Why Your Office Needs To Be On-Brand + How To Create Branded Interiors
Does your business space, whether it’s an office or a restaurant, send the message you want it to? Really think about your space. Does it positively reflect your company? Does it speak to your values? Does it reflect your products? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then something needs to change.
Interior design should be an extension of your brand. This means that if you are a creative agency, your space should feel creative. If you work for a high-end consulting firm, your office should feel high-end. And if you work for a call center, well, your space should feel like a call center. If you work for a high-end consulting firm, well, your space should not feel like a call center. Let us explain.
Why do branded interiors matter?
Your business’s space is a physical representation of your company. If your office does not represent your brand, your reputation falls apart. Don’t believe us? Let’s paint a picture.
You got in a car accident and need a lawyer to deal with the insurance companies. It was a massive fender-bender, and you were at fault, so you need a good one. Luckily, you just got a big bonus from work, so you have cash to spend. To find the creme de la creme of local attorneys, you turn to Google. You come across two great options: Lawrence and Annie.
Lawrence’s website is well-designed, with impressive testimonials and glossy photographs. His Instagram shows off fancy cars and beach houses. He has positive Google reviews. He seems like the real deal.
Annie’s website is in need of updates, but it still has valuable information. She doesn’t have an Instagram account, but posts family photos on Facebook. Annie also comes highly recommended, but her relatively lackluster brand leaves you less excited. Still, you book a consultation.
First, you visit Lawrence’s office. You saw his high-end branding and expensive taste online, so you’re looking forward to seeing his office. But when your phone directs you to a dilapidated strip mall, you’re sure Siri led you astray. Apprehensively, you walk up to the business front, where you see barred windows and, yes, the name of Lawrence’s practice. You walk inside, where everything smells like cigar smoke and looks run-down. While Lawrence is nice and knowledgeable, you can’t take an expensive lawyer seriously when he works in such a ramshackle office.
Next, you go to Annie’s practice. You’re relieved to pull up to a well-established office in an impressive part of town. It’s full of windows, people in suits buzzing about, and everything feels fresh and clean. Annie is professional and wise, and you smile when you see the same family photo on her desk as you saw on her Facebook. You hire her immediately.
Which office is on-brand for a high-class, expensive attorney?
You hired Annie because when you visited her office, it felt like you were meeting with a credible, fancy lawyer. But Lawrence’s reputation fell apart as soon as you walked into his space. Your business space can make or break your business.
How to brand your interiors
Does your office space feel more Lawrence than Annie? Don’t worry, there are things you can do! Transforming your business space into an on-brand environment isn’t impossible. In fact, if you follow these steps, it’s relatively easy.
1. Know your brand
If you don’t know your brand inside and out, you’ll struggle to create on-brand interiors. This is an important step that will benefit many aspects of your business. If you don’t have a vision board for your brand, make one! It will make staying on-brand infinitely easier.
To get to know your brand even deeper, ask yourself these questions:
How does your brand make people feel?
What are your core values?
Who is your brand advocate? Who do you want to be impressed by your space?
What words would you use to describe your company?
2. Do research
Research, research, research! To bring your interior design vision to life, you need to know what that vision is. Think of businesses you admire. Scroll through Instagram. Spend a couple of hours on Pinterest. Save these images so that you can show your inspiration to others.
3. Be flexible
When it comes to branded interiors, you need to have a little flexibility. Why? Because branded interior design isn’t as literal as other branded elements. You don’t have to paint your entire office your signature shade of blue. You don’t need to hang a massive logo above every desk. Let go of literal definitions of your brand and think more about the feeling behind it. If you’re a lawyer, do you want your office to feel high-end, luxurious, and maybe a little cold? Or like a comfortable place that makes clients at home? Ask yourself this type of question often.
4. Hire a professional
Interior design is an art. If you want your space to inspire, we highly, highly recommend hiring a pro. We’re a design-focused agency, but even we hired out our office makeover. It was the best thing we ever did. It’s better to pay a little more up front to get the job done right than to cheap out and have to redo it all in a year.
5. Pull the trigger
This may seem obvious, but we see it happen time and time again. You start out excited about the project, but you quickly lose steam. You’re nervous about the budget, and you become jaded, thinking that your gray and beige cubicles are just fine. No! Investing your time and resources into interior design that reflects your business is good for your reputation, employee morale, and yes, even your bottom line.