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Bedeau discusses his work and the special design requirements of broadcasting.

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Words by Pamela Buxton

What does your role at Al Jazeera entail?
As global art director I'm responsible for all design and promotions-related content and issues in London, New York, Sarajevo, Washington DC and in our smaller studios in Paris, Berlin and Moscow.

I also work with the creative director in our Doha hub. My brief covers all on-screen design including the daily news information graphics content and as well as programme branding, music and set design. Workplace environment has recently taken up a great deal of my time due to the fast-paced expansion of Al Jazeera Media Network in recent years. Talent spotting and creative recruitment is a fundamental part of my role.

What's your design background?
I studied visual communication specialising in advertising at Birmingham and briefly worked at JWT before joining BBC Current Affairs at Lime Grove Studios. There I experienced the old paper-and-cardboard methods of creating TV graphics and was able to contribute to the introduction of electronic and computerbased design workflows, which are now the norm. The technology revolution, which saw the move from bespoke equipment - for example Quantel Paintbox - to powerful desktop-based computers has also been fascinating, along with the advent of social media and citizen journalism in TV news.

Reintroducing the swingometer on the 1992 BBC election coverage with Peter Snow remains one of my best memories. I then set up my own company, working for Channel 4, MTV, the BBC and consulting on channel launches including the Money Channel and Al Jazeera English. For the past nine years I've worked with Al Jazeera, the past four as staff.

Patrick Bedeau

How many different design projects do you generally commission a year and what sort of work is this?
Television news is thirsty for creative content 24/7, so there is a vital need for design and promotional commissions daily. We have a large internal design and promotions team but we do also commission externally for long form projects. There's been a rapid expansion of the Al Jazeera Network, with the launch of Al Jazeera America and Al Jazeera Balkans, the opening of our Paris and Moscow studios and the relocation of the London and Washington DC broadcast centres. These projects have involved considerable design commissions and collaborations that has seen a solid, rolling programme of work for the past five years across all the design and production disciplines.

How do you go about commissioning designers and architects?
We have a very detailed commissioning process administered out of Doha by our procurement teams and steered by the senior creative teams. The design commission brief and invitation is signed off by the client base and procurement team.

What are the particular challenges for designing broadcast facilities?
We have to be reactive and very sensitive to new technology and new production workflow developments, so future-proofing our design and the selection of new technology is very difficult. There are few architect practices that really understand broadcast requirements and construction, so the client collaboration process is vital, along with a specialist broadcast project management team. Also, design education has changed fundamentally - especially with early specialisation - and it can be hard to find the right design collaborators for working on such multidisciplinary projects.

What were your ambitions for your new studios and HQ in The Shard and how did the design come about?
We built a temporary studio in Stratford in the three years running up to the Olympics and while we were travelling out to East London from Knightsbridge we could see The Shard taking shape. The process for relocating from Knightsbridge had begun and the board in Doha liked our idea of moving to The Shard.

We then spent some time establishing the right floor that would suit our needs and how we could use the views and natural light. We then looked at Renzo Piano's design and wrote an open brief. We consulted the RIBA, which recommended an initial list of eight practices.

We finally worked with three practices on the pitch/selection process. A parallel process was conducted with the set design and construction and also the technology contractors. The low 'office' ceilings of the Shard were a real challenge for the design concepts and technical practicalities, so we knew innovation had to play a key part in the thinking.

We kicked off the architectural fit-out and set-design process in parallel, appointing John McAslan & Partners and Veech x Veech respectively. The selection process, however, doesn't find you all the creative answers and the hard work really began afterwards. We demanded a very high level of client consultation right through the process, with a realistic 3D rendering process that plotted out all the areas, material usage, furniture and lighting.

The various construction and design teams worked very closely together to enable a seamless link between offices and technical facilities, including the studios.

Patrick Bedeau is anti Silicon Valley-type design, preferring a minimalist, Scandanavian aesthetic for the Al Jazeera HQ

Transparency was the core theme running through the project and we are happy with the result. Broadcasting was new to McAslan & Partners but it really came a long way and worked well with Veech x Veech and newsroom/set constructor MCI Studio Hamburg. We arranged the open-plan office spaces around the edge of the floor to maximise natural light and the technology facilities on the inner core, with the news studio integrated into the newsroom and oriented to the north to give the best views of London.

What's the best part of your job as design client?
The variety of creative people you meet. Al Jazeera has a hugely diverse global group of people, both in and out, all pushing in the same direction. No two days are the same. It's non-stop, and that's how I like it. I don't regard myself as a 'design client', more a collaborator.

What are the most challenging part of your job?
Change! Screen-based communications is a constantly evolving medium and TV news and current affairs is still at the sharp end. However, hand-held devices and social media will change everything we do.

What future design projects are in the pipeline?
We have Washington DC coming on stream soon and we're also redesigning our Doha studios and have projects in New York about to start. New programme commissions are constant and we have a number of promotions, branding and set-design projects rolling out at present.

Do you have any favourite workplaces that you take inspiration from in terms of design?
I'm rather anti those Silicon Valley type of office typified by Google. I like the Scandinavian ethos of simple, clean, functional environments rather than clutter. I want people, not the office design, to provide the individuality in the workplace. I quite like the unfinished - leaving enough scope for the space to change and grow as it is occupied. In terms of particular designers, I admire the work of Saul Bass, Carlo Mollino, Moholy Nagy and Alvar Aalto.