A review of modern tech, CPG and coworking office designs to help you inspire employees and represent your brand to impress your most important visitors
Your employees literally spend the majority of their lives working in your office. Every day they’re choosing to spend 8, 9, maybe 10 (hopefully not 12) hours a day there. The way it is designed, the way it makes them feel, and their ability to make the most of the space, not only impacts their mood, but certainly their productivity, too. Further, as we discussed in the importance of first impressions, your office space is a reflection of your brand and your business.
It’s like the left hand isn’t talk to the right hand. Or rather, the left brain isn’t talking to the right brain. In this post we’re going to explore a handful of unique offices, the motivation behind their design, and what this means for their employees.
In case you needed another reason to love this cutting-edge company known for its intra-office messaging service, you can now add amazing office design and layout to the list. With their main headquarters in San Francisco, this new European headquarters in Dublin was designed to match the interesting, winding roads of the city of Dublin.
Lots of concrete, wood, and a notably mature color palette set this office apart from other tech companies. One other difference? Their minimal use of branding and the discreet logo treatment! We’re pickin' up what you’re puttin' down, Slack!
(Hey, did we mention we now integrate with Slack!?)
As one of the leaders in coworking space in the greater Denver Area, Innovation Pavilion envisioned an office that lets their members have a number of different, distinct places to work for the day. Truly unique, Innovation Pavilion was designed in partnership with one of their long-time members and now fractional CMO, Gary Hilton. “The IP brand is all about taking complex issues and making them simple, wrapping everything into a nice, pleasing package. We designed the space with that in mind,” said Hilton.
Filled with custom graphics, huge murals, and a myriad of desks, offices, and open work spaces, IP is leading the charge. In speaking of the motivation behind the design, he said, “The first thing we considered when designing the space were the members and employees, current and prospect. While of course we want to attract coworking millennials (hence the ping pong tables) we also wanted to be bright, fun-loving and also professional.”
“We’ve found inspiration from the lush locations where our coconuts are sourced and the fast-paced cities where we sell our product.”
If their goal was to create a collaborative workspace that inspired and motivated their team, Vita Coco nailed it! Filled with reclaimed wood, potted palms, and even a hammock to boot, the Vita Coco office gives you a little piece of Brazil in the Big Apple. Each conference room is appropriately named after a global surf destination and equipped with Smart TV’s, comfortable couches and unique decor.
Talk about living your brand! Airbnb’s offices are like taking a trip to each of your favorite cities, without ever having to leave your desk! It’s no wonder they receive a 3.9 on Glassdoor’s employee satisfaction rating system. We heard that there are at least 8 uniquely-designed meeting rooms. There is a Mexican log cabin meeting room, Cairo and Mumbai-inspired cafés, a movie-themed black boardroom, a Shanghai loft, unique glamping desks, and even an Italian living room for employees to lounge in. Did we mention it’s dog-friendly? When your office has this much going for it, your employees are happy to spend a few extra hours each week working!
So, while we don’t all have the budgets of Airbnb, these unique spaces can offer up inspiration for changes that can have a long-lasting impact on your team and employees. Start small. Perhaps it’s increasing the number of office plants, or installing a unique conference table and rethinking the wall color! Little changes will add up and will make a big difference in the bottom line of employee satisfaction, and brand representation.
Seen any cool spaces you’d like to share? Send them our way!
--Dave at Greetly
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