The design of offices and studios for the creative industry shouldn’t follow the route of traditional office layouts. Instead of just catering for your business, you should be catering for the individuals who make up your company, especially when recruiting for new members of the team. With companies like Google, Dropbox and Airbnb leading the way with creative offices, individuals expect creative companies to have offices that are different from the standard design.
They want to be inspired by the environment they’re surrounded by which is an extension of your brand. You wouldn’t go into the offices at Lego and expect workers to be in a greyscale room, sat in rows at computers. You’d expect to see colour and fun, spaces to imagine and create, the values that the brand stands for. So yours shouldn’t be any different.
The ideas and innovations of employees are what keep companies in the creative industries alive and the best ideas come together when employees can move away from their normal, logical thinking patterns. One way to foster creativity amongst your workers is to create zones. Everyone works best in different environments, so rather than shoehorn them into one, embrace the diversity. Like in a city, no two zones are the same, each have their own characteristics that feed into the personality of that place.
The best way to encourage your staff to think outside the box to solve problems and conjure ideas is to involve them from the offset. Listen to what gets their creative juices flowing, whether it’s an open space with a white board and pen, or private pod with a laptop and screen. This will not only give you a reason to invest in that breakout area or create huddle pods, but will save you money in the long run by increasing the productivity levels of your team members.
Constant evolvement is key for offices in the creative industries, your employees need to feel energized and inspired when they walk through your doors. Over time, keeping spaces the same won’t stir creativity in your employees like it once did, so consider changing up your office areas. Move plants around and change the artwork on the walls to freshen up your breakout and collaborative spots. Ensure you have also made contingency plans for team growth in your office design. Nothing hinders creativity like overcrowding, so finding the balance of not enough space and too much space should be integral to your planning.
