NeoCon is an annual trade show for architects and interior designers held in Chicago with more than 60,000 attendees. In 2013, Herman Miller used the event to launch a concept called Living Office, a unique way of thinking about the new landscape of work. Living Office helps people customize their methods, tools, and places of work to express and enable shared character and purpose.

The concept is multilayered and multidimensional. The challenge was to make it accessible and understandable to thousands of people making their way through our showroom.

Because Living Office is all about people, people had to figure prominently in communications. We settled on an illustration style that allowed obvious continuity and maximum flexibility. Working with illustrator Daniel Carlsten, we created playful, symbolic people, each with a visual personality. The people appear in many different environments, defined by a few, thoughtfully chosen artifacts.

These people were the unifying “face” across a total communication package, from 3D spaces to printed pieces, from web experience to learning tools, from infographics to invitations. The results were gratifying. Judges chose Herman Miller as the overall “Best of Competition.” In a survey of our salespeople, 97 percent thought it a smash hit.

Read the full case study with juror comments here: [http://www.aiga.org/case-study-herman-miller-neocon/]

“This project offers a playful visual approach with high-value information on how to create a human-centered workspace. It goes beyond focusing on sales to describe what people need to feel comfortable and supported within a physical work environment.” —Jeremy Mende