Softcat

Alongside Claremont, together we translated Softcat’s vibrant and playful brand into actionable designs that would transform their new Birmingham office.

With a clear vision to celebrate the brand in it’s entirety, we were tasked with finding both acoustic and graphic solutions that could accommodate bold colours, big logos, and a sense of team spirit; Softcat wanted a space that not only celebrated their achievements as a business, but also their teams who made it happen.

ALTO Tone

ALTO Tone played a key role in the design, as it allowed us more flexibility when it came to colour; Softcat’s extensive and vibrant brand colour palette meant we had to think past our standard range of 23 ALTO colours. ALTO Tone pairs our ALTO sheets with Camira Sonus fabric, and with almost 400 colour combinations, this significantly expands our colour offering.

ALTO Tone was the perfect solution for this project, as it meant we could accommodate the vibrancy of Softcat’s palette, whilst still providing the acoustic features and sustainability efforts that come with using 60% recycled PET ALTO sheets. 

ALTO Float

Every aspect of the design, from manifestation to round drywipe boards, took direct inspiration from Softcat’s branding and logo. With the aim to celebrate the brand and its teams, the design took things one step further and also celebrated the city they call home; Elements were inspired by Birmingham’s architecture, such as the instantly recognisable library’s exterior circular pattern. 

In the interest of branding details, ALTO Float allowed us to extend Softcat’s branding and overall theme beyond the walls, onto the ceilings. In one particular meeting room, the chosen design was not only produced on the walls as a feature piece, but was replicated in ALTO Float miniatures across the ceiling. This not only created an immersive design, but increased acoustic sound absorption in what otherwise would have been an echoey and loud boardroom.

Across the entire office space, ALTO Float was used as a simple, yet effective, way of tying the scheme together; Pops of brand colours found themselves on the ceiling, mirroring elements from various other graphic and acoustic features in the office.

ALTO X Stone

Another effective way of ensuring a sense of cohesion throughout the space was the decision to include ALTO X Stone. Claremont’s central design revolved around Softcat’s humble beginnings in a garden shed, so, naturally, a lot of biophilia was placed amongst the office scheme. As a bridge between striking colours and graphic elements, and biophilic design, ALTO X Stone brought both a natural character and striking visual feature to the space.

The result

Softcat’s new Birmingham office embodies their brand in its entirety; Every inch of the space has been considered to best represent Softcat’s colour palette and / or logo. This new office is far from shy when it comes to celebrating their brand, and is definitely worthy of the title ‘destination office’.