Microsoft
Executive Briefing Center
Executive Briefing Center
“Downstream provided innovative solutions and creative designs that brought our technology and innovation story to life.”
Microsoft is a worldwide leader in software, services, and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Provide a meaningful brand update to an existing and successful executive briefing center (EBC). Microsoft approached us to help support the visitor experience design for the update of their EBC in Redmond, Washington. Key goals of the project were to update the brand reflection to show a “One Microsoft” approach, inject light and color into the space to reflect the vibrancy of the Microsoft brand and showcase how Microsoft’s expertise in consumer products could help B2B customers.
“Show rather than tell” B2B customers, executives, press, and IT professionals how Microsoft strives to continually create innovative products that transform the way people work, learn, play and communicate. Seamlessly weave Microsoft technologies throughout the space—including the use of “touch” in the renovated lobby, briefing rooms and device bar. The most prominent design feature is the Canvas Wall. This large, LED interactive wall, with a layer of veneer over the top, creates an architecturally integrated digital platform that is both elegant and playful—sparking imagination and piqueing interest for all visitors.
Our typical EBC target audiences are enterprise customers. But we recognize that those visitors are also consumers, and that Microsoft has as deep an expertise and capability in consumer products as they do with enterprise—it was this intersection they wanted to exploit and feature. Even showcasing enterprise applications on the Xbox. The result is a Microsoft EBC that is both a hands-on retail experience and enterprise solutions center.
Concept Development
Brand Strategy
User Experience
Technology Systems
AV Prototyping
Engineering
Blending organic materials with high technology, the Microsoft Canvas Wall features responsive Microsoft’s Kinect technology that detects people and invites interaction with content that spontaneously animates from underneath the wall’s wood veneer.
This construction diagram illustrates how the Canvas Wall LED video units sit beneath glass and wood veneer. The glass is actually suspended one half inch above the LED units. The wall measures 18 units wide by 10 units tall.
The Grand Hallway features three interactive displays seamlessly integrated within a graphic panel display that showcases research and development, partners, and corporate citizenship.
Visitors are intrigued to see such brilliant color and animation emanate from the very natural appearing Canvas Wall.
Touch screen display invites visitors to explore case studies attuned to the voice of the customer. This platform prompts interaction with provocations and stats that engage visitor responses.
The XBOX Lounge features displays and demonstrations that explain the technology that XBOX is continually advancing.
