The Benefits of Working in a Creative Office Space

By Taylor Johnson

You run a creative marketing agency. Your website and social media pages tell potential clients that you’re a young, energetic team bursting with amazing ideas and fresh content, yet your office furniture and work area say boring and uninspiring. It’s time to mix it up. It is 2016, after all, and innovative offices are all the rage.

If you run a company where clients pay you for your creative ideas, here's why you should be working in a creative office environment and space:

1. It reflects your work

You’re a team of young professionals oozing inspirational ideas and enthusiasm. Your website and marketing materials are sleek, so why should this stop at your office? Your office should be a reflection of your company ethos and who you want to be viewed as. Bland walls, bog-standard office furniture, and cubicles do not scream, "Hire us! We’ll create awesome content for you."

Your space should be an inspirational working environment that reflects your company's true abilities. Redesiging your office doesn’t have to be costly, either. There are tons of ways you can make improvements on a minimal budget (but more of that later).

2. It can enhance your mood

A positive and uplifting environment does wonders for your creativity and your attitude. In fact, it’s been reported that even wall colour can affect your mood. A positive environment equates to a positive state of mind, and you’re far more likely to feel stimulated in an aesthetically pleasing office space. After all, chipped walls and questionable office carpets hardly scream motivational atmosphere.

3. It can increase success

If you’re a creative agency, then it’s more than likely you’ll be host to a fair amount of meetings with existing clients and potential clients or even business partners. First impressions are everything. We’re taught this from day one, so whilst you might have dressed up smartly in your new suit, what about the office itself? Is it welcoming? Is it stylish? Or is it just plain dull? Ask yourself what sort of environment you would like to enter if you were the visiting person and go from here. You’ll be raking in the new clients in no time.

4. It will improve team relations

Cubicles are so 2001. They can be very solitary and lonely, and they're definitely not the most encouraging of environments to spend nine hours a day in. These days it’s all about an open plan office. Not only does an open plan offer a more welcoming environment, it can also increase communication amongst colleagues. You also might find that work gets completed quicker, and departments communicate better amongst themselves as well.  Note: even with an open plan, you will probably still require a meeting room or two as sometime there’s a need for a private area.

5. It will encourage staff retention

Hiring new staff is not only a costly process, it can be extremely time consuming too, and that’s just the start. Training can be a long process, especially if the person who has left had a high level of responsibility and had already developed solid relationships with clients.

To avoid costly staff losses, a positive, stylish work atmosphere can really encourage your team to stay put. You may want to also think about introducing modern ways of working and the option to work flexibly. Work-from-home days have become the norm and they enable staff to maintain a positive work-life balance.

Designing your perfect space

So this all sounds really great, doesn’t it? But how do you go about creating an office that’s innovative, inspiring, and encourages motivation? Here are a few ideas:

Walls are a great starting point. White walls are perfectly acceptable if your office follows through with a Scandi inspired minimalist haven; however, if this is not the case and you want to have fun with a bit of colour, why not think of ways you can truly put your stamp on boring office walls? Here’s a bit of inspiration for you: ones guy recently decorated his office using 8,024 sticky notes. The bar is set, people.

Be gone with drab carpets! Sometimes the most beautiful of floors are lurking underneath the most offensive of carpets. If not, then why not consider investing in something a little more modern such as a faux wooden flooring or marble. Just anything but the navy or green carpets.

Office furniture doesn’t have to come from an office catalogue. Freshen up the feel of your work space with vibrant white desks. You can get these pretty cheap from Ikea, if budget is an issue. Comfy office chairs are important, but why not find a couple of cheap minimal-style chairs that you can decorate with some stylish cushions too?

Fresh flowers can work wonders for a room. Flowers can uplift the overall mood, so why not swing by your local market to pick up a lovely fresh bunch of fleurs for the office coffee table? Speaking of which…

Chill out. Creating a "chill out zone" is a great way to bring your office into the 21st century. Make a quiet space with comfy chairs, or even a sofa, along with some comfy cushions and a coffee table with pretentiously placed artsy magazines. You can host meetings in this space, and employees can also go there to have some down time.

An office isn’t just an area that your employees complete their monthly reports and spend one-third of their lives. It should reflect you as a business and provide a welcoming and contemporary environment for guests and visitors. The benefits are clear to see and you don’t need to splash the cash to create a pleasant atmosphere.