3M is the brand we all know, use, and love. From Post-it Notes, Command Strips, and Scotch Tape, 3M is a leader in making our lives easier and complete in every aspect. Today we are taking an inside look at their newest design center based in St. Paul Minnesota. We had the pleasure to ask 3M’s Chief Design Officer, Eric Quint a few questions regarding this new design center, 3M’s philosophy, and what we can expect from the future of this established and well-known brand.
The Dieline: What is 3M’s design philosophy? How did this philosophy inspire the new Design Center?
Eric Quint: At 3M, we apply science to life in creative ways, with design as an integral function to deliver high-value, meaningful solutions for people. 3M Design helps to inspire a culture that never stops inventing, translating insights into solutions that positively impact our business, our customers and our world every day. Building on the fundamental belief that design inspires design, the 3M Design team has worked diligently to bring creativity to life. We aim to foster a collaborative creative work environment which is why the new 3M Design Center offers a hybrid layout that fuses the privacy of single creative cocoons with collaborative functionality of communal spaces for spontaneous interaction and dialogue.
The Dieine: The interior spaces at the 3M Design Center truly foster a unique design element. Can you tell us more about the materials in each space, cultural inspiration, and unique features?
Eric Quint: 3M materials and solutions are incorporated organically throughout the 3M Design Center (including architectural films, adhesives, light-reflecting technologies, sealants and coatings – and of course, plenty of Post-it Notes). In addition, much of the inspiration comes from different parts of the world. For example, the “Design Hive” space, a kind of amphitheater, was inspired by a typical Mediterranean village where people meet in the shade under the big tree on the market square. The Design Hive offers a place for our designers to meet and talk about innovation, brand experience, technology and share their everyday design challenges.
Another unique feature of the Design Center is our creative cabins, which were inspired and designed by our design team. We have three different versions that are all inspired by the cabin life in Minnesota, made from reclaimed wood, with a front and back made of glass so that collaboration is always seen and celebrated in a way.
In order to connect with local culture we invited graffiti artists to create a mural on one of the concrete walls in the Design Center, representing multiple graffiti styles to visualize creativity, design and collaboration. Another concrete wall exhibits a great collection of posters highlighting Minnesota inventions to honor the entrepreneurial and inventive heritage going a decade back in time that is a foundation to our location.
The Design Center also incorporates energy-efficient climate control, lighting systems and recycled materials, cultivating an ecofriendly and thoughtful environment. The 3M Design Center elevates the importance of sustainable materials, incorporating a range of solutions including furniture made from local reclaimed barn wood, tables made from re-used scaffold boards, smart, adaptive LED lighting solutions (32% energy savings), and a chilled beam HVAC system projects with 60% energy savings. This is in line with the company’s drive to create a better world by sustainability and a resourceful mindset.
