Providing an attractive workplace that is visually appealing at the same time as being a reflection of your brand can have positive effects on productivity and morale. The use of eye-catching large format print displays in your office can really bring the place to life.
Your office environment is important, especially if you want to attract talented employees to come and work for your organisation. An attractive working environment is good for business because it shows your staff how much you value them. And when people feel valued, they work harder. A variety of scientific studies have found that the use of art in the workplace helps reduce stress, improves health and happiness, and increases creativity. One study found that – when compared with productivity in environments that were kept plain – productivity rose by 17% in environments that were enriched by art and plants.
We recently rethought our own surroundings and created large format prints for the walls of some of our managers’ offices. Having made their own choices regarding design, they are now surrounded by images they can relate to, which helps them to relax more, even when they’re performing stressful tasks or trying to move mountains.
How long does it take to create a first impression? When it comes to meeting people, we make up our minds in about a tenth of a second. Whether this is fair or not is irrelevant – it’s just the way things are. When clients visit your office, they are probably going to be as quick in making judgements about your brand. And that is why the majority of companies put a great deal of effort into the design of their reception areas.
Large format displays in your reception area will help that first impression, whether you are using them as purely decorative or as ways of introducing your company to visitors, with high-impact images of your products, adverts, infographics, etc. For example, when we rebranded the UK headquarters of SAB Miller, we created a large format graphic for the reception area using logos of all the company’s brands.
Large open-plan office spaces can feel a little sterile without something to break up the space. You can use large format design to delineate a variety of areas that are reserved for different uses. So, for instance, an informal break area could be surrounded by fun or natural images to help people relax as they recharge their batteries, a kitchen area could have photos or graphics of hot drinks or kitchen-related objects, and more formal designs could be used for working areas and meeting rooms.
It’s well known that surrounding yourself with nature is good for your mental health. One study carried out by scientists at the University of Essex demonstrated that photos of nature and natural habitats had positive physiological effects on participants, who recovered from stress more quickly than when they were shown photos of built environments. Given that it’s impossible to move offices into the middle of a beautiful forest, the next best thing is to move nature into the office. With large format printing you can surround the office space with beautiful scenery which will encourage a calmer working environment and happier, more productive staff.