Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks  |  Boston, MA

Setting the Scene for Discovery

Ginkgo Bioworks recognized that they were on the verge of rapid growth, large financial investments, and heightened industry recognition. And they wanted to showcase their pioneering role in scientific discovery with a workspace that truly reflects their fascination with the beauty of science. That’s where we came in. To integrate the Ginkgo Bioworks’ brand throughout their new space, we designed an environmental graphics system of bold and bright visuals derived from themes of Metabolism, Tissues, Water, and Geologic Time/Fossils.

Insights

Environmental Branding

Our design solution focused on the science happening at Ginkgo Bioworks–and how we could turn this science into that feeling of curiosity and excitement that their employees feel when they come to work everyday. We wanted to create a place that was inspiring, fresh, and bright. While the different pods are color coded and distinct in their own right, each one’s environmental graphics and wayfinding complements the overall Ginkgo Bioworks brand identity and, most importantly, their culture. This stylistic consistency helps to reinforce the company’s bold, pioneering identity throughout its workspace.

Christina Agapakis

It’s been a pleasure working with the LLM team. The designers intuitively captured our whimsical and scientific style, translating it into an efficient system of environmental graphics. As a firm experiencing rapid growth, it has been important to create a space that reflects our brand values–not just for our employees, but also for investors, recruits, and customers.

Ginkgo Bioworks - Creative Director

Expansion Masterplan

Our overall graphic plan for the new space was built on a “Powers of Ten” concept that begins with cellular structures and gravitates through levels ending in stellar systems. We researched a number of different scientific systems, working closely with their team to identify the elements that would be the best fit, and then tested various graphic styles before we found a scaled visual system that worked across the required various levels.