LPK

From the Inside Out

LPK refreshes its brand from creative culture and performance reviews to visual identity.

HOW

In the May 2010 issue of HOW magazine, Bryn Mooth, editor, writes about LPK’s cultural reboot from the inside out. Nathan Hendricks, chief creative officer, began to change the culture, which had become more corporate with the rapid growth of the agency, in 2008. He held design parties with his creative teams, which were fun, relaxed brainstorm sessions that resulted in an abundance of ideas for the team to work with. After presenting it to senior executives, Hendricks rolled out his idea for this new creative energy across the entire agency.

Mooth explores the five disciplines Hendricks defined for creating successful solutions—design the project, prolific exploration, inspired synthesis, constructive critique and client wow—and expounds on the plan Hendricks put into action with the help of employees at LPK, from the agency’s leaders to juniors. The plan incorporates changes that encourage creativity such as identifying lightning rods (people who can influence change) and rewarding desired behavior through a new performance review system.

In the midst of the reboot, a redesign of the LPK visual identity happened although it wasn’t planned. Hendricks assigned groups in a couple of the company’s creative offices to work on the top-secret project using the new disciplines. The new identity was revealed after performance artist Sekou Andrews interrupted a regular company meeting with a spoken-word piece and employees returned to their offices through halls featuring the new identity.

“Clearly, this isn’t a slap-a-new-logo-on-the-door-and-call-it-done tale of rebranding,” writes Mooth.

Pick up a copy of the May 2010 issue of HOW magazine as this is a print exclusive! Find it at a bookstore near you.

HOW strives to serve the business, technological and creative needs of graphic-design professionals. The magazine provides a practical mix of essential business information, up-to-date technological tips, the creative whys and hows behind noteworthy projects and profiles of professionals who are influencing design.

About LPK
LPK is an international design agency where remarkable people Build Leadership Brands. By integrating strategy, design and innovation, LPK leverages relevant consumer, shopper and market insights to create value, sustain leadership and transform businesses.

The agency’s portfolio of category-leading brands and long-term client relationships attracts some of the best and brightest creative minds in the world. LPK’s combination of strategic skills, creative disciplines and cross-cultural perspectives results in brand-building innovation across media, geography and time.

With a presence in North America, Europe and Asia, LPK is the world’s largest employee-owned brand design agency. LPK has developed and managed brand design franchises for some of the world’s most successful businesses, including Gillette, Pampers, Olay, 3M, Jim Beam, IBM, Hershey, Coleman, U.S. Bank, AT&T, Kellogg, Novartis, Samsung, PepsiCo, and Kraft Foods.

LPK’s independent spirit champions a vibrant creative culture, recognized by The Wall Street Journal as a “Winning Workplace” and described by HOW Magazine as “one of the largest and most influential branding agencies on the planet.”

Contact: www.lpk.com.