If you run a business or manage an office, it’s easy to get lost in running the day-to-day concerns of the enterprise and lose sight of the space around you. You’re in a series of meetings, in front of your screen, or staring into space figuring out solutions. You spend so much time doing and not enough time looking at what surrounds you. So when you do stop and focus on your surroundings, it may seem like you’re seeing it for the first time. It’s at that moment that you need to ask yourself the question: “Is our office space on brand?”

One of the many things businesses don’t often get is that branding isn’t just external thing. It’s not limited to the products and services you offer, nor is it restricted to the face your company presents to the rest of the world. It extends to how your office space looks and how it makes your employees and guests feel.

Workplace branding: More than a stylish office space

Making sure your office space has a distinct and consistent look goes beyond the aesthetic. It’s about letting your brand and your business values shine through. When done right, workplace branding can leave a positive and lasting impact on your business, your employees, as well as your partners and clients.

• It helps you build the physical identity of your business. A lot of the branding we see nowadays happens online. While digital is certainly important, the physical identity of your business is just as significant. You’ll be able to convey what your business is all about and its personality the minute potential clients and partners walk into your office for a meeting.

• It helps employees understand the brand better. According to a Gallup poll, less than 41% of employees know what makes their company’s brand different from others. This is important, as employees can significantly affect a customer’s experience with the brand. With better workplace branding, you make your employees natural brand ambassadors with a deep understanding and commitment to the brand’s success.

• It uplifts the work environment. Instead of a generic office workplace branding helps create a positive culture at work. And when your employees enjoy being at the office, they are more likely to be productive and creative. Most importantly, workplace branding increases an employee’s sense of pride because they feel that are indeed part of the company.

• It attracts talent. Prospective clients and partners, not to mention your staff, are not the only people you need to impress. You need to pay close attention to potential new hires as well. Workplace branding can entice bright young talent to be a part of the team and help your business grow.

How to make your office space reflect your brand

It takes more than picking the right furniture and introducing pops of color for your office space to reflect your brand. Here are a couple of improvements you can do to ace branding in the workplace.

• Add custom signage

  Establish where you are. Use your logo or custom signage — big and bold, depending on how you want to convey your brand’s personality — in the lobby, the floor of your office, on the doors to your  actual space. The point is to make your presence felt. In other parts of the workplace, you can find other methods to slip custom signage, from art and murals to simple hangings on the wall.

• Select your color palette

  The effective use of a color scheme throughout the office space makes the entire workplace feel cohesive. It can be challenging, however, to envision a palette that is both aligned with your branding and the design of the office space itself.

  You can start out by taking a look at your brand colors. From there, determine the shades and hues that will suit the workplace. Then, figure out the best way to incorporate these colors in the office.

  Think about the effect of painting entire walls in the palette you selected. Bright colors tend to energize and brighten the workplace, while darker hues are cooler and can make the office space feel smaller. Having accent walls, decor, and artwork that fit the established palette is a great way to introduce color in the office space without making drastic changes.

• Display company achievements and products

  Remind employees, clients, and partners what your business is all about by displaying company highlights. Hang framed posters of products, press releases, and news clippings on the wall. If your business has received awards and recognition, proudly display these as well.

  Are you currently expanding your business? A map of the state (or the country, or even the world) detailing where your business is now operating and where you plan to expand helps share your goals for the company with the rest of the team.

  Displaying company highlights also provides potential clients and investors a glimpse of your brand and business. Don’t be afraid to showcase your mission, vision, and values.

• Don’t forget meeting rooms and social spaces

  Workplace branding shouldn’t be limited to the main areas of the office. It should cover the entire space, from the lobby to the smallest huddle areas. Items and furniture that blend with the color scheme and motivational pieces aligned with your brand’s values will help dress these spaces.

  Gathering spots, in particular, should be part of the branding. These are circles of creativity, places where employees huddle and where you can meet clients and partners. Keep company values, mission, and vision mind when decorating these areas.

These companies do workplace branding well

Not sure where to start? Let’s get you inspired. Here are a couple of companies that completely nail workplace branding right on the head, creating cool and functional office spaces.

• Google

  Googleplex, Google’s headquarters complex in Mountain View, CA personifies what the brand stands for: tech and solutions innovation. The result is a playground of a workplace, with a wide variety of amenities available for its employees and visitors. Each space is designed to encourage play and spontaneous interactions. Googleplex basically offers university life in a work setting.

• BARK

  BARK provides pet supplies, delivered on a subscription basis. As the go-to company in this field, BARK incorporated this integral part of their identity and branding right in the workplace.

  BARK’s headquarters in Columbus, OH is perhaps the pet-friendliest office space ever. With dogs frequently roaming around, the office floors, which were made with sealed concrete, woven vinyl, and rubber, are all easy to clean. Cubbies in wipeable fabric break up the workplace so employees and their furry best friends can chill out side by side. And since running in the office is distracting, dogs can spend all of their energy at the outdoor dog run.

  BARK’s canine companions are not the only ones who are well looked after by the company. The business extends additional support to employees who have recently lost their pets. Now you know this is a company that is truly built by dog lovers and created for dog lovers.

• The Wing

  The Wing creates work and community spaces designed by women for women. Their office in Manhattan, housed in a 19th-century building listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reflects their ethos.

  Each co-working space at The Wing has the feel of a home, from the furniture to the lighting that hangs from the high ceilings to the greenery. Colors complement the original tilework. Punchy graphics, cozy conversation areas, and bold accent walls enhance the warm and welcoming vibe. Fittingly, the conference rooms at The Wing are named after notable women.

• Slack

  We know Slack best for creating a digital hub where professionals can collaborate to get their work done. But Slack has also excelled in making a tangible and productive work ecosystem that reflects everything the company stands for: collaboration and a simple, streamlined work life.

  Slack’s San Francisco headquarters is primarily modeled after the planet Earth, enhanced with a couple of thoughtful additions. The company took inspiration from its location, evoking the mountains, forests, and deserts of the Pacific Northwest.

  The office design is also an homage to Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield’s great love for the outdoors. Tent-like huddle spaces were erected in the lobby and function like a  corporate base camp. Hallways make employees feel as if they’re walking between glaciers. It’s in this nature-inspired office that the teams at Slack collaborate.

Workplace branding matters

Here at LOFT, we understand the value of getting your brand message across to prospective team members, clients, and partners. Reach out to us at [email protected] to learn more about our private offices and custom buildout offices so your brand can shine in the workplace.