In August, the pioneering workplace designer, US based architect and interior designer, Clive Wilkinson, gave a presentation in Sydney as a guest of Taubmans Paints. Speaking at the annual Work Place / Work Life Conference he discussed how the way we work and our productivity is shaped by our environment.
Responsible for designing the workplaces of corporate giants such as Google, Nokia, Disney and Fox, Wilkinson has been one of the leaders in a revolution that has changed the way designers approach work place design.
When discussing the design of the contemporary office, Clive Wilkinson highlighted how lifestyle and work / life balance are driving a need for work places to become more energetic and inspiring and challenge ideas about the traditional concept of rows of desks overseen by office encased management.
He touched on how work place design now seeks to embody an office ‘culture’ that encourages team work, collaboration and cross-fertilisation of ideas. Social spaces such as staff kitchens, break out areas and meeting rooms are increasingly treated like the domestic living spaces or local coffee lounges and are located to reinforce a sense of community.
Throughout the talk Wilkinson illustrated these ideas with examples of completed projects by his firm Clive Wilkinson Architects which began in 1990s in Los Angeles California.
As a guest of Taubmans Clive Wilkinson was introduced by a representative of the company who discussed the launch of their new Colour Galaxy Fandeck and an initiative supporting Australian artists and designers called Off Canvas.
THE TAUBMANS COLOUR FANTASY FANDECK
Australian designers are among the most trend-forward paint specifiers in the world, according to Taubmans, which launched the new Colour Galaxy Fandeck in June this year.
It has been 15 years since Taubmans released a new fandeck, and after extensive market research into how design professionals use their decks, the Colour Galaxy Fandeck was created as a tool to support the Taubmans Colour Galaxy online.
“Australian designers are increasingly inspiring their clients to make bold choices in paint,” said Head of Marketing - Trade, Trevor Lowder, “so we’ve designed a new fandeck which clearly presents both the classic and trend driven colours.”
The new Colour Galaxy Fandeck features 1505 hand-selected shades divided into two main sections. In the first section, “Whites, Neutrals and Mineral Tones”, you will find some old favourites plus new directional shades.
Taubmans is renowned for their well-considered whites and neutrals and this newly design Colour Galaxy Fandeck brings a robust selection of these colours to the front of the deck, making the colours easily accessible and the selection process much simpler for specifiers.
The second section, titled the Spectrum Colours takes its name from the hugely popular Spectrum Fandeck produced in 2000. The colours featured include both muted and clear palettes, featuring fantastic accent colours that capture both short term and long-term global colour trends. This section also incorporates 31 brand new colours that have been added to the Taubmans Colour Galaxy.
Every leaf in the Colour Galaxy Fandeck displays seven generous colour swatches. The leaves that feature whites have darker shades in the centre of each leaf layout, which acts as a handy guide to the nuances of the colours on either side of it.
The innovation continues through to the packaging of the Colour Galaxy Fandeck. The embossed black cover features a magnetic closure, making it both comfortable to use and easy to work with. It was imperative that this new packaging was as inspiring as it was functional to ensure it will become a go-to colour tool for design professionals. The isolator included with the Colour Galaxy Fandeck features black, grey and white backgrounds, providing additional contrasts to help select the perfect colour. The fact that the isolator is separate and not attached to the fandeck itself offers increased freedom when utilizing this tool.
Taubmans commissioned muralist Stephen Baker to create artwork for a limited edition Colour Galaxy Fandeck bag to celebrate the history of the brand. “The Painter” depicts an image of a sign painter in Stephen’s signature colour blocking style and was inspired by Taubmans’ founder, George Taubman. George, a Sydney sign writer, decided to create his own paint brand in 1901 to supply himself with the highest quality of paints needed for his trade.
Overall, a comprehensive and functional fandeck has been achieved that includes a well-considered and user-friendly palette brimming with classics and directional colours.
OFF CANVAS: TAUBMANS CELEBRATES A NEW BREED OF CREATIVES
In the late 1890s, George Henry Taubman, a Sydney sign writer, was dissatisfied with the quality of paints available in the Australian market. He decided to establish his own paint business, supplying himself with the highest quality paints needed for his trade. To pay tribute to this rich history and the revival of traditional trades, Taubmans launched a new campaign named Off Canvas that blurs the lines between art and trade to celebrate the creatives of today.
The Off Canvas program was launched at DEN Furniture + Design Fair in May with TJ Guzzardi, a Melbourne sign painter. The Taubmans stand at DEN fair was designed to resemble a traditional sign writer’s workshop, with TJ Guzzardi commissioned to paint signs throughout the event. TJ created works of the old and new Taubmans paint colour names such as “Mojo” and “Acid Rock” reviving his old art and paying homage to George Taubman.
To celebrate the launch of the new Colour Galaxy Fandeck, Taubmans commissioned muralist Stephen Baker to create the artwork for the fandeck bag, which is available to design professionals. “The Painter” artwork has been created exclusively for Taubmans by Stephen and is inspired by Taubmans’ founder, George Taubman and his sign writing trade.
TJ GUZZARDI
TJ Guzzardi has revived the almost forgotten art of sign writing from his workshop in Tullamarine, Melbourne. The workshop walls are adorned with his custom hand-painted signs and he has an impressive collection of vintage objects and furniture on display that feels as though it is still the 1950s.
Completely self-taught, TJ first dabbled in his art at the age of 15 when he started pinstriping in his father’s hot rod shop. Raised by parents that shared a love of vintage 1950s culture, TJ was exposed the lifestyle from a young age, where he developed his unique style and flair.
STEPHEN BAKER
Stephen Baker is a Melbourne-based artist and creative, best known for his hand painted mural adorning the Fitzroy Pool in Melbourne. Stephen’s style is distinctive, applying bold lines and colour blocking to create striking illustrations and artworks. His versatile approach enables him to produce both large and small-scale paintings that feature bold colour palettes and signature geometric shapes.
Stephen spent many years designing graphic art for various clothing brands in the street and commercial space where he developed an innate skill and love of screen-printing and repeat pattern making, which plays a major role in his artistic style today. Over time, Stephen has simplified his technique and has developed a distinctive style of line work that enables him to tell a story with less information, less line work, less colour and less shapes.
RONE
In September, Taubmans announced a new collaboration with acclaimed street artist Rone. Famous for his large-scale paintings of striking women, in particular the recurring image of his “Jane Doe”, Rone’s work depicts the meeting point between beauty and decay.
Rone is based at Everfresh Studio in Melbourne and began his career stencilling on skateboards and skate parks. Today, he travels the world to create major commissioned artworks.
After achieving wide recognition in the art industry, some of Rone’s works are now permanently housed in the National Gallery of Victoria and he is considered to be Melbourne’s most prolific street artist.
Visit http://www.offcanvas.com.au for a hub of visual inspiration and be sure to subscribe to be kept up to date with exciting new creative talent.
- Article: Vanessa Couzens &
- Taubmans Media Release: Colour Galaxy & Off Canvas
- Image 1: ‘The Barbarian Group Office, New York designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects’ (Photographer: Greg Endries)
- Image 2 (Montage):‘Clive Wilkinson’ (Provided by Flaunt Marketing on behalf of Taubmans, Photographer: Greg Endries) / ‘Palette Teamworks,Los Angeles designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects’ & ‘The Barbarian Group Office, New York designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects’ (Sourced from Clive Wilkinson Architects website, Photographer: Greg Endries)
- ‘Taubmans Colour Galaxy Fandeck’
- (Provided by Flaunt Marketing on behalf of Taubmans)
- ‘The creatives - TJ Guzzardi, stephen Baker & Rone’ (Sourced from http://www.build.com.au/taking-inspiration-past-future)
