Capturing our team’s vibrant culture

Collaborating with my colleagues, I created a hand-illustrated mural that reflects Vanderlande’s values and culture. This fun design extends across one long wall at the new office and has injected a dynamic atmosphere into our workspace.

It was a huge endeavour for me. At first, I was overwhelmed with the many possibilities for decorating the empty space. Taking account of different views from various stakeholders was also a big challenge. Finally, we assembled a small committee to help steer the creative process. After speaking with them, some suppliers and other artists, I had the lightbulb moment!

I literally put pencil to paper and created one visual element at a time, and even got some help from a colleague who is also an illustrator. We reviewed the concept as a team, adjusting the design as we went through the process. In addition, we sent out a survey to the employee group to collect the keywords we would use for inspiration – in that way we could personalise the mural as much as possible.

As well as work-related illustrations, such as a robot picker and an autonomous vehicle, the mural depicts items that are special to the team. For example, we really couldn’t leave out the coffee machine! In all, we produced more than 80 individual visual elements.

My colleagues are thriving in this stunning office, and I hope the mural genuinely captures our team’s vibrant culture. It was intended to serve as a lasting reminder of what sets our software development center apart and reinforces a sense of belonging for all.