Ford Motor Company has opened its new global headquarters in Dearborn, a 2.1 million square foot workplace that brings together design, engineering, fabrication, and leadership teams in one interconnected environment. The building and broader campus, designed by Snøhetta in partnership with Arcadis, create a work setting shaped by the surrounding landscape, natural elements, courtyards, and fluid circulation. This environment reflects Ford’s ambition to foster collaboration, reduce silos, and support a more agile culture for the future.
Our Role in Shaping the Campus Experience
Entro developed the wayfinding strategy, color and zoning system, room numbering approach, and the interior and exterior signage program for the new headquarters. The work introduces a placebrand that expands Ford’s expression beyond the traditional oval, using movement, materiality, and environmental cues to create an identity specific to the Dearborn campus. Through clarity, cohesion, and purposeful design, Entro’s work enhances navigation, strengthens the experience for employees and visitors, and supports the scale and vision of Ford’s new workplace.
A Narrative Grounded in Engineered Nature
The concept guiding the signage and wayfinding program reflects the relationship between engineered precision and the natural world. Material choices and forms draw inspiration from both the surrounding landscape and the fabrication techniques fundamental to automotive manufacturing. Waterjet-cut steel and custom rolled sheet metal bring this narrative to life, creating patterns and textures that feel both crafted and organic. This design language reinforces a campus identity rooted in innovation, movement, and connection to place.
This opening marks a significant landmark for Ford, bringing the new headquarters and its campus experience into active use for employees and visitors. Congratulations Ford and the campus’s design team on this important milestone.
Working on Ford has been rewarding in so many ways—not only because it’s an iconic brand with a powerful legacy, but because it has also been one of the most creatively challenging and fulfilling projects I’ve been part of. The level of design excellence established by Ford, Snøhetta, and Arcadis set an incredibly high bar from the outset, and we knew our work needed to meet and ideally elevate that standard.The Ford logo is so prevalent and instantly recognizable, but we wanted to challenge ourselves, and Ford, to think beyond the Oval. How else could the brand be expressed without relying on it and, in doing so, diluting its significance? We shifted our focus to themes of movement and human engineering, allowing these ideas to guide the sign forms and material choices. Our hope is to create a system that feels true to Ford’s spirit while carving space for a fresh expression of the brand.
