Promote Creativity with Office Design

If you work in a creative industry, you may be surprised to know that your office design may actually be working against you. Your current office design may be hindering the creativity and productivity of your employees. Take a look around your office. Is your team working under harsh, fluorescent lighting? Is your color scheme 50 different shades of grey? Is your office divided into uninviting cubicles?

Your company values creativity, innovation, and fun. Yet, your office exemplifies none of these qualities. Here are some of our favorite office design tips and features for promoting creativity in the workplace.

Take your time.

First and foremost, don’t rush into a workplace remodel. Take your time with the planning before you begin implementing anything. Your employees are the ones most affected by your office design, so ask them for their opinions and keep them involved in the process. Come up with a vision and goals for the entire space and take the time to ensure that all of your features support your vision and goals. You can accomplish this by making sure that the elements you include actually work well with each other. You don’t want random features thrown together because chaos does not inspire creativity.

Carry your brand into your office.

You’ve built a brand that you’re proud of, but your current workplace doesn’t reflect that brand. By incorporating aspects of your brand in your office design, you’ll inspire pride and loyalty among your employees. Try displaying your logo throughout your office. Do you have company colors? Feature those colors by painting the walls, replacing couches, or weaving in small details into desks or other spaces.

Bring the outside in.

Bringing in more natural elements, such as plants or natural lighting, is an effective way to promote creativity and improve the health of your employees at the same time. Plants not only look nice, but they create cleaner air and can even reduce ambient noise within the office. Additionally, you’ll want to be smart with lighting. Rather than harsh, overhead lighting, use lamps and other creative lighting fixtures. Install larger windows or windows that open, if safe and practical. Natural light is known to help employees sleep better at night and experience less stress and depression.

Incorporate ergonomics.

Happy, healthy employees are the most productive and creative. Make your employees comfortable by supporting their well being in the workplace. An easy way to do this is to incorporate ergonomics into your office design. Depending on your employees’ preferences, consider sit-stand workstations, ergonomic chairs, or other ergonomic features.

Allow flexibility.

In one of our previous blogs, we talked about how open floor plans can increase productivity. While this is absolutely true, you may want to consider adding places for employees to work alone and not be disturbed. Not everyone works best in the same way, especially for different tasks. You could designate certain areas for collaboration and other areas for independent working. Consider dedicated relaxation areas for breaks and to allow employees to de-stress.

For personalized office design tips and more ways to improve productivity, click below for a consultation with us.

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