Take a second to think of a memorable office you have visited. You might be thinking of offices the likes of Google, Facebook or YouTube. Offices that often leave lasting impressions on their visitors are the ones who embed their corporate culture and attitude into their environment.
You too can bring personality to your office space through interior décor, which offers an opportunity for businesses to highlight their personality and culture. Here are some of the reasons why those businesses have office interiors like they do.
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First Impressions
Whether your visitor is a job candidate or potential client, they get their true first impression of your business when they walk through the door. Your office becomes an opportunity to say something about your business. If it’s a business that cares about the work they do and their employees, you would expect the business to reciprocate by taking care of the appearance of the place they spend most of their time in.
The ‘Great Wall’
China doesn’t have to be the only place with a Great Wall. Often businesses like to showcase their achievements and portfolio on their walls, but it’s important to remember subtlety is king. This ‘great wall’ often serves two purposes; for visitors to quickly understand what your business does and has achieved in the past, but also plays a role in boosting employees morale of the business and reminding them of the great work they have accomplished. It’s important to maintain a certain level of subtlety, while incorporating as much brand identity with your business, which can come from the smallest of details such as synchronized color scheme with business branding.
[Related: Will they remember your business card?]
Corporate Communication
Interior décor can be used as an opportunity to showcase your corporate culture to visitors. If you’re speaking about quality or customer service you can exemplify it through a display of some very specific brand message. It might be in the form of a corporate mission statement or vision in the form of a quote that epitomizes the mindset. The right interior branding can set the mood and tone of your business, not just for visitors but also everyone working in the office. It can reinforce the attitude whether it be creatively wacky or masterfully professional.
Mood Matters
Interior colors set the mood, so the right color choices make a big difference in the atmosphere of your work environment. Just because your brand colors are dark, doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to darken the office and give it a gloomy vibe. Ensure the mood you want to convey is maintained while complimenting your business’ identity.
Always keep in mind, not to overdo anything, just as in any other design choices you make. Brand identity is great for employees and visitors alike, but it’s important not to end up with various scattered elements without any focus on the brand.
Mehrad Yaghmai is the founder of Customyze.co & Fenumbra. He also serves as the Managing Director for Power of Art, where he advises and consults startups, SMEs and entrepreneurs.