TIDES

BRANDING A HISTORIC PRESIDIO BUILDING.

Soon after we launched the rebrand for Tides, we got to work on branding their headquarters in the historic Presidio of San Francisco. Their campus is a collection of 12 properties, including the old Letterman Hospital, used to care for wounded soldiers during the civil war. Today, the buildings house not only the people that work at Tides and Tides Advocacy but also over 180 social impact nonprofits who are their tenants.

San Francisco Offices

Man walking down staircase, "BRING BOLD IDEAS TO LIFE" on wall behind him

Man and woman sitting in seats with laptops in front of Tides office branding wall decal

Designing an inspiring office environment for people doing challenging, social justice work.

The space where you work can have a massive influence on creativity and productivity when it’s a carefully designed experience. When we looked at branding the Tides office in the Presidio and their office on Wall Street in New York, we knew they needed to be bright and inviting spaces. Hundreds of people working on these campuses needed a working environment that inspired them, especially with most of them doing challenging work across social justice issues like equality, climate justice, and human rights.

On our first walk-through of the buildings, we noticed old, framed photos of famous activists and quotes sitting on a shelf in one of the corridors. Although the pictures were small, the idea was big. Using giant images of activists with powerful quotes was just what the space needed to create an inspiring and collaborative workspace, especially in such dark buildings. When the day-to-day work is challenging, it’s a good reminder of why the work is so important on a higher level.

Mockup of Tides office branding in long hallway

Dolores Huerta wall decal in Tides office hallway

We used images of staff and tenants to create an environment that reflected the people who work there.

In their public areas, we applied messaging from the Tides branding in a logical flow, first introducing the name and logo, then the tagline and brand promise. For their co-working spaces, we applied images of staff and tenants so they could see themselves represented on the walls where they worked.

The result has transformed not only of the space itself but has had a positive impact on the people working there every day and helps visitors and prospective employees understand the Tides mission and values. Our ultimate goal was to give energy to the environment and the staff so they can be even more impactful in the critical work that they do.