Challenge
A whole lot more to modular flooring
The founding of Interface, and its moonshot sustainability moment, has been celebrated before. While there are books and films about Ray Anderson and the early years of Interface, the philosophy of the company had yet to be fully told.
Interface champions a unique approach that fuses design, innovation, and sustainability. This interconnectedness has made it instrumental in transforming manufacturing processes in not only the flooring industry but broadly in the U.S. and around the world.
Naturally, that is grounds for commemoration. Our objective was to add true value to an important and unique company and philosophy as Interface crests its first half-century, and to do it FAST.
At ECHO, we keenly hunt for narratives in unexpected places, having created hundreds of books, each unique and representative of the company or individual at the heart of the story. When we flew to Georgia, Atlanta, in 2022 to meet our collaborators at Interface Base Camp, we knew we were in for something profound. (For starters, the building is designed according to the philosophy of “Factory as a Forest.”)
Interface gave us the opportunity to creatively capture the many stories of its founding, its people, and its constant innovation over the years. And while Ray is woven throughout these tales and themes, we wanted this book to go further and shine light on the facets of the business that make Interface one of the most sought-after places to work.
We’re talking about a drive to win combined with a sincere and practised commitment to bettering the planet. How exactly do we go about capturing all that magic in an authentic way that will inspire, unite, and empower its employees, each of whom matters in the bigger picture and the future of the industry?
Solution
A modern, modular book inspired by nature itself
We heard again and again that Interface isn’t just a carpet tile company; it’s a design company. And a design-centric company is music to our ears. Not only is it in the business of creating beautiful products that serve a need, it’s also constantly innovating in order to problem-solve at all levels — from creating efficiencies to reducing waste to developing systems that extend the life cycle of the carpet tile.
That design-first thinking is the foundation to everything Interface does, and even how the company is run. We were so inspired by Interface’s 5 values that we listed them on page 1, and organized the entire story to reflect these core truths: Design a better way, Connect the whole, Be genuine & generous, Embrace Tomorrow Today, and Inspire Others.
These became the organizing principles to retell the Interface story of yesterday and plant the seeds of radical business transformation that will shape the company’s future.
Result
A lightweight book with a bold look
In considering how design could equally tell this story of innovation and purpose, we took another page out of Interface’s book — “When you put design thinking first and foremost, a more beautiful built environment follows.”
Many of Interface’s product lines are inspired by two concepts we were curious to dig into: biomimicry (observing how elements in nature interact to solve human design challenges) and biophilic design (creating more connectedness to the natural world within our built environment).
We wanted to weave these principles into the design and imagery of the book, highlighting rich photographic details from the environment and product images that put nature front and center.
To compose it all, we landed on an intentionally flexible modular grid layout. Dynamic, fun, modern, it incorporates a balance of text heavy spreads, visual moments, and large typographic treatments. This allows for a pacing sustainable for the reader and enough variety to keep them engaged.
Throughout the book, colour smartly acts as a navigational tool, and ensures images stand out. Pages are speckled with colourful textural elements in play with typography — a nod to the wide range of materials used in Interface products.
ONE MORE COOL THING...
Staying true to carpet tile
There was huge excitement around bringing this book to life. There was also a catch. Interface needed a fulsome story and innovative book design in record time, under one year.
We committed to meeting their deadline, but there were many complications along the way, including a shift in editorial direction, some personnel changes, and technical printing challenges that meant the cover wasn’t going to print as we’d hoped.
Applying the “problem-solving design thinking” Interface is known for, we developed a values-driven structure to highlight what makes the Interface business unique, flew to Atlanta again to mobilize a new team, and adjusted the cover to make the print limitations an intentional part of the greater design.
The result is a fresh and modern softcover book that truly reflects the Interface soul and uses less material than we anticipated. It even incorporates a sly French flap, the interior of which features Interface’s strengths in bold type.
In addition to being a good fit based on limitations of time and printing, the book’s square shape and modular layout was chosen to mimic the very concept of carpet tile, honoring the Interface brand.
The compact 9×9 inch size was a friendly format for employees to keep close at hand, allowing them to flip through whenever the inspiration strikes or when they’re looking for some.
To top it off, this is the most effective page size to maximize paper usage and avoid waste. Remembering Interface’s commitment to sustainability, it brought the close of our process right back to our client’s purpose, which is a happy ending we’re still telling.
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