Believe it or not, the design of an office can have a positive impact on your approach to work. You’ve probably seen the really cool offices by large companies like Google and Apple and there’s a reason why these offices are designed the way they are: it’s because the design can have a huge effect on both creativity and productivity.
As a web designer and having worked in a variety of spaces it is clear to me having certain elements to your work environment can have a significant effect on your work. Modern offices come in all sorts of interesting and unique designs because business owners realise that the right office design can bring out the best in their employees.
Read on for six of my favourite office design tips that will make you more creative.
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Colours
You should have a pleasant working environment that’s light, bright and colourful as this can make you feel more positive, more engaged and more creative. When it comes to colours, yellow has been shown to be the best colour to have in an office because not only can it encourage creativity, it can also increase optimism. You can see what other colours will work well in this interview with psychologist Angela Wright.
Personal touches
Something people can do themselves is adding a personal touch to their desk. You can bring in photos of friends and family or little mementos that will inspire you and fuel your creativity. Things like these give people something to work for and are good at keeping people motivated and thinking of new ideas. It’s your workstation: make it more like you.
Standing while working
Sitting at a desk for eight hours a day or so can be bad for your health. Working while standing up can make you more productive because it requires you to actively use more muscles than when you’re sitting down all day. You’ll also find because you’re standing up that you’ll communicate with colleagues more which can often lead to bouncing ideas off one another and coming up with a new concept that you wouldn’t have by yourself.
If it’s not possible to spend the whole day standing perhaps try to spend at least some of your working day standing to reap the benefits. Convince your boss by telling them about the great health benefits and what difference it can make to your work.
Social areas
A great way to be more creative is to draw inspiration from other people, which is why your workspace should have a social area. Here people can relax, take a break from work and recharge their batteries. Though remember, it’s important to keep social areas separate from working areas because if the two overlap, people will not be able to fully disengage from working mode.
Natural light
Not getting enough sunlight can lead to a lack of creativity and productivity, so let lots of natural light into your office to make you and your co-workers feel more inventive and motivated. Make sure you let in as much natural light as you can by using light curtains and ensuring none of the windows are blocked. Another great tip if your space has a limited amount of natural light is to paint the room white, this will bounce the natural light coming in around the room and make the room appear lighter.
Pieces of art
The workplace can become monotonous and uninspiring at times. Adding pieces of art to it can give you something to engage with and think about; it can also provide a sense of escape, which many employees seek during the average working day. Not only can art in the workplace make people more productive, it can also inspire them to be more creative.
If it’s possible to change the art around every few months even better, this will give people the sense that they are working in a different space and give people new inspiration.
Having the right office design can work wonders for people’s creativity and productivity. The best thing about it is that even the smallest of changes can have big effects, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t start implementing some new changes in your office to boost your creativity.