My Design Philosophy: Globally Consistent. Locally Relevant.

As I designed the environmental branding for Adobe offices around the world, I found that I could connect any office in the world back to the brand headquarters, while also customizing depending on the location of the office. This is a design model that is entirely scalable and provides consistency of experience, which is important for end users and clients, while also letting the client show personality and differentiate themselves in each geographical area.

What designing “globally consistent, locally relevant” spaces means to me is that I want the end users of a space to feel that it’s uniquely theirs, while still feeling connected to the larger themes at play. This is a pretty basic human need, right? We all want to feel connected to humanity overall, while still maintaining and celebrating our own individuality. I try to bring that perspective and understanding to each design project.

It makes sense to design this way when you think about what a brand is. A brand is so much more than just a name; it’s a reflection of culture and, in many cases, locale. Designers therefore have an opportunity, based on the location of a space, to really expand on the uniqueness of that region.