● Case Study
Instacart
Employee Appreciation and Nasdaq Celebration ActivationTo celebrate Instacart becoming a Nasdaq-listed company, the brand hosted a large-scale employee appreciation event at its headquarters. The goal was to transform the office into a series of immersive, interactive experiences that employees could explore, enjoy, and share.
I served as the sole designer on a contracted creative team, responsible for translating the concept into fully realized experiential builds across six floors of Instacart’s HQ.
Role: Experiential design lead
Scope: Environmental design, fabrication documentation, vendor coordination, large-format print production
Scale: 15 unique builds across 6 floors
● Case Study
The primary goal of the activation was employee appreciation and engagement. Instacart wanted employees to feel celebrated and to experience their workplace in a completely new way.
A key component of the brief was social shareability. The installations needed to be visually striking, interactive, and unmistakably on brand so employees would naturally document and share the experience, reinforcing brand pride and recognition.
A recurring theme throughout the activation was abundance and delight, expressed through food, florals, drinks, and playful interactive moments.
The Objective
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This project came with several layers of complexity:
Extremely strict brand guidelines, as content would be widely shared on social media
A tight four-week timeline from concept to installation
Large physical scale, with 15 fully unique builds
Overnight installation, requiring flawless execution
Remote collaboration, as I was not located in the same city as the event or my team
The Objective
I was the sole designer responsible for carrying the project from concept through fabrication. I collaborated closely with my manager and the event planning company hired by Instacart to bring the vision to life.
As timelines tightened, I transitioned into more direct communication with vendors and the event team to maintain speed and accuracy. This required extensive organization, detailed documentation, and constant coordination across multiple workstreams.
My Role
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While Instacart’s brand guidelines were strict, there was creative freedom within the individual activations once the overarching concept was approved.
Each build was designed to feel unique and immersive while remaining clearly connected through brand colors, typography, and tone. The goal was variety without visual fragmentation.
Activations ranged from fully immersive environments to large-scale interactive installations, including:
A transformed break room styled as a Parisian café with custom facades
Ten-foot-tall photo moments, including a swing installation
A mini grocery store stocked with branded snacks, featuring custom-designed labels
Interactive elements where employees could draw, write, and participate
All builds were completely unique, yet unified through consistent brand execution.
Design Approach
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I created all technical documentation required to bring the designs into the physical world, including:
Print specifications
Cut files
Installation guides
Elevations and renderings
My background in large-format printing and signage played a critical role in this project. I have a deep understanding of how designs scale from screen to physical space, which materials are appropriate for different applications, and how to set up files correctly for fabrication.
This knowledge allowed me to communicate effectively with fabricators, anticipate production issues, and ensure accuracy under tight deadlines.
Fabrication and Production
Gallery
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I worked with four vendors to execute the builds, coordinating vinyl design and production, large-format printing, installation instructions and sequencing, direct client communication for design feedback and approvals.
Clear documentation and proactive communication were essential to keeping production on schedule.
Vendor Coordination
All installations took place overnight. The goal was for employees to arrive at work the next morning to find their office completely transformed.
This required precise planning and confidence that all files, materials, and instructions were correct before fabrication began.
Installation
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The activation was a major success. Employees engaged heavily with the installations throughout the day, and social sharing exceeded expectations.
Before receiving final photography, I was able to see the impact of the work through Instacart-tagged posts on Instagram, where employees shared photos and videos from across the building.
Although the installations were only up for one day, the success of the project led to repeat work with the event company on future activations for brands including Babylist.