As one of the three companies that originated Pokémon, Creatures Inc. engages mainly in the development of Pokémon Trading Card Game, digital games development that derives from the Pokémon video game series, and the production of 3D modeling and motion design of Pokémon. The project was to design an entrance and meeting space for their new office.
Since its release in October 1996, Pokémon Trading Card Game has long been loved by fans worldwide. The cards are manufactured by first printing a large sheet with a constellation of elaborate designs, which is then cut into small pieces of 63 mm width by 88 mm length. What makes the cards so special is that every piece is filled with creative ideas with a touch of emotional value. Thus, the interior design of the office naturally came to reference such vocabulary from the manufacturing process of the cards.
An abstract graphic pattern expressing the characteristics of Pokémon Trading Cards in their original size was engraved onto a 2.3 mm thick steel sheet with a laser cutter. After being cut out into the card shape, each piece was bent manually at twelve different angles so as to control the users’ views while adding texture to the space. In addition to the normal card designs, there are nine types of Energy cards as “secret items,” each hidden in the interior.
The layout is not of a conventional office with rectangular tables in rectangular rooms. The spaces come in different shapes and sizes, composed of curved walls. Furthermore, creating every table with an original organic form allows users to adjust the layout according to the meeting format or the number of participants.
The concept was inspired by the story behind the multiple organic shapes incorporated into the original logo of Creatures Inc. It expressed how living beings evolved by adapting to the environment or circumstances and how the company aims to keep being like them. The design is the outcome of striving to reflect such sentiment in the office environment.
Team:
Client: Creatures Inc.
Designers: Nendo
Collaborator: Yuko Hata; mado; Hsieh Hui-Hsi; Madoka Takeuchi
Photographer: Takumi Ota
