our work | marquardt + gridwerk

Dîner en Blanc Official Chicago Launch

By: m+gwa

Aug 14 2012

The most sought after SECRET pop up dinner event is officially launching in Chicago on August 24th, with the help of Gridwerk Architecture’s James Wild and m+’s own Lauren Haras. We know it is a bit confusing with another event called Chicago in White happening close to our date, but rest assured that our event is the official Dîner en Blanc Chicago based on the original Paris event. Please read our Press Release for more information!

Dîner en Blanc and Dîner en Blanc International Inc. has grown to include 24 host cities globally. This year, Chicago is pleased to join these prestigious ranks by officially launching this celebrated event in affiliation with the original Dîner en Blanc International and will run in accordance with the high standards put forth by the Dîner en Blanc International Inc. trademark.

In true Dîner en Blanc style, participants will be asked to bring their own tables, chairs, food and drinks. As an added treat, world-renowned Chef Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia will be creating gourmet picnic baskets that may be purchased in advance for the event. In short, a group of 1,000 attendees will have a memorable evening in the heart of Chicago, relaxing with a glass of wine, friends, dinner, dancing and music!

CF Stinson Showroom

By: m+gwa

Aug 03 2012

interiors, our work

For NeoCon 2012, CF Stinson again hired marquardt+ to provide design updates to the Merchandise Mart showroom and apply their new brand logo to the space. In addition to being responsible for updating the product signage, designing new product line signage, and creating a new logo application on the glass storefront, m+ also designed a temporary display to promote the new Michael Graves collection. This included a mounted poster at the store front and a storage display for a Michael Graves designed poster that was both functional and elegant.

Additional 2012 work included a printed NeoCon invitation for their cocktail party and Michael Graves poster signing, digital invitation and digital reminder based on their new print advertising.

See the rest of the showroom at our website!

Photography by Jaysen Goranson

Chefs’ Night Out

By: m+gwa

Aug 01 2012

brand strategy, our work, things and stuff

marquardt+ was very excited to take part in this year’s Chefs’ Night Out, sponsored by CS Interiors. Each year, a number of restaurants and design firms are partnered to come up with a special food to present at the event. Tom met with Chef Jack Funderburg and his team from Prasino, and we decided to go for unabashed self promotion, and did a joint branding exercise, right down to the food design, as well as presentation.

Utilizing plexi squares we had in storage left over from a project, we laminated the backs in three tones of gold to green, hitting both our and Prasino’s brand colors and the tone in between. We also made square wood legs, based on the materiality of their restaurant.

We also utilized the concept of the image collage they have applied to their recessed booth seating, incorporating images of the m+ family and projects with their images of the Prasino family, restaurants and food. We layered this with a co-branded logo of marquardt+ Prasino to top off the total design/brand concept of this temporary installation within the Consentino Showroom at our assigned location.

The idea we developed and Chef Jack and team executed is a butter poached scallop with micro cilantro, nori wafer in a ponzu sauce. The presentation is a combination of both our logos: the wafer is the marquardt+ logo strike, and the scallop and micro cilantro is the logo “o”. The simple flat spoons provided style and easy enjoyment for our guests who didn’t have to juggle their drinks with plates or forks to devour our serving.

We didn’t win, but we did get rock star attention and a lot of happy and surprised faces when they experienced the food. We look forward to future collaboration with Prasino!

OAI, Inc Workforce Organization Poster 2011

By: m+gwa

Jul 23 2012

communication design, our work, print

OAI, Inc asked marquardt+ for help with a large-scale poster to be displayed at the national workforce organization conference. The posters at these events tend to be text-dense and not terribly lovely to look at, so they really wanted their poster to stand out. The goal for this poster was to showcase two worker training programs provided by OAI: one focusing on training minority workers and the other on training workers that must deal with hazardous waste.

See the rest at our website!

Atlas Chicago Showroom – NeoCon 2012

By: m+gwa

Jul 18 2012

interiors, our work

Time for another Atlas update! marquardt+ did the original design over 10 years ago, and we have been refreshing it every year since. As the space was built to be modular and shifting, we have been able to affect change without changing out the bones, saving both money and resources.

We also provide full accessorization and floral + plantings work if requested! Don Kimpling, our resident landscape architect, did these beautiful plantings for the NeoCon 2012 showroom.

See the rest of the showroom at our website, along with the plantings + floral!

Photography by Jaysen Goranson

HON Headquarters*

By: m+gwa

Jul 12 2012

architecture, environmental graphics, interiors, our work

marquardt+ was asked by HON to develop the direction and budgeting for renovation of their three floor, 68,000 sf headquarters in Muscatine, IA. We developed multiple bubble diagrams, adjacency studies, fit tests, as well as sweeping architectural moves and extensive environmental graphics. The most interesting challenge was creating a single space out of two adjacent buildings with different floor plates, joining them together with an entry lobby and circulation tower over what used to be an old railroad track.

In addition, we were also asked to to propose and budget price a new construction headquarters facility as an alternative to renovation of the existing buildings. The design team implemented a complete architectural design and space planning package and provided preliminary square foot construction estimates for a pre-fabricated “steel line” building, to be considered on a vacant lot HON had acquired in Muscatine, Iowa.

See more of the headquarters and core + shell at our website!

* work performed as Design Collaboratives

Okamura Showroom

By: m+gwa

Jul 10 2012

environmental graphics, interiors, our work

Okamura is Japan’s largest manufacturer of high end commercial furniture. As one of our newest clients, we were asked to revitalize and update their showroom, including creating large scale environmental graphics, custom product art, and a lighting overhaul to LED fixtures. If you weren’t able to make it to the space, here’s a taste!