The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a paradigm shift in the way we work. Both the look and culture of the office are transforming and although there are still some businesses holding out for a return to the old ways, others are exploring bold new workplace concepts.

As a communications agency specialising in the creative sector, Zetteler has been immersed in workspace design thinking for almost 10 years, from its early days as a small-scale PR outfit to its present-day stays as a multi-service communications agency.

Reflecting over the pandemic, the company realised two things: new, more flexible ways of working have become not only viable, but optimal; there are exciting possibilities beyond the old convention of a single office serving a single business.

Studio Rhonda’s design uses shifts in colour to break the space into distinctive zones. Photography by Taran Wilkhu.
Rather than, say, taking on workspace two or three days a week, Zetteler has seized the opportunity to create a brand new space to serve both its own team and its wider community of start-ups, charities, journalists and creatives.

Building upon years of championing design and architecture projects, Zetteler has co-created its first fully purpose-designed space in Hackney, East London, in collaboration with the interiors visionary Rhonda Drakeford of Darkroom.

From what was an empty industrial-style unit, Zetteler and Studio Rhonda have created a light, colourful, multi-zone workspace that is warm and inspiring to spend time in. They have created a space that eschews the traditional banks of workstations in favour of a versatile, multifunctional layout. The new office meets the post-pandemic needs of the Zetteler team and the creative community alike, providing space for client meetings, strategy-planning sessions, journalist events and workshops whenever they need it.
Designed for connection
Like many businesses in the wake of the pandemic, Zetteler has spent time rethinking its working environment and its needs as a team. The company swiftly adapted to remote working, operated continuously throughout lockdowns and was able to maintain productivity. However, they also found that working from home sacrificed the benefits of shared physical space when it came to deep-dive discussions, generating ideas together, and sparking those moments of unexpected inspiration that are essential to creative-sector businesses. The new office is designed to encourage precisely this, while freeing the team to work where and how best suits them.