Most companies have values but very few live and breath them. Xero is an exception. I felt it important to explore a new way of expressing them visually so staff could engage with them in a deeper way. As I put it in my presentation "…we work beautifully together because we all believe in the same values but we don’t really put the same effort into how we present the values themselves. We have an opportunity to create something beautiful and really inspire people”. The output of this work would be incorporated in a brand book called the Xero Code that all stakeholders and staff would receive as well as large format prints for their offices around the world. No pressure then.
I’d been captivated by light-painting for while. For this piece we trialed a number of methods: light-sticks, long exposure and fibre optics on our way to the final solution. It was a true team effort. Working with Michael Farr, their amazing in house photographer, the incredible photographer Chris Burkes and a wonderful model maker from Weta we rolled up our sleeves, turned out the lights and got to work.
”Beautiful — Engage, delight and you’ll inspire. Focus on high standards, inspire others, go the extra mile. Produce top quality work by doing your best everyday.”
With a team of makeup artists, models and photographers we set out creating an interlocking anamorphic typographic feast. Almost all of this was achieved in camera in two sittings with only the smallest retouching to enhance what was already there rather than digitally paint what wasn’t. A timelapse of the piece being made can be seen here.
”Challenge — Dream big and you’ll discover better ways to do business.”
Although Xero’s brand was already established there was wiggle room to create unique creative outputs and improve systems and processes for the wider team. No two weeks were the same: I wrote guides for the team, created templates for key files to streamline document production and did a whole lot of things in blue.
Meet Zak, the hero of the Help Centre.
