Office Design |

July 26, 2016

4 ways office design can inspire creativity

Creativity is key for any innovative and growing company; you could say that ‘creativity’ is the new buzzword of the business world.

Business owners must therefore harness this creative process to cultivate innovation and boost productivity. What better place to start than with office design itself?

Forward thinking companies are increasingly experiencing the benefits of inspired office spaces. Monday morning blues are no more as employees are happier in the workplace and more productive than ever. No longer unaffordable or reserved for the wacky headquarters of Google, the turn towards office design is having huge effects on companies around the world by boosting creativity and inspiring the work force.

Here we explore the art of the design and the ways in which it is transforming and enlivening offices into creative spaces of innovation.

1. Employees feel comfortable

An integrated and open office design is key in creating the informality needed to make employees feel relaxed. The reinvented relationships with the workplace inspire creativity and innovation as we feel less inhibited, more encouraged to take risks and free to express ourselves while exploring ideas.

Employee comfort is also essential for productive teamwork. Office design should host the informal exchange of ideas and bring individuals together to increase trust and interaction between the team.

2. Creativity promotes collaboration

This new wave of office design and its engagement with psychology has caused a switch up in desk orientation. The once uniform rows have been ditched for clusters and zoned workspaces with the purpose of endorsing collaboration and transparency.

Companies, big and small, are opting for offices that support sharing and cooperation through desk design. They envision an interdependent ecosystem of high productivity and innovation.

Zoning areas for recreation, collaborative work and private activity produces a space for ideas to bounce and develop. However, could this trend of interaction in fact cause distraction and inhibit your employee’s privacy?

3. Stimulating surroundings

Let’s take a look at some of today’s most inspiring workspaces. The wacky workplaces of global giant, Google, aim to inspire employees with a wonderland of communal and recreational spaces. These fun features sure make the company stand out, but do they cultivate creativity?

Sparing the extravagance and expenditure of Google, companies can manipulate colour and light within the office to spark creativity. Studies into the psychological effects of colours crown green as a top choice for office walls. Green’s associations with nature encourage growth and a sense of balance and tranquillity. Pairing the green paint with plentiful natural light will further boost creative juices. Experts find natural light increases productivity and inspires employees, with bountiful benefits including higher air quality and reduced eye strain.

As such today’s offices are architecturally designed and orientated to optimize light; reflective furniture offers a less radical and equally effective way to bring in brightness. See our blogs about the effect of colour within the workspace and whether there is a thing as too many windows to find out more.

4. Can creativity reinforce your company’s culture?

Inspiring office design should be moulded by the company’s culture and reflect the business’s unique ethos.
This can be achieved with company colours and logos or more subtly through the arrangement of office furniture and sense of atmosphere. The National Football League office in New York has a wacky way of showing NFL’s brand and key principles. Each floor represents a different one of the “Four Pillars” of NFL: The Game, The Teams, The Fans, and Innovation. The workspace and employees find themselves immersed in the company’s culture and enthused by the quirky set up.

And you?

Gone are the days of uniform desks and whitewash walls as we shape space to facilitate creativity and collaboration. Harnessing office design can inspire business in different ways, some more profound than others.

Get in touch and let us know your thoughts on office design via Twitter or Facebook. Is it really revolutionary or just an excuse for a revamp?