For many corporations, the main purpose of an office redecoration is to refresh and maintain an office space. However, a redecoration project can achieve many more advantages to a business through brand integration. Branding your office decoration is much more than simply plastering your logo all over the place. Please don’t do this, incidentally, it tends to look very aggressive! So how do you decorate an office to remain in keeping with your business identity, without going over the top?
Colour
When planning your office colours, you should consider the colour palette of your logo, website and other corporate branded resources. In addition, your industry and working environment should be influential. So think how you can use a core colour from your logo to tie in with a wider palette that suits your business ethos. For creative industries, warm colours like yellow and orange are inspirational, so how might different tones from this part of the colour wheel work with your brand colours? Remember that you don’t have to use all of the colours that exist on your website, and vibrant tones are much better used as accent colours.
Shapes
Take your logo and other branded resources and look at the shapes that make up the geometry of the image. Reflecting angles and curves in your flooring, artwork and furniture is a fantastic and understated way to reinforce your branding at every level. Why not choose elements of bespoke furniture to get it right? For example a meeting room table or reception desk are the items of furniture most frequently encountered by visiting clients. By building them to reflect the basic shapes of your logo will create a perfect foundation of office branding.
Signage
Functional signage should follow your corporate font if your business is focussed on accuracy and detail, such as accountancy or law firms. These small details help to build confidence in your attention to detail for visiting clients. However, for tech start ups or creative industries why not vary your style of signage? As long as it is very clearly varied, this will serve to highlight your firm’s skill in working with different ideas creatively.
Furniture
As we’ve detailed, the shape of your furniture can reinforce your brand. However, it is your core choice of furniture that can establish the correct working environment that underlies everything about your brand and business. For businesses that place communication as key to their mission, ensure that spaces are open. Similarly, for organisations who prioritise sustainability, ensure that furniture materials and facilities such as lighting are recycled or energy efficient.
Social Space
Branding an office is seen as a way to reinforce team unity within an organisation. In this way, don’t neglect social spaces within your office redecoration. Follow through furniture shapes from meeting rooms and reception areas to feature in social spaces. From kitchens to relaxed meeting hubs, staff wellbeing can be improved through conscientious design. Include games such as table football if your business is active and energetic. Or quiet zones for those who focus on analysis and deep thought.
Display
If your business manufactures products, display them – or images of them. If your business is service based, quotes that underpin your corporate message are a great addition to a wall. Many tech or creative industries seek to structure their organisation in a ‘bottom-up’ approach. So this part of a corporate identity can be reflected by displaying ideas and work from the employees themselves.
So, the next time that your organisation plans to redecorate the office space, take time to really break down your brand. Corporate mission, basic elements of your logo and the very core of your industry are all influential. And if you’re not sure where to start, don’t forget to seek the advice of an experienced decorator!
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