Inside NAIL's New Providence Office, 94 Feet From Its Old Office

Transitioning from old to new can be a real challenge, especially if you’re only moving 94 feet. But these unruly times were a determined catalyst that drove our need for workplace evolution here at NAIL. The space we left wasn’t abandoned—many great memories remain with us in work samples and proud ideas that were birthed by our teams—but our need for a more hybrid work culture needed a smaller, more considered space.

Our agency tenets—stay curious, invest thoughtfully, prove creativity, and embrace growth—proved to be great inspiration for how to shape our new space and the art installations featured throughout.

Stay Curious led us to provide spaces for teams to explore new production techniques, to gather in groups, or to work quietly at a computer exploring what’s out there. This tenet is our largest installation in the form of a mural. It features two figures exploring in a garden of sorts. Everything looks as if it was cut out of paper, giving it a handmade quality that implies curiosity though creative exploration.

Invest Thoughtfully is captured by illustrating an incomplete complex structure. The shapes that form the structure are somewhat crude and geometric to represent traditional building blocks. We printed and framed this piece with an accompanying museum label titled “Invest Thoughtfully” to inflate the presence of the piece, speaking to the idea of investment in the form of high-end art.

Prove Creativity came to life with the idea that a creatively stimulating space feeds creative minds. The proof will be in our ability to continue to generate exceptional creative solutions for our clients. This tenet inspired us to take things to a utilitarian place. The words PROVE CREATIVITY were painted on a stamped metal sign, which we aged with rust to capture a look embodying hard work. The sign rests above our desks on a window sill, reminding us to continue to fight the good fight.

And finally, Embrace Growth was the trigger to make the investment in a bold new future for NAIL and our team. This final tenet is expressed through a living plant wall. We collected woodblock letters to accompany the plants in a diagonal stepped pattern that insinuates growth and upward momentum.