I Wish I Worked There!: A Look Inside the Most Creative Spaces in Business [Hardcover]

Kursty Groves (Author), Will Knight (Author), Edward Denison (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0470713836 | ISBN-13: 978-0470713839 | Edition: 1

Revealing some of the world's most inspiring workplaces, I Wish I Worked There! investigates the way 20 famous brands have put innovation at the heart of their culture. Photographs and illustrations detail the way in which companies accommodate creative activity through spaces that: stimulate, enable reflection, promote collaboration and encourage play. Easy-to-adopt principles assist the design, creation or selection of spaces that support creative endeavour. Never before has a title looked specifically at how the working environment fosters the flow of ideas from both practical and emotional perspectives – with business results.

• Each case study is extensively illustrated with new photography by Edward Denison and diagrams by Will Knight that detail activity.

• Behind-the-scenes interviews reveal insights that show what makes a space really work, while business metrics evidence the birth of ideas, breakthroughs and successes.

• Includes foreword by Ivy Ross, Executive Vice President of marketing for The Gap Brand at Gap, Inc.

Featured companies:

Aardman Animations, Ltd * Bloomberg LLC * DreamWorks Animation * Dyson * Electronic Arts * Google Inc * Hasbro * Innocent Drinks * Johnson & Johnson * The LEGO Group * Nike Inc * Oakley * Philips Design * Procter & Gamble * Sony Design * Sony Music * T-Mobile * Urban Outfitters * Virgin * Walt Disney Imagineering

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Full colour pictures and detailed case studies provide a valuable insight into the most innovative companies…" (In Design, May 2010).

"For the past year, Groves has been travelling the offices of some of the most successful companies in the world. As well as showcasing some envy-inducing workplaces, the book explores the relationship between the working environment and corporate productivity. Groves' book concludes that providing a stimulating environment filled with extensive leisure facilities and areas for relaxation is key to creating a more profitable business." (The Independent, April 24, 2010)

About the Author

Kursty Groves is a design & innovation consultant, presenter and co-founder of Headspace, a consultancy specialising in sourcing, designing and managing creative spaces for business. Whilst researching this book, Kursty learned that even the most creative organisations still need to go off-site for inspiration and has since launched the creative venue finder www.spacehopper.com. Kursty has also taken her experience to a wider audience through broadcasting. Her television credits include: BBC's That's Genius!, Young Foresight, Teachers' TV and Channel Four's Design Challenge.

Will Knight is a freelance designer and illustrator, whose rich experience ranges from product development of new telecoms devices to character design and storyboarding for animation. His clients include global brands, leading advertising and media agencies, design consultancies, animation and film studios. Will is also the founder of Brew, a London- and New York-based creative collective.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470713836
• ISBN-13: 978-0470713839
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.8 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #412,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kursty Groves is a Design & Innovation Consultant, author and presenter living between New York and London.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired & Inspiring! May 13, 2010

By Mark

Format:Hardcover

AWESOME, AMAZING, MESMERIZING BOOK! That's no hype. This book OVERdelivers on the promise to show you workplaces you'd die to work in.

I brought it home and before I could spend any time with it, my 8 & 10 year old kids saw it and looked through it cover to cover. I kept hearing them say stuff like "Wow, that's SO COOL!" and "I wish that was MY room."

I'm afraid to take it back to work. As cool as our office already is, I'm afraid my staff will start to say things like "Ooooh, we need to do THAT in our office."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for your collection April 7, 2010

By D. Malcolm

Format:Hardcover

This is a book which you can see just from an initial flick through has had a huge amount of care and time put into it. It's a pretty remarkable collection of environments which, to be honest, almost everyone would want to see the inside of, never mind 'design folk'. Being able to gain access to all of these must have been a monumental feat. Thouroughly recommend it to all design based companies in search of inspiration for their 'next' environment and also to companies outside of the design space to see what they could do to inspire their staff to be more productive and comfortable without having to resort to artificial goal setting and bonuses.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I Really2 wanna work there...! September 16, 2010

By Lezly

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book it's pretty good and big...! The content is also rich and got a lot of motivational stuffs inside. This is because they give a lot of pictures in it. Thank you for the author for this book. I appreciate it really much...! Pretty much helping to increase my efforts of working..

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I really do wish I worked there April 7, 2010

By A. Dunselman

Format:Hardcover

Inspiring book about the creative industry in large companies. I Wish I Worked there gives a beautifully presented inside look at the design groups within companies - sometime which can take you by surprise. Gives inspiration both on interiors as well as creativity in business. I would recommend the book to design organizations, those who are looking to make their environment more atuned to inspriring creativity, as well as those who are just curious about the kooky creative cousins in business.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Looking inside Google's buildings December 13, 2012

By Engineer/ Martial Artist

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you want to know what unique things leading edge companies are doing in terms of design to motivate the new up and coming work generation. This is a great book for that. Shows leading edge design ideas in furniture, paint, colors and overall design.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a great resource for HR March 7, 2012

By Rising-Top

Format:Hardcover

Thanks to the author that provides us such an exclusive perspective all around the angle of workspace. I always wonder how was it like in the office of Google and other leading companies. This is so much for me as a think tank to create more HR work,to building a happy workplace.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Find Inspiration on Every Page! May 15, 2010

By Pamela Meyer

Format:Hardcover

I love this book! And here's why:

-- It is FILLED with incredible photos and inspiring images of innovative workplaces.
-- It is rich with insights and themes that are common to creative spaces.
-- It distinguishes between spaces for reflection, innovation, collaboration and play.
-- It proves there is no ONE way to create environments for high-engagement.
-- It provides inspiration for anyone in any organization/industry who wants to enhance their workplace to bring out the best in their people.

In short, Kursty Groves, in collaboration with Will Knight and photographs by Edward Denison, has written a provocative, inspiring and practical book. She has done the footwork and put on the miles so the rest of us don't have to. We can simply flip through the pages of this rich book to see what the best of the best are doing to attract, retain and inspire their employees.

By the end, you will have hundreds of ideas to transform your own workplace, regardless of your resources, into one that stretches your imagination and makes others "wish they worked there!"

Pamela Meyer
Author, From Workplace to Playspace: Innovating, Learning and Changing Through Dynamic Engagement