The work

The Work is the thing we came here to do (as well as party, lounge around on our excellent deck and soak up the Vibrant Brick Lane© vibe - obviously).

And as we settle in and get to know each other and our new home a bit better, one very striking aspect of the new environment is the visibility of that work. The Atlantis Building effectively consists of five huge spaces (plus assorted account and project ‘war’ rooms, meeting rooms, kitchens, storage areas and so on) and The Work mainly happens in those spaces - in public, so to speak.

I think this must encourage higher standards – nobody wants to have sub-standard or even standard work on display for all their colleagues to see. If one individual or team raises the bar, others witness it and feel the need to dig deeper themselves.

Cross-pollination is also inevitable. This one could be potentially sensitive, but I think the requirements of exclusivity and confidentiality are pretty well-understood at LBi - working with some of the world’s biggest brands obviously requires a certain level of discretion and security, so there’s never any unreleased or commercially sensitive work on public display. (That’s where the ‘war rooms’ come in). And in any case the constraints of brand identity inhibit any possibility of overt or deliberate copying. But there’s no doubt that themes and memes do flourish, mingle and mix in close proximity to each other.

The constant turnover of work in progress on various walls and whiteboards is like being exposed to some kind of giant, agency-wide notebook – full of scribbles, doodles, sketches, scamps and embryonic visual ideas. The sense of being in an inherently creative environment, the constant visual flow of new ideas, is tangible and infectious. Experiencing design challenges being solved has an irresistibly stimulating effect.

And so does the ongoing sense of still being at a party, as I continue to meet ‘new’ colleagues in person for the first time. Names, faces and roles are becoming more joined-up and familiar now after a full four weeks here; but there’s still a delightful sense of novelty and discovery about the gathering. The work on the walls is drives a new sense of creative possibility; new social opportunities are generated by the people.