1. OUR
BRAND
BOOK

2. A brand is the positive image built around a
trademark. The value of a brand is derived
from the recognition of the name or logo, the
brand loyalty shown by customers, the feeling­
of quality­afforded by the brand, and the
perceptions­of the brand. A brand can be seen
as encapsulating the essence or identity of the
product or service.
From the media perspective, a brand
makes the product appealing and represents a
promise of quality. A successful and recognised
brand brings added value to the product and
enhances the identity of its users.
4
14
32
Our
brand values
Our new
brand identity
Our new
visual identity

3. 4
Our
brand
values

4. 6
The Martela company is a business. But much more than
that, it’s about people and interaction over generations;
about responsibilities that we all share over decades and
lifetimes.
We look further than the next quarter and the latest
trends. Martela’s corporate culture drives into the future
with equal respect to the environment and the past. What
make our business truly rewarding are long-lasting client
relationships and the real development we create for your
workplace.
You may be one of the Martela people, a partner,
supplier or client, but what makes the difference is the
lasting relations we share. That’s what we call the Martela­
family.
Family
business

5. 8 9
What is a good space? There is no single answer­.
It’s a story to be told.
Martela is dedicated to evolve this story, constantly.
We can always improve and people at work always
deserve­new solutions. A good environment cannot be
delivered with one product or idea. It is a result of chain of
choices, details and a holistic approach, where people are
taken into consideration­. It is about you, your work and to
open your mind.
That is why we take innovations seriously, and play
with creative ideas. That is why we are different, since we
materialize the opportunities you need. But most of all we
invite everyone to participate in the creation of new ideas.
Once you make it happen, you get the passion.
Passion
for
Inno­vations

6. 11
For us, each person makes
such a difference. Over the
years we have learned to listen,
understand and to co-create
with people. With our people,
our partners and suppliers,
we see decent, hardworking
people who only want to con-
centrate on their work and live
each moment to the fullest.
For us, design is the
bridge to both understand
people’s­needs and satisfy
them. To learn and solve. To
convey and deliver simplicity.
Martela surprises with solu-
tions that people really want,
but never had time to come up
with themselves. We call it user
driven design, and you are the
driver.
Nobody knows what they will want
next. But everyone will tell you
that they will not give up searching
for something better. Technology
dominates our lives, while our basic
human­nature stays the same.
All products and services pass,
in their lives, a line where the original
idea either comes true or does not.
It is like temperature, in which water
either flows or freezes into ice.
A small difference can make huge
rivers run.
User
Driven
Design

7. 12 13
To satisfy even the needs our customers do not tell us about,
we have had to develop not only good products, but also
excellent service. In Finland, it is the only way to win client
loyalty. Here reputation is what you really are.
Finnishness is in our hearts and company culture. It is
not about winning or being the best at any price; it is about
fulfilling promises and seeing projects through to successful
completion.
Finnish
Finland is an attitude. It is about the circumstances people
living here have to deal with: unpredictable nature, vastly
different seasons, and the fact that in a small country
every­one knows each other.
Martela’s success is rooted here. Since 1945 we
have introduced new ideas time after time for how to work
and designed offices that people want to work in. We have
matured along with Finland and grown with our clients.

8. 14 15
Martela is aiming to be the leading Finnish interior design­
brand. It is a bold vision­, but it brings the right kind of
energy­to our work.
One big step towards the vision is Martela’s brand
renewal. It gives the brand a new visual edge and a sharper
ideological profile. At the heart of the renewal is the brand
concept “Inspiring Spaces”, which is exactly what Martela­
offers to its customers – more than just products­and
services­. We create a concept and a philosophy­, wherein
a holistic approach to human space ensures all our clients’
needs are covered.
Our success depends on all of us. Together we can
drive this thinking forward in our everyday work and actions­;
empowering the future by Inspiring Spaces.
Our new
brand
identity

9. 16
Inspiring Spaces
Martela creates solutions to inspire people in
their work. For us, inspiration is a source of
energy that comes with us everywhere we go:
office, home, and while travelling. It is in these
spaces that you should be engaged and
encouraged to think, act, and meet. Inspiring
spaces is one of the most valuable resources,
bringing people together with common
challenges and dreams.
Any space that invites new and creative
ideas is what we call inspiring.
Any space, anyone,
and anything,
can be inspiring.

10. 18 19
Values are not passive, quite the contrary. Values
direct our everyday activities and choices, regardless if one is a designer, sales officer or
logistic manager. Values carry our activities forward, giving us a steady base so we can go
further, develop and be better.
So it is natural that our value statements should strongly influence our own work,
spaces and strategies. To deliver our products and services, we have developed an
inspiring­toolkit. It is there to use, and it is there to share. But most of all, it is a starting
point for further development. In each of our areas of expertise­, we are responsible for
clearly and understandably communicating the idea of inspirational spaces and showing
our partners, clients and associates how inspirational spaces applies to all of us.
Test it yourself, right now: if someone tried to sell you any kind of product, would
you not like to know how it really improves your life? That’s why we talk about inspiring
spaces; that is our core message. Other details – such as how the product looks, when it
is available, or what it costs – come later. That is why we focus on the potential for change
and real value of our services, rather than start with the bottom-line discussion about price
or product lines.
Sharing Inspiration.
Inspiring Concepts
Martela is about equal inspiration. To put it simply, we’re a company that wants to do
our best to ensure that every productive session, meeting, negotiation or other work
activity finds its own creative flow. Inspiration should be shared, so solitary workers and
multidisciplinary teams alike get the best chance to reach for new results.
Martela is a company that has grown from a furniture producer into solution finder.
We create and offer solutions so that our clients can concentrate on their core business.
Furniture, offices, design and spaces are still part of our solution map. But, to better
serve and truly understand our clients’ needs, it is equally important to see the larger picture
of services – including space inventarium, moving services, interior planning or financing.
Our clients vary from single-entrepreneur companies to large, globally active firms
that need entire office building solutions and daily service. What’s more, we don’t only work
for businesses and companies. Schools, hospitals and various public service and private
organisations are furnishing their spaces and looking for solutions that will inspire their peo-
ple.
That’s why we talk about inspiring spaces, and no room is too modest, nor any
meeting too small for us to think how we can make it a source of inspiration.

11. Everyone, regardless of age,
gender, or position in a hierar-
chy, has a right to an inspiring
working space.
People work in very different spaces. A lab worker has high standards for hygiene;
a teacher needs to be flexible enough to educate kids in various pedagogies; and
a white collar worker has her desk, computer, and meetings to attend.
Inspiring working places is an umbrella idea that brings together our solutions
for offices, entrepreneurs, and people who want to enjoy their office hours. Inspiring
work places have a real effect on human resource management. When ergonomic
situations, new teamwork methods and even cultural differences are taken into con­
sideration­­, an office can be tailor-made for the people that spend their hours there –
and meet, compute, talk or just need to concentrate.
Understanding what methods and solutions fit each person, team, or company
involves interactive planning. This tool is about listening and understanding our clients’
needs, then presenting and offering the new, more inspiring office solutions.
InspiringOffice

12. 23
Our inspiring meetings concept focuses on how people really can have more re-
warding meetings – and how the latest technology, team dynamics and time plan-
ning can be taken into consideration. We find that meetings become really creative
and inspiring when people forget the space and focus on the issue that brought
them together.
Sure, we think it is extremely important what coating a meeting table
should have, or how to manage colours and lighting. But let us also not forget
that people should really have good places to sit, and all technological equipment
should be understandable and intuitive to use.
We have seen and learned that when inspiring meeting spaces are really
well planned and executed, people focus on their own creativity. And that is what
inspires, and that is what creates change. And we have seen and learned that
meetings have different agendas, purposes, and codes. That is why we talk with
our clients and show them ways to make their meetings more fun. Even the word
”meeting” should be inviting and inspiring. Inspiring meetings allows you to tailor-
make a good mood and ambience in all areas of consideration.
InspiringMeeting
Let’s meet! These words should thrill and inspire
people. Every get-together is about sharing ideas,
thoughts, and influences, in person.

13. 24 25
Materials matters in spaces too. They can energize and motivate, bring people
together­, or make them fall asleep. They do not only communicate the functions and
purposes of work, but also trends, emotions, and our clients’ brands.
Martela is an expert on materials, colours, acoustics and the puzzle of different­
combinations of material for spaces. We test, develop, and look for new solutions
constantly­. But our greatest resource in learning about and forecasting the next solu-
tions and trends are the architects and planners we work with.
We are in contact every day with people involved in hundreds of projects,
­showing new ideas, combinations, and interesting solutions.
As a domestic market leader, we also want to lead in material development,
technical solutions, and design in our business. With our own specialist and partner
designers we have a constant, on-the-job laboratory exploring materials. But if you
look at the big picture, you find out how the final choices, spaces, and meetings inspire
our clients. And we listen, so that we can find better materials for better ­inspiration.
InspiringMaterialWood or plastics? Bamboo or
birch? Red or blue? Individual style
and fashion choices reveal some-
thing about personality.

14. 26 27
We have a massive amount of know-how in the area of inspiring services. Most of our
clients try hard to picture the whole idea. Our service draws the essential lines and commu-
nicates the concept in a way that our clients can easily understand.
There are so many opinions about how spaces and working conditions should be
arranged. Site managers count the square metres, personnel managers want to see people
smiling at work, and hard-working individuals should always have a say about what cloth is
on their chair or how a single workstation is organized.
To answer these questions – all relevant but from different angles – we offer the idea
of inspiring services. We influence the market by example. First we speak with the decision-
makers about what kind of role the interiors, furnishing, their maintenance and the whole
idea of getting the most out of working time and spaces will have in their company’s invest-
ment and result. We stay close by once the project is executed, and really care that people
who use Martela solutions feel they are getting something inspiring. And then we have the
maintenance and after sales service to make their standards even better, more personal-
ized, and always updated. That’s inspiring service – and we are inspired by our clients’
demands.
InspiringService
Our most valuable resource? Time.
That’s why we offer inspiring service.
It allows people to shortcut their way to a new
working environment that works. It enables us
to stay in touch with many people in our client
companies, and to suggest new ideas and help
them in a flexible way.

15. 28 29
It’s important to inspire individuals – increasing their initiative to learn more. The key is to
give people ideas on how to find out more by themselves. And we provide the solutions for
space, furniture and service to keep this happening.
Educational spaces are a large area of our expertise. It is a playground where many
interests and groups meet. We want to influence these meetings – we want them to be
inspiring events where information, skills, and emotions can be shared from one person to
another, or to a large group of people.
And sure, the ways of teaching develop and change. That is why we talk and
participate­in the latest developments in school environments, training spaces and
university­campus areas. We are learning too: to provide our clients, students and adults,
with the best possible environments to put their minds to work.
Education follows us – from kindergarten all the way
into retirement. There are just as many variations on
what spaces are good for education as there are
ideas­on how to share knowledge.
InspiringSchool

16. 30 31
Martela has known for years that this particular area of public service will need to grow
and adapt to a market where people have more and more personalized needs. There’s
more demand for good health and wellness services, and more individuals with a claim
to receive the best.
So it is no surprise that Martela been researching the area of inspiring healthcare
for years. Even our everyday work with hospitals, service houses, healthcare centres and
spas plays a vital role in our service and product development.
We think that inspiration can also be a part of health, caring, and clean environ-
ments. Healthcare professionals meet individuals and their relatives, and spaces should
be an appropriate mix of public work and privacy. Martela has, with ergonomics, seman-
tics, and user-centred design processes, helped to make this demanding area inspiring
– both for people who need help, and professionals who work there every day.
And in fact, we find that it is in those areas where consumers really depend on
professional care and service, that we most value Martela’s attention to every detail and
idea combining functionality, efficiency and human interaction.
InspiringWelfare
Martela has its roots in Finland,
where local care and welfare
services are accessible to every
citizen. Martela has a track record
of hundreds of solutions and
interiors in places where individuals
are taking care of their health.

17. 32 33
Our visual identity has had a slight face-lift. The most important outcome of this renewal
is our logo. We have returned to the original details of the typeface used for the word
Martela­. To emphasize the importance of our slogan “Inspiring Spaces” we’ve combined
it with the logo to form one strong visual element.
The changes are small but important and it is crucial that from now on we only
use the new version.
Our new
visual
identity

18. 34 35
Black
Our new company colour is black. It is accompanied
by a new shade of blue – a bit lighter and brighter
than the one we used before.
is strong and
combines easily with other colours.
is a traditional Martela
colour and has a resemblance to the finnish flag.
On the following pages you will find some examples
of how our two colours can be used.
Blue

22. www.inspiringspaces.fi
This book is printed on
Cocoon Silk, cover 350 g/m2
and pages 170 g/m2.
Cocoon Silk is a coated
recycled paper manufactured
using a totally chlorine-free
process and certified as
FSC 100% recycled.