In the business world, brand recognition can be your savior, and it can be your downfall. It all depends on how much time and effort you are willing to invest into building a brand image through the smart use of interior office design.
Your employees, customers, business partners, and prospective clients will develop a certain relationship with your brand in the first few seconds they step into your office space. These are just some of the factors to consider when designing your office.
Your work environment needs to be conducive to productivity and creativity, and it needs to portray an image of success. Here is how your office design affects your image and how you can use it to your advantage.
Traditional or modern design approach?
What is the overall goal of your brand image? Are you trying to portray a trustworthy business based on quality and impeccable service? Well, so is everyone else. While these should be some of the main constituents of your brand, in the modern world you need to take it a step further in order to rise above the competition.
You need to create uniqueness, you need to be creative and innovative, and you need to move people. The way you do that is by transitioning from a traditional cubicle-and-occasional-flower-pot office design into a modern office environment imbued with vibrancy and charm.
Give your office space some personality and flair, introduce eco-friendly solutions across the board, leisure sections, bring in some modern furniture and allow your employees to move around freely in order to let creativity flow and make amazing ideas come to life. In turn, your team members will love coming to work, and your clients will appreciate you thinking outside of the proverbial box.
Common areas and productivity rooms
Speaking of a modern design approach, introducing common areas into your office layout is one of the best ways to inspire mutual trust among employees, allow your clients and customers to witness the productive hub at work, and allow a sense of freedom to permeate the setting.
Moreover, you want to reinforce the positive feeling your brand emanates by allowing comfort to reign supreme. This means purging all the clutter in the office, introducing comfortable furniture, and letting plenty of natural light penetrate the setting for maximum positivity and performance.
The design of your conference room
When it comes down to portraying an image of trust and success to your clients and partners, the design of your conference room is of the utmost importance. This is the place where long-term deals will be struck, partnerships made, and innovative ideas put into motion.
Therefore, the conference room needs to be an oasis of productivity, comfort, and positivity. Not only should it feature comfortable furniture and a round desk to encourage collaboration, but it should also feature noise-canceling acoustic panels on the walls for peace and focus, as well as greenery in the corners. Complement the setting with inspirational wall art and you have yourself a winning conference room.
Adequate branding throughout the office
Your office space needs to proudly wear the colors of your flag, it needs to represent what your brand is all about. But you mustn’t overdo it. In the case of creating an inspirational brand image, less is more, especially when designing your office.
So instead of going for a massive logo and slogan in the lobby, go for a minimalistic approach, strategically placing your brand visuals around the office space. This can be in the form of framed pictures on the walls, on coffee mugs or vases, you can even make 3D logos and place them on shelves or give them away as collectibles. The office is your playground.
The best of both worlds
Finally, you want to combine the professional image of your corporate identity with powerful undertones depicting charm, creativity, and uniqueness. In a world cluttered with numerous competitors indistinguishable from one another, you want to give your clients something they can connect with.
Therefore, while sticking with a professional and excellently trained staff, you want to make it all seem laid-back and easy. Let everyone see people enjoying themselves at work, having the freedom to achieve great things and have a relaxing cup of coffee at the same time. You can achieve this by maintaining a modern, vibrant workplace. Let your office space tell your story.
In the modern world, office design can mean the difference between landing another client and constantly getting cut off by the competition. Use the five steps above to elevate your brand image, and pave the road to long-term business success.
