issue - Meet the China 50

W O R K I N G
color-coded clients
B Y D A V I D K I L B U R N
A ribbon of color flows through each floor of Beacon's sunlit
new offices in Tokyo. The young agency's approach to the design
of a modern creative working environment helps bring clients
and prospects through the doors in preference to meeting in
their own, more conventional offices.
Brand teams work together at the 30-month-old Bcom3/Dentsu
joint venture on color-coded floors, each with features that
relate to their brands.
On the pink Women’s floor,
teams work on cosmetics,
skin care, hair care, and
cigarettes such as Virginia
Slims. Here is a complete
Beauty Salon where people
can test or demonstrate
cosmetics and hair care
products, explore new ideas,
or conduct research groups.
(The Men’s floor is purple and
has brands of cigarettes, liquor,
cars, and credit cards, as well
as a very cool, very slick bar.)
The Family Floor, where teams
handle detergents, diapers,
canned coffee, insurance, and
pet food, is blue-green and
incorporates a large
fully-equipped kitchen where
staffers can test new
detergents and do just about
anything that takes place in a
large modern kitchen.
People work one step away
from the bars, kitchens,
and salons, which nest
alongside meeting rooms in a
variety of designs that would
not be out of place in a modern
Japanese home.