Abstract Art as Inspo
Sean Magee, Brand Strategy:
Susan Radzyminski, the CMO of BST & Co, reached out to Trampoline after we worked together on the successful branding project to represent the merger of Albany Med and three other hospitals in the Capital Region.
BST is an accounting, business advisory, and management consulting firm that had just invested in new, flexible office space for their team of number crunchers and strategists. From an interior design standpoint, the carpets, walls, and furnishings had been selected with an eye to brand by Cresa, but beyond that, the office was a blank canvas, and the team at BST was in search of options and ideas on how to fill the walls with artwork.
After consulting with stakeholders, Trampoline took BST’s desire to be bold and unique into the concept stage, and took the existing space into account as well. A series of conference rooms were named for regional lakes and Adirondack High Peaks.
Our first concept centered around destination posters, informed by the named spaces in the office. Post-war travel artwork from the likes of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad, Pan Am Airlines and the National Park Service.
Post-war destination travel posters
Our second option, a more traditional approach, was to feature the art of the Hudson River School painters. Masters from the mid 1800s like Thomas Cole, Jasper Francis Cropsey, and Susie M. Barstow whose landscapes represented the beauty of the entire region.
Hudson River School landscapes
Concept three, the outlier, featured the abstract art of a specific painter, Jason Thomas Wolfe, a college friend of mine, and a talented artist, working in oil and collage with dynamic brushstrokes, textures and an undeniable attitude. BST said they were bold, and this approach was so risky that it took the creativity out of the agency’s hands, and instead became a commission.
The work of abstract artist Jason Thomas Wolfe
We had been rowers and roommates, Wolfe and I had competed together in the Head of the Charles Regatta and dozens of other races. But our days on the Crew were 25 years in the rear-view. I didn’t know if Jason would agree to a commission. Or, if he even worked that way. I had just admired his painting from my Instagram feed, and found myself as impressed as I always was with his ability.
1998 Head of the Charles Regatta, near Harvard Bridge
He was up for it, and agreed to meet with the stakeholders at BST, and work with color considerations that would reinforce the brand. He then created four incredible works on canvas—unique, dymamic and perfectly representative of the BST stated goal to be bold.
Installation at BST
Oliver DeRosier, Art Direction:
To frame up the approach behind our uniquely illustrated poster series, it’s best to start with the source of the inspiration: abstract art. Particularly, the phenomenal abstract pieces created by Jason Wolfe. Commissioned by BST as part of this larger scope of work, Jason created a series of canvas artworks full of vibrancy, motion, and texture. As wonderful as these paintings are, the BST office space would need more to populate the many blank walls of its palatial corporate space.
The meeting rooms within BST are all named after well-known natural landmarks in the greater Adirondack region, and our client requested that we create a series of pieces to tie closely to these rooms. What started as a discussion about poster art in the style of vintage destination illustrations paused at an important question: how do they live next to abstract paintings and work in unison? Surely every piece of wall art in the office space would have its own subject matter and personality, but everything also needed cohesion, and it had to be carefully planned.
That is where the process hit a turning point, and a unique solution was proposed: what if these digitally created illustrations weren’t crafted as one might expect, but rather in an unconventional style that communicated the brush strokes, colors, and organic process of Jason’s paintings?
It was a step into uncharted territory, but we moved forward with intention and process.
Draft sketches of Whiteface illustrations
Starting with a general concept built around organically drawn shapes and large fields of color, we began to frame up what these illustrations might look like. With the renderings of objects being kept simple, there was room to incorporate the rich textures and brush strokes from the abstract paintings. These additions would, after being thoughtfully worked into the compositions, bring the scenes to life with shadows, highlights, and a unique sense of depth.
The Whiteface series
Our team pulled from a toolkit of elements and colors that we derived from the abstract compositions, and created a system of illustrations that made a clean connection to the paintings they would live near.
High Peaks draft sketches
The High Peaks
Long and even brush strokes would define the water at sunset on Saratoga Lake. Sharp gestures would communicate the rock ledges atop Whiteface Mountain. Dragging fibers would frame up a dramatic sky over Cascade. Through consistency and process it all came together, and once on the BST walls, worked hand-in-hand with their abstract counterparts to breathe new life into the space.
Saranac Lake
One of Jason’s works is titled In the Stillness. After seeing everything hung within the huge office space, it seemed that these pieces might serve to do just that – create a brief departure into stillness, where one can peacefully sit and recharge by an Adirondack lake, a headwater stream, or an inspiring mountain summit.
Sacandaga Lake
Susan Radzymiński, BST&Co. CMO:
“After moving into our beautiful new space, we had the challenge and opportunity to fill many large blank walls and to create custom artwork reflecting our visual brand and our firm personality. Our colors are warm and bold, and we wanted our art to support our complement our office design and celebrate our culture.”
”When you walk into our office, the artwork immediately welcomes you and makes an unexpected statement about BST. The artwork confirms to our staff, clients and visitors, that we are confident, optimistic, progressive and committed to our community.”
”The team at Trampoline are creative and collaborative. They took the time to know BST, our people, and our goals for the space we created. They helped push us out of our comfort zone to achieve a better solution.”
Signed canvas 'The Sky Meets'