Branding is one of the hardest elements to master for most new business owners. Even seasoned veterans can struggle with how to best promote their brand to consumers. However, branding is not as complicated as it may seem.
It’s all about creating the right signifiers so that people can recognize your business and associate it with positive experiences, products, or services. And a big part of developing a successful brand is simply giving it plenty of TLC over many years.
It’s important to note that you can’t hope to win the public over with your branding if you don’t start at home. While you don’t need to plaster your company logo over every inch of your office, you should ensure that your office design reflects the kind of company and brand that you want to be.
So, let’s take a look at a few ways to bring branding to your office!
Establish a Strong Brand Identity
First thing’s first: if you want to create an office space that reflects and enhances your brand, then you need to develop a strong brand identity ASAP. Unfortunately, this is much easier said than done.
Building a brand from scratch can take months, if not years, of hard work. What’s more, businesses are more likely to rebrand now than ever before. As such, it’s crucial to develop a powerful brand identity before you start altering your office.
Changing your workspace to suit a still-evolving business and brand is not cost-effective or practical. (Though, you should update your workspace should you choose to alter your brand significantly.)
Make Your Logo a Centerpiece
If you have employees, they may not enjoy seeing the company logo on every mug, computer screen, or free wall space. However, if you want to create the right branding for your company, you need to make sure that visitors to your office know who you are.
This means that your company or product logo should be at the forefront. Whether it is at the very entrance or in the middle of your office design, you need to ensure that people can see it.
Note, there is a way to incorporate your logo in a tasteful way that doesn’t detract from your overall office design. You could also consider adapting your logo to your office setting.
Integrating aspects of your brand –– such as a color scheme –– into office artwork or decor can be a tremendous method for building a consistent and compelling office design.
The exact location and design will largely depend on the type of business you run. For example, a medical offices design might want the logo out at the front of the building, so that people can identify a medical clinic or office in passing.
Alternatively, a marketing office may not wish to bring in passersby, which means that the logo might be better served somewhere within the office itself.
Find a Layout That Matches Your Brand
Do you run a casual, forward-thinking startup or a standard business with traditional values? Either way, your office should reflect the tone and vision of your brand.
If you want to be the next big thing in the tech world, you probably won’t want to work out of a dingy old office that was built 100 years ago. Instead, you’ll want to be surrounded by hi-tech designs and modern furnishings.
However, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew. Designing or redesigning your office can get expensive.
There’s no need to blow half your budget just to have the perfect office. Instead, you should be willing to make some concessions or slowly redesign your office if you don’t have the capital right now.
In drastic situations, some business leaders may need to relocate their company in order to create an office space that suits their needs and their values. This is a huge decision, though, so don’t make it lightly!
Consult With Your Employees
At the end of the day, your employees are the ones who will probably spend the most time in your office. Additionally, your employees make up an important part of your brand. Without them, your brand might not even exist!
So, be sure to consult with your employees about their vision for the workspace. You don’t need to follow every request to the letter, but getting an idea of what your employees want will help bring greater inclusivity to your brand and your office.
Ask your employees if any part of the workspace, such as the bathroom needs any upgrades or improvements. Consider checking ADA bathroom stall requirements and including them in your plans for an inclusive workspace. This will help ensure that all employees and visitors can use the bathroom with ease and comfort. By following these requirements, you can demonstrate your commitment to accessibility and make your office a more welcoming place for everyone.
Rewarding employees for their input can help them feel more involved in this process as well. And creating branded items for them to have and use –– like t-shirts, mouse pads, water bottles, etc. –– can boost your brand and bring your team together at the same time.
Business leaders may also consider speaking with customers about the layout and design of their stores. Changes made to improve the customer experience are almost always worthwhile investments.
Celebrate Your Achievements
A successful brand is much more than a sharp logo and snappy tagline. Rather, many brands thrive because of the hard work and positive attitudes of everyday employees around the office. Given that fact, progressive business leaders should seek to highlight the achievements of their best employees on a regular basis.
If you spend a lot of time and energy creating a positive work environment, it only makes sense to let the world know about what your team can accomplish.
Sharing key office posts on social media, for instance, is a great way to connect with potential consumers and future employees. Branding, like most things in business, really is all about people.
Conclusion
Balancing your branding objectives with your real-world office design needs may not always be easy. Accomplishing this goal could be expensive, tricky, and time-consuming.
Yet, creating an office that serves the needs of your employees as well as your company at large is essential to ensuring long-term business success. By sticking at it, though, business leaders can merge their brand identity with their office space.
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