DeVol’s Creative Director Dishes on How to Get the Brand’s Covetable Old-New Look

Talati and Panthaky Associated, a long-standing and influential architecture and design firm in India, has undergone a significant transformation, now known as Talati and Partners LLP. This change in nomenclature marks a new chapter for the firm, with siblings Ria and Xerxes Talati, children of founder Noshir Talati, taking the reins alongside a robust team of partners and associate partners. This strategic shift has generated considerable interest regarding the future direction of the firm, which has been a cornerstone of Indian architecture for over 50 years. Ria and Xerxes Talati express their commitment to upholding the core principles established by their father and his partners: intelligent functionality and elegant, fuss-free design. However, they aim to infuse these foundational values with a fresh vigor and contemporary perspective, reflecting a more modern approach. The new leadership brings in younger talent, signaling a dynamic evolution while maintaining the firm's legacy of excellence. The transition involved older partners moving on, a natural progression that was part of a pre-established contingency plan for Noshir Talati's eventual step down from active leadership. Noshir Talati initiated this contingency plan when he fell ill the previous year, leading Xerxes to implement the planned management restructuring. The firm, which once comprised 300 employees, capitalized on the opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. This period allowed the new leadership to streamline operations and re-evaluate the organizational structure, ensuring efficiency and adaptability in a changing world. Despite the global challenges, the firm's workflow has not only been maintained but has also increased, with a diverse portfolio of ongoing projects. Notable current projects include the design of India’s largest zoo in Jamnagar, commissioned by Anant Ambani, and the new Essar office building in Mumbai. Even with the change in management, Noshir Talati continues to contribute his design expertise, albeit at a more measured pace. He finds renewed enthusiasm in the resumption of work on his long-term dream project, the Palais Royale in Central Mumbai. This ambitious residential tower, a decade in the making, is significant for being the first in India to seek LEEDS certification, highlighting a commitment to sustainable design. The Talati siblings hold their father in high regard, acknowledging his impactful journey from selling pencils and sweets to establishing a pioneering design firm. They emphasize his role in professionalizing interior design in India and creating countless job opportunities for artisans such as carpenters, painters, and stone masons. The firm takes immense pride in witnessing the success of the grandchildren of those artisans, who now lead their own contracting companies. The fundamental ethos of the firm, emphasizing respect, humaneness, and empathy, remains unwavering, regardless of the ongoing changes and modern adaptations. #ArchitecturalFirm #IndianArchitecture #DesignLegacy #BusinessRestructuring #LeadershipTransition #InteriorDesign #SustainableDesign #NoshirTalati #MumbaiProjects

The digital landscape is rapidly evolving, with artificial intelligence (AI) emerging as a transformative force across various industries. For chief experience officers (CXOs), this presents both a challenge and an opportunity to redefine traditional marketing and communication strategies. Organizations often struggle with change due to ingrained habits and legacy processes, leading to resistance and a preference for established, albeit outdated, methods. This inertia can hinder innovation and prevent businesses from fully leveraging new technologies. However, AI offers a pathway to overcome these hurdles by fundamentally rewriting how businesses operate, communicate, and connect with their audiences. Successfully integrating AI into marketing and communications requires more than just adopting new tools; it demands a complete reimagination of existing workflows. Traditional methods, designed for human speed and prone to bias and fatigue, are inadequate in an AI-driven environment. Instead, businesses must focus on rewiring their information engines and governance processes to ensure that AI is fueled by accurate and relevant data. This strategic shift transforms AI from merely a tool into an enabler for profound organizational change. Several key areas within marketing and communications can be reshaped by AI. Firstly, change management can evolve into 'change intelligence.' Rather than relying on static plans, AI can monitor real-time engagement and adapt communication strategies dynamically. By identifying points of resistance, AI can facilitate immediate adjustments, such as deploying chatbots to answer questions, thereby creating a more responsive and valuable feedback loop. This transitions campaigns from reactive to proactive, enhancing their effectiveness. Secondly, internal communications can shift towards 'conversational engagement.' AI enables two-way dialogues, personalizing content based on individual roles, behaviors, and sentiments. This moves beyond mass announcements to foster strategic, ongoing conversations that resonate more deeply with employees, replacing fragmented messages with a more cohesive and interactive approach. Thirdly, customer segmentation can be replaced by 'predictive personas.' Traditional demographic data offers a limited view of customers. AI, however, can build evolving personas based on real-time intent and behavior, continuously refining its understanding with every click, search, and scroll. This allows for highly targeted, intent-based marketing that is significantly more effective. Fourthly, campaign optimization can become 'autonomous orchestration.' Instead of time-consuming A/B testing, AI can dynamically reallocate marketing spend, instantly scaling successful strategies. This transforms campaigns into self-driving vehicles where marketers define the objectives, and AI optimizes the journey. Finally, employee enablement can be enhanced through 'AI-augmented productivity.' AI agents can function as digital knowledge workers, providing valuable insights, automating routine tasks, and offering troubleshooting suggestions. This reduces friction, frees up human capital, and unleashes team creativity, leading to a more productive and engaged workforce. To foster a culture of change necessary for AI integration, leaders must demonstrate vision, grit, and courage. Practical steps include starting small with pilot programs, such as deploying an AI chatbot for FAQs during a product launch. Focusing on personalization, AI tools can tailor employee-centric strategies, delivering communications and training specific to diverse workforce needs. A commitment to continuous iteration is also crucial; AI thrives on feedback loops, requiring real-time insights to refine approaches and learn from mistakes, ensuring relevance and impact as strategies scale. Embracing AI as a rewiring approach is essential for leaders to drive innovation, uphold brand promises, enhance customer experience, and ensure market agility. #ArtificialIntelligence #Marketing #Communications #ChangeManagement #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #CustomerEngagement #EmployeeProductivity #Leadership

The latest lighting collection, a collaboration between HGTV veteran Leanne Ford and Target's in-house home brand Project62, has garnered significant attention from interior designers, stylists, DIY bloggers, and photographers. Leanne Ford is recognized for her ability to select unique lighting, evidenced in her previous projects and her personal farmhouse. The collection features wallet-friendly options such as woven floor lamps, metal dome pendants, and industrial brass sconces, offering a diverse range of styles. The article showcases ten ways professionals have integrated these fixtures into their designs, providing practical styling lessons. For instance, San Diego interior designer Michelle Janeen utilizes a metal dome floor lamp in a reading nook. The incorporation of a matte black fixture alongside whitewashed brick, warm wood, and a jute rug demonstrates how mixing materials can make industrial pieces feel less austere and more inviting. DIY enthusiast Megan Schlachtenhaufen's Wisconsin farmhouse illustrates how varied design styles—boho, mid-century, and contemporary—can coexist harmoniously by mimicking design concepts throughout the space. The same floor lamp used by Janeen adopts a contemporary tone in Schlachtenhaufen's living room due to a complementary chandelier. Latisha Carlson's Albuquerque dining room features Ford's natural woven pendant light, which seamlessly integrates with wishbone chairs and a live-edge wood table. This example highlights the effectiveness of a unified textural scheme to achieve design cohesion. Victoria Smith from SF Girl by Bay demonstrates how a perforated floor lamp creates a moody glow in a bedroom, elevating the surrounding art and furniture and defining a distinct lounge area. In Jen Streeter’s Indiana home, a basket light in a living room with string lights, a swing chair, and a disco ball showcases how a white painted light fixture can create a focal point against older architectural details like wood ceiling beams. Photographer Paige Jones highlights a basket fixture in her minimalist dining room, allowing its silhouette to be the central element. This approach suggests that incorporating natural wovens and smooth-edged silhouettes can offer a fresh take on classic trends like shiplap. Designer Brady Tolbert uses a black metal dome table lamp to accentuate soulful objects in his bedroom, such as a Pierre Jeanneret chair and a gallery wall, proving that affordability in design can coexist with high-end pieces. Kaylee Sossamon's Parisian chic entry features a two-toned wall mellowed by abstract prints and woven accents, demonstrating how pairing art and lighting on a console table can create a curated and welcoming foyer. SoCal interior designer Carol Estes achieves a beachy-vintage aesthetic in her hallway with a woven lamp on a washed wood console, with an oblong shape contributing to a casual, California-cool vibe. Lastly, Toronto-based realtor Audrey Larter pairs a coastal-cool floor lamp with a Hans Wegner Flag chair in a Scandinavian-inspired living room, illustrating that environmental context does not need to dictate design aesthetic. #LeanneFord #TargetCollaboration #HomeLighting #InteriorDesign #DesignTrends #HomeDecor #StylingTips #AffordableDesign #Project62

Shama Hyder, founder and CEO of Marketing Zen, and Jared Skinner, an award-winning architect, have launched MADE (Marketing, Architecture, Development & Education), an architectural design firm focused on integrating branding into physical spaces. This collaboration stems from Hyder's belief in the expanding field of marketing to encompass physical experiences, aligning with Skinner's contemporary approach to design. Their goal is to revolutionize how people interact with brick-and-mortar locations and workspaces by emphasizing user experience and brand reinforcement. The co-founders contend that while some foresee the decline of physical retail, there will always be a demand for stores that offer unique experiences. They cite Nordstrom as an example, where customers can receive personalized styling and services while their online orders are delivered, transforming the store into an experiential hub rather than just a point of sale. This philosophy underpins MADE’s approach: to make physical spaces engaging and memorable, giving consumers a compelling reason to visit beyond mere product acquisition. Hyder draws parallels between the early skepticism she faced when launching her social media marketing agency and the current reactions to MADE. She argues that businesses must innovate rapidly to avoid obsolescence, highlighting the failure of Toys"R"Us due to its inability to adapt to e-commerce and create experiential stores like American Girl or Lego. She stresses that in today’s market, selling a product is secondary to selling an experience, and physical spaces must evolve to compete with online convenience. Skinner elaborates on MADE’s process, which begins with in-depth questioning to understand a client's brand and customer touchpoints. Unlike traditional retail rebranding efforts that merely rearrange layouts, MADE aims to restructure the entire user experience. This involves considering multisensory elements such as smell, touch, and presentation, ensuring that every detail reinforces the brand identity. The objective is to create bespoke, tailored environments that resonate deeply with customers. For Hyder, effective design, much like effective marketing, starts with understanding the client's core objectives. Whether it's driving app sign-ups through brand activation, creating a community-focused coffee shop, or designing a corporate headquarters that inspires productivity and excitement, MADE's approach is client-centric. They prioritize discovering client needs before embarking on design, ensuring that the physical space serves strategic business goals rather than just aesthetic ones. Both Hyder and Skinner emphasize the importance of designing for younger generations, particularly Millennials and Gen Z. They note that despite popular misconceptions, these demographics still value physical spaces but expect them to be seamlessly integrated with technology and offer immersive, interactive experiences. MADE designs spaces where technology isn't an afterthought but an intrinsic part of the environment, accommodating constant connectivity and the desire for shareable, "Instagrammable" moments. In terms of workspace design, MADE moves beyond conventional layouts and cubicles, advocating for open, collaborative environments that foster creativity and communication. Skinner highlights innovative solutions like Idea Paint, which transforms walls into whiteboards, promoting spontaneous interaction. They acknowledge that while tech integration is important, the core focus is on fostering a sense of community and ownership among employees, drawing inspiration from companies like Google and Facebook that have redefined the workplace as a vibrant ecosystem rather than just an office. MADE offers a comprehensive, "one-stop shop" service, managing projects from schematic design through construction, development, and marketing. They believe that infusing marketing into architectural design will become a necessity in the competitive landscape, much like social media marketing evolved from a "nice-to-have" to a "must-have." Hyder points to Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods as evidence of the growing recognition of the value of physical presence and foot traffic in an increasingly digital world, asserting that consumer expectations for engaging physical experiences will continue to rise. While specific current projects remain confidential due to their innovative nature, MADE is positioning its clients to be pioneers in this evolving design paradigm. #ArchitecturalDesign #MarketingStrategy #PhysicalSpaces #RetailInnovation #CustomerExperience #WorkspaceDesign #MillennialTrends #GenZConsumers #BrandReinforcement