Industry News

GIPHY is the creative brains behind the GIFs that are shared by millions of social media users on a daily basis. Formed in 2013, the online platform now employs over 100 people who design and create the quirky animations.  When it moved to its new 12,000+ sq.ft. headquarters in Manhattan, it wanted to construct a creative environment that reflected its fun brand personality.

The renovated industrial space in the meat-packing district is organized in zones, with GIPHY Park at the heart. The tightly packed work stations in the park flank a central, empty communal space used for company meetings, presentations and even celebrity performances. GIPHY Café features a coffee bar, employee breakout space and dining area. And GIPHY Basement is a collaborative meeting and gaming area.

Ventresca Design was hired to develop a lighting strategy that would not only complement the brand but help to create and distinguish the three different zones.

“It’s always a fun challenge when you have an office environment where casual, communal spaces merge with more traditional working areas.  It’s an opportunity to have a little fun and we look to distinguish each area with the appropriate lighting treatments to complement the intended task and desired mood,” said Chris Ventresca, principal at Ventresca Design.

The park has more general, ambient lighting for the workspaces, the café has a warmer hospitality feel, and the basement is accented with high contrast colorful lighting.

Ventresca said that GIPHY Park required overall illumination that was appropriate for a more traditional working area, but he also sought something that was more playful. The open-gridded ceiling was quite geometric in its design, so he chose fixtures that were “off-grid” in a way to break up that geometry. 

Eureka Lighting’s Switch luminaire fit the bill; a total of twenty-one were installed throughout the Park area. The black suspended fixtures are a perfect cross between functional and decorative. Each of the three arms conceals a high-performance custom-designed LED module that seems to float in its housing. Yet the Switch fixture provides efficient, fully diffused illumination to the workspaces below.

“Switch has dynamic arms that you can play with,” said Ventresca. “We were able to change the positions and angles to create something right above eye level that broke up the gridded ceiling.”

As well as providing usable light in which to work, the highly versatile Switch aesthetic works equally well in the more casual spaces of the office. The minimal, elegant design complements the lounge areas that break up the work stations, providing employees with a well-lit and comfortable space to meet or simply relax.

“Switch was a perfect selection for the GIPHY Park zone and this project – it really hit the target. And Eureka Lighting is a go-to manufacturer for us. We find they have many options when we are looking for interesting, decorative lighting,” said Ventresca.

The new GIPHY headquarters are truly a reflection of this colorful brand and its cutting-edge team. The bright, funky furniture, eclectic wall décor and dynamic lighting set the stage to inspire the bold creative minds within its walls.

GIPHY

Location: New York City

Lighting Designer:  Ventresca Design LLC

Completed:  2018

Photographer:  Ashok Sinha