Industry | Product Design, Industrial Design, Packaging design, Design strategy |
---|---|
Founded | 2012 |
Headquarters | Farringdon, London |
Key people | Richard Stevens |
Services | Strategy, Research, Design |
Map Project Office is an industrial design studio based in Central London, working with both major brands and start-ups in the consumer technology space. The studio works with abstract technologies in the artificial intelligence, augmented reality and the IoT sectors, creating accessible experiences for the end user.
Map was originally formed as a team within furniture design studio Barber & Osgerby [1] to accommodate its growing portfolio of design work for major technology brands including Google, IBM and Sony. Founded by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, it was spun off into its own business in 2012, and has since received over 40 awards including Creative Review’s Creative Agency of the Year 2016. [2] In 2018 Map Project Office and its sister company Universal Design Studio became part of WPP and work in partnership with AKQA. [3]
Map originally started with four people and has since grown to a team of 12 designers. Their three main strands of work are designed for start-ups, global technology brands and, increasingly, exhibition and installation development for leading creative and advertising agencies.
For their work with start-up clients, the studio works in an end-to-end design process, from strategy, design and fundraising to production, sourcing and manufacturing and often across disciplines including engineering, science, digital and business.
One of Map's first projects was with Kano to create a DIY computer kit that promotes STEAM and STEM learning for children. The kit originally launched on Kickstarter and has gone on to receive multiple awards. [4] Further work with startups include BleepBleeps [5] and the Beeline Smart Compass, which was awarded Best Consumer Product by Design Week in 2017. [6]
The studio also works with technology brands conducting concept work, and working with the client's in-house design teams to develop strategic products that will shape the future of technology. In many cases where the final output will end up being released 4 or 5 years later.
Working on collaborative exhibition and spatial design projects Map received awards for the Google Chrome Web Lab, [7] the Science Museum Entrance Desk [8] and IBM Watson IoT Headquarters in Munich. [9]
In 2016, the studio was the recipient of the acclaimed Creative Agency of the Year by Creative Review and was also listed by Fast Co as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Design. [10]
For collaborations with Honda, [11] BleepBleeps [12] and Beeline [13] they were also featured extensively in Icon Magazine, FastCoDesign, [14] The Drive, Wired [15] and Dezeen.
The studio was highlighted within The Design Economy [16] as a case study. The report released by the Design Council addressed the skills and economic contribution the industry provides to the UK.
Map Project Office collaborated with Universal Design Studio to design the world's first integrated quantum computing system for IBM. In 2019 IBM launched the IBM Q System One at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Map and Universal defined the vision for the system, where the hardware, spaces and interface were considered as a single coherent experience. [17]
The Design Museum in Kensington, London, England, exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generated by ticket sales aid the museum in curating new exhibitions.
Grey Group is a global advertising and marketing agency with headquarters in New York City, and 432 offices in 96 countries, operating in 154 cities. It is organized into four geographical units: North America; Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
Knoll is an American company that manufactures office systems, seating, storage systems, tables, desks, textiles, and accessories for the home, office, and higher education. The company is the licensed manufacturer of furniture designed by architects and designers such as Harry Bertoia, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, Florence Knoll, Frank Gehry, Charles Gwathmey, Maya Lin, Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen, and Lella and Massimo Vignelli, under the company's KnollStudio division. Over 40 Knoll designs can be found in the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Universal Creative is the division of Universal Destinations & Experiences responsible for designing, developing, engineering, and producing themed attractions, rides, and, resorts. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the company operates at Universal Parks & Resorts locations around the world in the United States, Singapore, Japan, and China.
AKQA is a digital design and communications agency owned by WPP. It was founded in London in 1994 and expanded internationally in 2001 through a merger with agencies based in the United States and Singapore. It operated as an independent agency until 2012, when it was acquired by WPP. Initially the firm focused on technology and digital projects, later broadening its focus on design and innovation to services including product and spatial design. In 2020, WPP announced it was merging Grey Group with AKQA to create the AKQA Group. The resulting agency has around 6,000 employees in 50 countries.
Yves Béhar is a Swiss-born American designer, entrepreneur, and educator. He is the founder and principal designer of Fuseproject, an industrial design and brand development firm. Béhar is also the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of August Smart Lock, a smart lock company acquired by Assa Abloy in 2017; and co-founder of Canopy, a co-working space based in San Francisco.
Cobe is a Copenhagen-based architectural firm owned and managed by architect Dan Stubbergaard. As of 2020, the office has 150 employees and is involved in a large number of projects throughout Europe and North America within urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture and interior design.
Barber Osgerby is a London-based industrial design studio founded in 1996 by British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. Historically named variously Barber Osgerby Associates, BOA, Barber & Osgerby and BarberOsgerby, the practice has been called Barber Osgerby since 2008. Barber and Osgerby's work encompasses interiors, furniture, lighting and product design as well as art and architectural-scale projects.
Sandra “Sandy” Carter is an American businesswoman, speaker and author. She was a general manager at IBM from 2013 to 2016, vice president at Amazon Web Services from 2017 to 2021 and is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Unstoppable Domains.
James Hilton is an English designer based in London.
The London 2012 Olympic Torch was carried around the UK for 70 days in the London 2012 Torch Relay, from 19 May to 27 July 2012.
Space Copenhagen is a design studio based in Copenhagen, founded in 2005 by Peter Bundgaard Rützou and Signe Bindslev Henriksen. The studio works across disciplines from interior design for private homes, hotels and restaurants globally to art installations and art direction, furniture, lighting and refined objects.
Universal Everything is a digital art practice and design studio based in Sheffield, England. The studio was founded in 2004 by Matt Pyke, who is the creative director. Pyke studied botanical and technical illustration and then graphic design, before spending eight years at the Designers Republic (1996–2004).
Emeco is a privately held company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The Emeco 1006, known as the Navy Chair, has been in continuous production since the 1940s. Today, Emeco manufactures furniture designed by notable designers and architects such as Philippe Starck, Norman Foster, and Frank Gehry.
Dezeen is an online architecture, interiors and design magazine based in London, with offices in Hoxton, as well as New York City and Shanghai.
SAM Labs is a startup that makes app-enabled construction kits, designed for people of all ages to learn STEM, play, and create with technology and the Internet of Things. The company has been featured in WIRED and The Telegraph. Founded by Belgian born CEO Joachim Horn, the company works out of their headquarters in East London.
Streamtime Software is a web-based project-management tool, first launched in 2002 under the company name Particle Systems Limited.
IBM Quantum System One is the first circuit-based commercial quantum computer, introduced by IBM in January 2019.
Jon Marshall is a British industrial designer.
Atkinson Hyperlegible is a freely available typeface built around a grotesque sans-serif core, intended to be optimally legible for readers who are partially visually impaired, with all characters maximally distinguishable from one another. It was developed by the Braille Institute of America in collaboration with Applied Design Works and is available under the SIL Open Font License. It won Fast Company's Innovation by Design Award for Graphic Design in 2019 and was shortlisted for a graphic design award by Dezeen in 2020.