Seattle // Branding & Wayfinding
Studio Matthews
Wayfinding, signage, and installations. It always begins with the question: can we make more with less?
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Wayfinding, signage, and installations. It always begins with the question: can we make more with less?
A small studio in Seattle that specializes in wayfinding, signage, and installations. Every project, they utilize sustainable materials and practices and ask: can we make more with less?
Design is this great excuse to get to geek out on all the subjects that clients bring to the table. — KRISTINE
We're obligated to have knowledge of current sustainable material or sustainable practices, but beyond that to ingrain it into our process of thinking. — IAN
The best parts of working with architects is that we let their beautiful piece of architecture inform our decisions in a way or inspire. — NICOLE
Studio Matthews created a functional and flexible wayfinding system for the Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Pop Culture. The signs are in black and white in order to simplify navigating the otherwise complex, colourful space.
We really love diving into these quite complicated projects and experimenting with materials and trying to find the delight and the surprise. — KRISTINE
We really love diving into these quite complicated projects and experimenting with materials and trying to find the delight and the surprise. — KRISTINE
Studio Matthews created a functional and flexible wayfinding system for the Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Pop Culture. The signs are in black and white in order to simplify navigating the otherwise complex, colourful space.
The best parts of working with architects is that we let their beautiful piece of architecture inform our decisions in a way or inspire. — NICOLE
00:00:10
KRISTINE: we have a lot of fun doing what we're doing. I think in this context very, very serious about it. But especially with topics around sustainability, it can be so daunting. But we really love diving into these quite complicated projects and experimenting with materials and trying to find the delight and the surprise, and put ourselves in the shoes as a visitor. And we just try and bring that energy to projects.
00:00:36
KRISTINE: I'm Kristine Matthews founder and director at Studio Matthews.
NICOLE: I’m Nicole Fischetti, senior designer.
IAN: Ian Campbell, senior designer.
00:00:53
KRISTINE: So for MoPop, super complicated building -Thank you. Frank Gehry -for like three different entrances on two different levels. Once you're inside, there are no windows for orientation and it’s an incredibly disorienting building. So there was that challenge. It's also a super colorful building. We did a set of color tests to see what color would stand out in the environment the most and found that actually it's so colorful that the only colors that stand out are black and white.
00:01:23
NICOLE: Yeah, I think that's the best part of working with architects is that you let their, you know, what's hopefully a beautiful piece of architecture, inform our decisions in a way or inspire.
00:01:37
IAN: As designers, so I think that we’re somewhat obligated to have knowledge, I would say that current sustainable materials or sustainable practices, but beyond that, kind of to ingrain that into your process of thinking. So even from the very beginning, if you're thinking about a production methods or the life cycle of the design, you can oftentimes achieve much more than if it's just a materials based solution.
00:02:07
KRISTINE: So we came up with the solution of steel bands so that when one show change, they only had to change one, one band. The band's are two sided so they can use it, you know, twice and, and reuse it. And so it gave them a much more flexible and hopefully appropriate system that is more sustainable.
00:02:32
NICOLE: I think that’s the joy in figuring out what the problem is and how to solve it is why I design. And it seems to be a shared passion between all of us in the studio.