Imagine the worst office in the world. It’s not covered in mould or falling apart at the seams; at least a ramshackle office has some character. Instead, it’s a blank slate, the type of office with about as much personality as a lobotomy patient.
Indeed, an expressionless office is about as good for worker morale as whipping your employees with a reed cane. Great art or interior design, conversely, should create a spark of creative energy that will up motivation and help staff think outside the box.
To prove the point, just think of a time you visited a museum.
Chances are most of the paintings and sculptures were as dull as dishwater. But as you slumped your way through this stolid institution, one piece probably caught your eye, made the cogs of your mind whirr like pistons. This is the effect good art should have in your office.
But how do you get electrifying designs? For starters, try a few of these tips.
Get corporate
You’ve probably been in some offices where the art was about as exciting as a weekend at the Watch Paint Dry Exhibition in Stoke. The worst are those so-called motivational posters, showing a picture of a mountain with phrases like “Climb the peak of inspiration” or “Hike your way to success”. Never has artwork been so banal.
But corporate art can still shine with inspiration. Babbling brooks, rolling fields, rows of corn licked by a gentle beam of sunlight – they’re all calming designs available from corporate art sellers, and they could help your business convey the right message about its workforce.
If you’re feeling extra flush, you could even head to an art dealer and purchase some original works. Not only will you add class to your office, you’ll have extra assets to make your financiers smile.
Ask the staff
Your most discerning clients aren’t the ones you’re serving, but the guys and girls punching the clock under your command. So why not give your staff a look-in where office design is concerned?
Find the artsier employees in your office and ask them how their workplace could be improved. If you’re confident in any of their painterly skills, why not give them some funding, a palette and let them have a bit of fun on your walls?
If you don’t like the result, simply whitewash your plasterboard and start over again.
Yin for your yang
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese art that’s been helping designers for more than two millennia. And while it initially held spiritual functions, its modern westernised version is essentially a diverse version of interior design.
Call a feng shui expert in to make your office slicker, cooler and more productive. They won’t be able to solve your profit margins, but they can help you create a less downbeat environment.
3 Supercool Office Design Ideas on Photography Heat - Photography Inspirations and Online Resources for Designers.
