Everything you have in your office from the high tech computers to the wallpaper in the boardroom speaks to your company's brand. What are your office walls saying? Is it time to think about a branded environment.
What is your office design saying about your corporate culture? Your office environment is just as important to your brand as your logo and website. http://resovate.com/
Everything you have in your office from the high tech computers to the wallpaper in the boardroom speaks to your company's brand. What are your office walls saying? Is it time to think about a branded environment.
Brand extends far beyond a logo and your marketing materials. Everything in your office can influence corporate culture, employee morale and productivity not to mention your ability to retain and add new clients and top notch employees. A branded environment tells the story of your business through your physical space.
Just as your home tells a story about you and your family's values, talents and interests, your office environment is the conduit for understanding your corporate culture. Are you a company that values your employees? Potential employees will know based on the amenities and work setting you provide for your current employees.
From the moment a person walks in the door of your company, your reputation is on the line. Your clients are learning about who you are and what your company stands for. They are making quick judgments based on what they see, hear and feel: from the carpeting to the computers, from how the person at the front desk greets them to how easy it is to find the conference room. Each touchpoint is an opportunity to connect or repel.
Imagine the first impression you have of a business when the waiting room or lobby is still stuck in the eighties. Are you feeling that the company is up to date in their business practices? What message are you receiving when you see a room like this? Is that the message you want to give your clients and employees?
Now imagine a waiting room with a high tech, high touch feel. Each of the elements gives a message to the clients, or in this case patients, that the medical staff is cutting edge. They were all along. It's just that their old waiting room (prior photo) didn't reflect their corporate culture.
Make sure you design within your industry standard. Not sure? Visit your competition. How do their offices look? Is there something unique about your corporate culture that will make you stand out? Show that in your workplace design.
A financial office should feel stable, lush, prosperous
Industry standards are important to commercial interior design. If you are a lawyer or an investment manager you are expected to have a more traditional office spaces with lush, rich colors and furnishings.
Meaningful objects add character to a waiting area
Your office can be professional yet still have personal touches. If your love is meditation and it speaks to your brand - in this case the client wanted his first time accounting clients to feel less anxious about the process - then bring them in. Make a deeper connection with your clients by showing a part of your life, a part of what you value in your office design.
Whereas a sleep and nutrition consultant could be much more daring with their choice of colors and furnishings. The brand color on the walls is feminine, inviting and suited to her clientele. The brightly colored pouf is just asking for a child to relax while mom has a cup of tea in one of the chairs.
You can create an experience for your clients and employees that reaches all of five of their senses. Called experiential design, companies are going beyond just sight and touch to appeal to their clients and employees. Next time you walk through the mall take note of the darkened windows and loud pumping music emanating from Abercrombie and Fitch. Any wonder your kids want to buy there? Or notice the scents in the cosmetics section of Lord and Taylor. Everything in a mall is designed to create an experience where you will want to shop. Not a shopper, go to a casino. Did you realize they don't have windows or clocks so you can lose track of time?
My client at a stressful accounting office wanted a very calming and peaceful atmosphere for his employees. We added a water feature in the area in between the two work zones. Imagine having a little zone of tranquility in your office.
A client was concerned about the health of employees, so we added a diffuser with eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus helps with respiratory health, clearing germs from the air and ensuring easier breathing. We design a signature scent for each client. Please feel free to contact us about aromatherapy. http://www.mydoterra.com/catherineavery/
Whether you are having a celebratory party at the office or just providing snacks on a day to day basis, which food and drink you provide your employees and clients conveys a message about your company. Because this company had a very zen feel to their office space, they chose to have a tea party to celebrate their grand opening.
As you appeal to all five senses, let me just add a word of caution. Your clients are already on sensory overload. Keep your message simple and to no more than one or two. A few masculine accessories hint at this client's love of travel and Asian design. Each item is a talking point when his client visits along with his travel photography on the walls throughout the office.
Above all stay true to your brand. You would not imagine walking into a publishing company without books, right? If you sell product, it should be on display so your clients can see and feel it maybe even smell it if you are a perfume company. The point is to provide a sensory experience for your clientele.
Consistency in brand is the key to a successful office environment. If you have a polished entry but your break room hasn't been renovated in thirty years, you are sending a clear message about how much (or little) you value your employees.
In a Steelcase study*, 70% of respondents indicated brand in their office environment was reflected through logos and advertising. Only 50% indicate that their workplace is designed to encourage behavior that is consistent with their company's brand. Yet a branded environment helps your company stand out in an increasingly competitive market. And your employees feel a stronger connection with your corporate culture, which can lead to both improved employee morale and increased employee retention. *http://360.steelcase.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Whitepaper-Brand-and-Cu...