SYNGENTA
Account Manager: Christine Fetting
Project Manager: Anjelica Garcia-Sanchez
Color Project Manager: Conor Harmon
Writer and Photography: Jon Davis
Design Firm: StagHill
Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world-class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries, we are working to transform how crops are grown.
“As a designer it was exactly how I envisioned the final product. We could not be happier. The responsiveness from everyone at Cushing, made us feel welcome & important.”
How did this project come to fruition? Syngenta wanted a complete environmental branding solution for their Global and North American Seeds business. Syngenta is the world #3 in seeds – including row crops, vegetables and flowers.The branding is a mix of decorative privacy film for office conference rooms, canvas prints, and wall decor for the new corporate office. There were two central objectives to the installation:
Keep reading for more information.
Original design concepts felt more appropriate for a corporate law office than agribusiness. Lesley Ferguson White is the Head of Global Communications at Syngenta Seeds and branding project lead:
“While I’m not an interior designer, this was a high stakes project: incredibly visible and it’s hard to know everything about branding construction.” Seeking ideas, and assistance to find the right vendor, she brought on StagHill to shift creative direction. “Syngenta customers are farmers. People who work with soil and seed. The installation had to communicate the right message.”
StagHill’s mood boards presented design concepts with energy and fresh perspective.
Imagine logistics for branding a new office: vetting vendors, internal brainstorms, earning consensus from peers – it can be overwhelming when local! Now push the planning overseas: researching new vendors and building trust happens through Skype calls, online reviews, and browsing website pages. How did Cushing enter the equation?
StagHill is a London-based creative communication agency which solves complex communication challenges. They love to see people and their businesses standout from the crowd, achieve their potential and be successful. They achieve this by creating communication solutions that excite, engage and inspire audiences. StagHill’s principals did their homework. A Google search for large format printing in Chicago gave them a good start and they landed on Cushing.
“We received good impressions from the Cushing website, which was head and shoulders above the rest we saw. The case studies were strong and comprehensive – it was easy to see Cushing had experience with vinyl canvases and the right production capabilities. Christine was awesome, replying within a half an hour. Others just never replied...”
Many Skype calls with Account Manager Christine Fetting and StagHill brought details together. Renderings were reviewed, scope was discussed, and objectives determined.
The interview for this customer spotlight was also completed over Zoom video conferencing!
Researching businesses across the pond, it’s challenging to determine a firm’s reputation, response times or ability to complete work.
“While not a complete unknown, it’s hard to gauge – we needed to know the vendor was hungry for the project, had the resources, and would respond,” says Michael Hirschl, StagHill Creative Director.
How did Cushing rise above the rest? From a positive online reputation to high-profile client portfolio, there was a track record.
“Responsiveness, friendliness and familiarity; it went beyond a sales pitch,” reflects StagHill’s Creative Director, Michael Hirschl. “Cushing made us feel welcome and important. Talking with Christine gave us confidence. Very quickly the team demonstrated our objectives could be achieved.”
The new direction struck the right balance of energy and vibrance. Concepts reflected Syngenta’s commitment to growers and their connection to earth and agriculture.
“Lesley did not want it to feel corporate. The space had to be contemporary and fit the retro furniture,” says Ian Brownhill, Communications Advisor at StagHill. “She was very keen on making Syngenta customers and team members feel appreciated without being over-the-top.”
At Cushing, each project oozes collaboration.
“It was an incredible partnership. When the effort is put in, it’s amazing what can be accomplished and I was really impressed with the teamwork,” says Lesley. “Once we established Cushing would take the project, relationships became a real positive: Cushing knew the site foreman, general contractor – their team had meetings and arranged everything. It was true project management.”
“Quite quickly the Cushing team flagged issues and worked through it as a team.” says Lesley. Some quote miscommunications were quickly squared away. File questions were addressed by Cushing Operator, Conor Harmon and team members. While space was in flux from the beginning – a characteristic of most projects – small issues were addressed. “Overall it was a really good experience.” says Lesley.
“I would not hesitate recommending Cushing to anyone who needs environmental branding or office graphics. When the effort is put in, it's amazing what can be accomplished. I was really impressed with the teamwork. It was an amazing partnership.”
A branded environment that is unique to Syngenta, their brand, and benchmark for future builds. As a result of the successful project at the Chicagoland offices, Cushing together with Staghill were engaged to provide branding solutions at their global R&D site in North Carolina.
A final thought on the installation? Lesley Ferguson White:
“I would not hesitate recommending Cushing to anyone who needs an environmental branding partner.”
Follow Us