When you think of ways in which you can improve brand communication and company culture, the first tactics that spring to mind are most probably surrounding your customer service approach and general marketing strategy.
Have you thought about how workspace design, office furniture and technology could be impacting your brand and culture though?
In this article, we’re going to explore exactly that but first, let’s be clear on what we mean by brand communication and company culture…
Your brand is an external perception of who you are as a business and your company culture is what makes you who you are.
In our article on why workplace culture is important, we talk about the six areas of culture but in a nutshell, it encompasses the vision, values and ethos behind your business, as well as the people behind the practices.
So, how can this all be influenced by strategic workspace design?
Provide staff with the resources they need to excel
In a white paper created with Dezeen, Haworth said:
“At the heart of employee motivation resides company culture. Workspace strategy and design is a tangible opportunity to convert the office into a space that sets high performance standards.”
Of course, brand and culture are entirely subjective and bespoke to your business – that’s what gives you your USP – but the objective remains the same: provide your staff with the workspaces they need to perform.
If you’re a creative brand which relies on idea generation and teamwork, consider the transition into an open plan workspace with collaborative spaces and breakout areas to promote better collaboration and communication.
If you operate around a more controlled culture which demands concentration and privacy for confidentiality or focused work, ensure your staff can engage with this by providing things like privacy booths and noise-combating acoustic solutions.
Make the workspace a physical extension of your brand
There are the obvious things like using brand colours when choosing fabrics or paints, and including branded manifestations in the fit out process but furniture and layout and can say a great deal about your brand and culture too.
This is essential throughout the entire workspace to ensure internal staff are clear about the brand and what it’s all about. However, it is particularly crucial in meeting rooms, training spaces, boardrooms and welcome areas where you’re going to want to make a great first impression to external bodies.
Pick out products which support growth
If you design your workspace in the right way and choose the right furniture and technology products, you’ll have the perfect foundations for expansion and/or adaptation.
You want your product portfolio and workspace layout to facilitate the evolution of your brand and be able to seamlessly accommodate any cultural infrastructure changes.
This might include modular office furniture which can be increased or reduced as and when necessary, or digital signage to communicate important messages around brand and culture both internally and externally.
That is one of the main benefits of hiring a professional interior designer – they will be able to create a space that will blossom with your business.