Wondering how to implement office branding?

The corporate world is divided into a series of different groups; not just defined by industry and their level of success, but by the scale of branding involved in their physical company presence. 

In this article, we’ll be looking at the different kinds of office branding in the corporate world; from fully colour-coded and branded office spaces, through to the very minimal and the incredibly vibrant array of spaces we see across London on a daily basis. 

The fact is that your office provides a first impression both to new and potential employees, as well as to suppliers, clients and customers. 

It’s the first thing they see when they come to meet your company in person, and therefore office branding gives you an opportunity to immediately bring your brand to life. 

But in order to do this, you first have to determine the right level of office branding – that is,  finding the perfect balance between too much and not enough. 

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How far your office branding should go 

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This is where it becomes crucial to understand that your branding is not just a logo – and so you don’t simply have to pop your logo on everything in the office in order to consider the space “branded”. 

Your company branding is in fact everything physical and visual about the company that you present to customers and clients on a daily basis. 

Does your company have a set of branding guidelines? If so, spend time going through your guideline document and pick out all the different elements included under the “branding” headline. 

Of course, your logo will be top of the list, but what about those underappreciated branding examples which you use every day? 

From marketing campaigns to visual adverts, email communications, your email signature, your employee dress code, and even the location of your offices – all of these things fall under branding in some respect. 

So, when it comes to creating an office space using branding, suddenly there’s a real opportunity to get creative and think outside the box. 

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Some of our favourite examples of office branding in action

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Wall graphics

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Wall graphics are commonly cited as one of the easiest to install but most effective kinds of office décor.

They’re designed to both motivate and inspire employees, and provide any visitors with an immediate introduction into whose office they are entering and what that company is all about. 

For some, this is as simple as having the company logo and a printed slogan on the wall.

For others, it might be more complex; using large marketing photos and images to drive home the mission of the company in a way which uses emotional messaging. 

One of the easiest ways to brand your office using wall graphics is by using the standard colours from your logo but in a slightly different way that adds some personality to your company. 

This could be a timeline of the company history, represented with graphics all detailed in your main brand colours. 

It could be a quote from the company founder, bringing the entire company ethos and vision together. 

Or it could simply be some kind of graphic print which visually dictates the industry you are in, using only your branding colours. 

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Combining digital, online and physical branding

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Another crucial way that office branding can be used to bring your company to life is to tie it intrinsically in with what is happening across your digital and online platforms. 

The world is becoming increasingly reliant on instant access to information and being able to sort or order something at the click of a button – so how can we use this digital reliance to enhance the power of our physical office spaces?

It all comes down to continuity and how you represent yourself online and in person – moving beyond the basic colours and logos, and towards something which cuts a little deeper. 

One of the best ways to look at this is by breaking your company down into its industry and its primary purpose. 

If, for example, you work in the technology industry and your brand message is all around simplicity and seamless user experiences, shouldn’t it follow that your office space should reflect this end goal with a seamless and clean office?

It’s similar to owning a cleaning business yet having an untidy office of your own - you don’t want your customers to see the space in which you work and start to doubt your entire business model!

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Individuality in your office branding

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On the opposite end of the scale, we have those companies and businesses which rely on and build themselves on the skillset of their people – and these are the kinds of offices where personality and individuality is key. 

If your team are the main basis of your brand and company message, let that shine through in the way you decorate and fill your office space. 

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Our tips for bringing branding into your physical office space 

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One of the most important things to take from this article is that branding doesn’t have to be exclusive to your logo – rather, it can reflect anything from the use of your brand colours to the way you use language, quotes and various levels of terminology and industry jargon. 

So, our first tip is:

1. Think outside the box and find new ways of bringing your brand to life.

Tip two revolves around the way you approach office branding both from an employee and a customer point of view: 

2. Make sure your use of office space branding both inspires and informs. If you choose to use a quote from the Founder, make sure its use is obvious and contextualised by the surrounding space. 

Tips three and four are about balance and understanding the space you are trying to fill: 

3. Make sure your office space makes sense from an industry and company point of view. 

4. Sometimes, less is more. Sometimes, less is simply less. This will depend on how vibrant your branding is and what industry you operate in, as well as how often you expect clients and customers to be visiting your space and what kind of impression you want to create in order to preserve your reputation. 

And finally, to the branding itself. 

5. Keep all office branding graphics as clean and high quality as possible. Having seen office branding done really well, and really badly, we would recommend reaching out to a professional company to get the job done well. 

Before you can work on office branding, first you need to find the right office – and that’s where we come in. 

Browse our offices here or get in touch with the team to find the ideal location from which to bring your very own company mission to life – with or without the help of a little extra branding.