Layers of Time: Celebrating Time Together with Toss

When Toss's existing N-th anniversary merch turned out to be a gift for some but just clutter to organize for others, the company stopped distributing it and began a renewal. It redefined the starting point of internal branding not as 'a pretty object' but as 'what emotion does it give.'

There were two goals.

• To sincerely celebrate each team member's own time
• To properly convey gratitude for waiting through the renewal

The result was a lighting fixture that stacks one disc per anniversary year. Time becomes visible, and as the discs pile up, the layers of light grow deeper. Years 1–10 use a white version, and from year 11 onward a black version, expanding the meaning further. Passing the 10-year mark carries the message of starting a new chapter of time together.

The production process wasn't easy. It was the team's first time making a lighting fixture and hardware, and they kept testing whether a 0.5mm difference in disc thickness changed how the light spread, and at what gap (in mm) between the body and disc the light looked most natural. Before final delivery, they inspected 5,000 units one by one to raise the level of completeness, choosing to prioritize standards over schedule.

The packaging and copy were also tuned to match the emotional tone. The name is Layered Lighting, and both the body and packaging are engraved with "Layers of your time at toss." Instead of a gothic typeface, they used a serif font and a handwritten message card to add warmth.

A key point is that the experience was designed all the way up to the moment of receiving the gift. Instead of the previous method of picking it up directly at the lounge, they created a scenario where the gift is waiting at each person's desk on Monday morning, and the moment of opening the box is shared with colleagues. Over the weekend, placing gifts at the desks of about 2,500 out of roughly 3,900 people took 26 hours, and as a result, Slack and Instagram were flooded with photos and reviews.

Finally, the project sums up the conditions for good internal branding in three points.

• The reason must come first
• You must design an experience, not an object
• Standards must be upheld to the very end

Ultimately, internal branding is about giving members the conviction that "I'm working at a good team," and that conviction leads to greater engagement and higher quality of work.