TikTok
AUSTIN, TX
After two years of subleasing office space in Austin, TikTok began a four-floor construction project to put down firmer roots in this eclectic riverfront city. Forcade was tasked with creatively and authentically merging the well-known vibe of Austin with the world-famous TikTok brand throughout the interior of the new space.
The office is located on the beautiful Colorado River and our team was brought into the project after the architect already commenced a water theme within the space. To magnify the brand and develop the essence of what TikTok is we developed a “Life Through the Lens” narrative. Leaning into this idea, we dynamically wove the never-ending energy of water into the always-moving energy of TikTokers on each of the four floors. Our goal was to reimagine the space as a reflection of the TikTok community.
To reinforce that sense of familiar community felt wherever you are on the platform, we did the same thing in the office. Each floor features a similar layout, where employees and visitors experience unique but commonly themed design elements in the same highly visible places. But like TikTok, we also added a moment of pure discoverability into the space, reserving one wall on each floor for something surprising and unique.
As you step off each elevator, you immediately step into the TikTok Austin experience. Topographic floor graphics represent the actual depths of the Colorado River in front of the office while also hinting at the dynamic depths of TikTok itself. It’s an energetic experience that actively guides people into the space.
While seemingly simple, our design team faced a formidable challenge with these floor applications. The client required the designs to maintain their graphic integrity for at least 10 years. After testing several different vinyl materials, masking and overlays, our team settled on staining the graphics into the concrete, which provides a seamlessly integrated look, and the longevity needed on these heavily trafficked floors.
Like the ripples on the river outside the office, there are ripples on TikTok, where a single voice can flow across the entire world. To creatively capture this feeling of continuous movement, we designed ripple wall graphics on each side of the elevator lobbies. One side features the TikTok logo and the other the logo of their parent company, ByteDance. It’s a brilliant way to beautifully introduce the brand the moment people step off the elevator, giving them a sense of place and community at the same time.
We used high-density urethane foam to create dimensional depths on the large graphics. The unique undulating texture was formed from different layers of three-dimensional maps, connecting to the ripple idea and the topographic floor graphics that lead to these logo walls. Our team slightly varied the colors from floor to floor to maintain a sense of familiarity while also fostering a feeling of individuality.
Each floor contains a space for staff to break from the high energy of their day-to-day duties. Purposefully located on the edge of the building and overlooking the river, these spaces encourage moments of relaxation. To reinforce this sense of respite, our team installed willow tree sculptures that provide the sensation of sitting in the shade on the edge of the water.
The foundation of each tree is the same beautiful, dimensional floor-to-ceiling silhouette of a trunk and branches. Fronds hanging from the ceiling were designed to be unique on each floor, giving employees the opportunity to relax under different spots throughout the day. For example, some fronds are shades of green felt mimicking the greenery on the waterfront while others are blue denim to connect to the heritage of Texas cowboys. All are 3D-printed as a nod to Austin being the birthplace of 3D-printing technology.
Our team designed a large mural inspired by Austin’s many local artists to bring a pop of color into the muted palette of the central work areas on each floor. Continuing the water-based theme of the design system, the mural features a watercolor sunset scene of Austin’s famous bats that fly out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge every evening from spring to late fall.
We also added hidden moments of discoverability to each floor’s mural. Different TikTok brand statements were applied on the murals in spot gloss, becoming visible only when the light catches the scene at a certain angle. This provides each floor with a unique and surprising experience as people walk alongside these giant murals that all curve around two long walls.
While all the other design elements are common on each floor with only hints of distinctiveness, our “Collections Walls” are completely unique. These highly visible, engaging wall spaces serve as the main identifier for the individual floors.
Our first collection features shredded, colorful beach towels that were reconstructed into layered brand sculptures. Before literally ripping them up, we first crafted custom towels that each feature a TikTok-related visual element and brand statement, or imagery connected to the vibrancy of Austin. When we put the shreds back together, mixing and matching the original towels, it resulted in a beautiful assortment of TikTok and Austin experiences.
The second collection is a large grid of small prismatic squares connected to one another. We adhered color-shifting dichroic film to the back of each square to give a sense of constant change as you move around the installation. We designed this mesmerizing and memorable effect to relate to how TikTok’s algorithm is constantly bringing different communities together. We also mixed in several series of opaque squares that feature direct-print iconographic tutorials how to do the famous dances that made TikTok the most popular social platform on the planet.
Our third collection is a giant wall of colorful links that bring the TikTok logo to life in a hyper-dynamic way. We used resin-cast, semi-transparent links to create striking columns of color. The installation is also purposefully designed to move and sway, providing an artistic representation of the ever-evolving, beautiful connections people make on TikTok.
The final collection is a free-form paddleboard wall inspired by life on the water in Austin. Each paddleboard is unique, made of different shapes, depths and materials, with some featuring the TikTok logo and others including brand statements. This installation represents a summer floatilla, where people from all over come together for a day of fun and feeling of community, which perfectly reflects the sense of spending time on TikTok.
Bringing two well-known and loved entities, the city of Austin and TikTok, together into a single office experience required the Forcade team to develop a highly custom and creative design system. The result is a visually stimulating and inspiring environment that reflects the dynamic way that both this place and platform are famous for bringing people together.
