design. There was a central concrete core, with floors cantilevered out from the centre and covered in curved glass. It's anchored to a concrete foundation that penetrates over 50 feet into the ground.
There's a large amount of sculpture showing the influence of Native American culture. Frank Lloyd Wright was often influenced by this, but here he's also responding to the history of the area. Wisconsin is among the Great Lakes, where there was a concentration of Native Americans, and the name Wisconsin is derived from their language.
The main workroom has dendriform (i.e. tree-shaped columns). It's well-lit and built on an open plan. It was an unbounded, ordered space that was meant to increase productivity. This was ahead of its time, but it was soon imitated. The desks were mass produced by Steelcase Inc to a design by Wright. It was an early design for a workstation. The desk was cut out for the typewriter. It was designed to make secretaries work more efficiently.
