DSM touches you: brand experience

Dutch vitamins and chemicals group Royal DSM opened its China campus in the middle of Shanghai’s Zhang Jiang High Technology Park. They asked NorthernLight to reinvent the public space on the ground floor of the campus. The assignment was twofold; firstly, create a warm transparent environment for DSM employees, and secondly, sharing the DSM story: DSM can be found in almost every aspect of our environment.

NorthernLight, together with partner company Mattmo, was responsible for the design and development of an on-campus innovative brand experience. Starting from the DSM motto: ‘DSM touches you’, designs were made for all public spaces on the campus. The restaurant was developed as an attractive multi-purpose space. The lobby has been transformed into a discovery zone, with product displays and a large multi-touch screen. The meeting spaces are decorated with the latest DSM materials. And the impressive 60 meter long timeline serves as a real eye catcher of the campus. It tells the story of DSM and invites the visitor to discover the soul of the company in an interactive way.

In 2011, this brand experience design won China’s Most Successful Design Award. This award follows from an international competition aimed at honouring outstanding design and design influence in China. It has been created to empower, elevate and reward the individuals, teams and companies that make up the design industry. The awards are showcased to the business world and society, bringing higher profit and recognition through the alignment of precision technique and design processes.