Creativity has never been so positively embraced. The defining quality of artists, poets, musicians, and writers throughout the ages, it is only recently that employers have begun to understand its importance in the cut-throat world of business.
Yes, it often involves a lot of flounce and frill, but creativity is the closest thing to individuality, and in a world where commercial competition is so very fierce, companies need to know how to stand out. It is not enough to simply be good at what you do: you have to be the best, and to become that, thinking outside of the box is essential.
Yet sterile environments and square office spaces are the death of ingenuity and innovation. Surrounded by four white walls and flat pack furniture, it’s hard to rise above the mundane and generate ideas whose effects could be magical.
It is because of this that successful businesses are starting to recognise the importance of working environments, and few areas are as essential as your aesthetic…
How to Design a Creative Workspace
Creativity is vital to the successful evolution of a business, and where it is lacking, your company will never thrive. This doesn’t mean that you have to have a big budget to design something out of this world; you simply need spaces that inspire.
The right colour scheme can go a long way towards helping you achieve this, and a few tins of magnolia could make the world of difference. Painted onto your walls, they will open up the space that’s available to you, making it seem larger, lighter, and airier. Incorporate some brightly coloured furniture too, to help create an aesthetic that’s fun, fresh, and far from the drab grey offices of yesteryear.
To maximise this effect, spend some time de-cluttering. This in itself can help to foster the sense of rebirth that you’re seeking, and will provide you with far more space. Neat, open areas help us all to breathe a little more easily, and can do wonders for fixing clogged up minds.
Getting Started
You don’t have to transform your workplace in a day; the process can be incremental. The best place to start will always be with your employees, and consulting them should give you a good idea of what they need to help stimulate their creativity, and what aspects of their suggestions they see as a priority.
A more open-plan space is likely to top the list of their recommendations, as we all need light and air to help us feel relaxed. These types of environments are also a wonderful aid to collaboration, as they make it easy to share ideas and receive immediate input on them.
In particular, a dedicated central area should be a focal point of your improvements, and should give your employees a casual place to meet up and discuss their ideas and innovations. You want to encourage a thought-provoking dialogue, and in order for people to be relaxed enough to perform to their full capacity, the area needs to feel natural; almost as though they could be sat with their friends talking in a coffee shop or beer garden.
If you don’t have the funds to do this, you could even start by renting space for your most important collaborations. Companies like societyM are adept at crafting aesthetics that encourage creativity and innovation, and you can capitalise on their expertise to help your enterprise prosper.
Give your employees the tools they need to unleash their creativity today.