Branding your office can have a positive impact both on employees and on clients who visit, so it is well worth the time and effort to do it right. Yet, many businesses fail to do so, leaving their employees to work in uninspiring office buildings. Here, we present five office design tips to ensure your brand stands out.
Related: How to use print materials in the age of paperless offices
1. Define your brand values
Prior to starting any office interior design work, it is important that you and your design team establish exactly what your brand values are. In addition to obvious things like logos, slogans, color schemes and trademarks, you need to think of your business as having its own personality.
Ask yourself how your business helps people and what associations you would like customers to draw. One of the best ways to truly get to the core of your brand identity is to ask those working on the project to think of five words that describe your business and five words that describe your customers.
2. Differentiate between staff and client spaces
When planning your office design, it’s important to differentiate between client spaces and staff-only spaces. After all, employees and clients will likely view your business differently—and you may actually want them to do so.
Your staff can sometimes see through the branding that is aimed at customers, because they witness the everyday realities of the business. During the design phase, try to come up with appropriate branding ideas for the two different types of office spaces, so that you send the right messages.
3. Focus on key touchpoints
Office branding can be a balancing act, and it is certainly possible to overdo it. One of the best tips for getting the balance right is to focus on the areas where your branding will have the biggest impact.
An obvious client touchpoint is the reception area, so this should be branded to clearly state who you are and what you do. However, you should also identify what the most important employee areas are in your office and consider which behaviors you want to encourage or discourage there.
4. Include your products
Depending on the nature of your brand, one of the most effective office interior design techniques you could employ is to showcase your own products. After all, nothing tells the story of your brand quite like your products do.
“If you’re a company with a great product, then think about how you can bring this to the fore,” says Peter Ames, writing for Office Genie. “For example, John West’s Liverpool HQ has its testing kitchen as a central hub. What better way for a food company to demonstrate what it’s all about?”
5. Pay attention to color schemes
Last, but by no means least, you need to think carefully about the color scheme you use in your office and consider how it relates to your brand. Assuming the colors associated with your brand are not too outlandish, it may be appropriate to use them to decorate your office.
Alternatively, if using company colors would be too distracting, consider the nature of your business and decorate accordingly. If your staff works under high pressure, you probably don’t want to worsen this by using intense colors. At the same time, if creativity is at the heart of your brand, plain white walls will not suffice.
