M/W Kicks Off Steelcase Work

Martin/Williams spotlights the combination of form and function in Steelcase office furniture in the agency’s first campaign for the category leader.

“The message is about practicality of design,” explained Tom Kelly, creative director at the Minneapolis agency.

“They don’t design furniture with aesthetics as an end goal. They want the aesthetics to help people produce better work,” Kelly added.

The print campaign backs the Grand Rapids, Mich., company’s Emerge line of desks and Leap chair models. Each execution is meant to highlight a specific product attribute for customers with a close-up photograph.

With striking photos and catchy headlines, the campaign stresses that Steelcase furniture is the result of sophisticated design, Kelly said.

“They wanted to go beyond [Steelcase’s reputation for solid furniture] and say, ‘It’s not just furniture.