Corporate Headquarters As A Brand Statement: Using Design To Tell Your Company Story 

Where your business operates matters. But the location of the building itself is only half of the equation. When visitors, investors, partners, or even customers step inside your company’s corporate headquarters, they instantly learn your brand. 

Corporate headquarters should function in a way that delivers reliable productivity. Look beyond that to ensure your layout, style, and design all come together to provide the right first impression of your business. 

What Non-Verbal Brand Statements Is Your Corporate Headquarters Sharing? 

Corporate headquarters branding should be intentional, executed based on the functional needs of your company, and provide the visitor with the right impression as soon as they open the door. Just as you put time and effort into creating your logo and building your company’s website, put the same effort into communicating that brand within your space. 

How do you use your company’s headquarters to communicate the values of your company and build your organization’s corporate culture? Consider some strategies in master plan urban design for your headquarters update. 

Define What Your Space Should Communicate 

When branding your corporate headquarters, consider the elements of your brand that should shine through in your design. Consider factors such as: 

• Company colors and fonts based on your logo 
• Sustainability efforts are important to your organization 
• Promote collaboration with open flow spaces that allow people to work together 
• Exude luxury to impress investors 
• Innovative and flexible to draw in young professionals 

Using your company’s values, mission, and emotional resonance should be considered. The physical workspace should reinforce your brand in every other touchpoint, from your marketing to your company’s logo. 

Here’s an example. A tech startup may want to provide the image of being innovative. The use of advanced technology is critical, but so is a clean look. Modular furniture works well. The use of open spaces may work to provide a theme of collaboration. 

Colors and Materials Matter 

Beyond the actual colors of your brand, think a bit deeper about the overall design of the space and how they come together to create an image. 

• Glass and metal create a modern feel with a tech focus. 
• White walls with bursts of bright colors spur a creative mindset. 
• All-natural materials carefully sourced communicate an ecofriendly mission. 
• The use of brick walls or wood paneling creates a more down-to-earth image. 
• The use of leather and fabrics on walls and furniture conveys a more upscale and contemporary look. 

These visual elements help you tell a story without saying a single word. When you want your visitors to instantly recognize what defines your brand, make that the focus. 

Don’t overlook the importance of color psychology as well. For an ecofriendly, growing company, the use of green offers a welcoming, bright feel. For those who want to convey a more professional, muted tone, modern grays can achieve that. Bursts of red on critical walls help to convey exactness, the ideal place to communicate new company accomplishments and projects. 

Layout of Your Branded Corporate Headquarters 

Beyond anything else, the space must function. If your teams spend most of their time working on projects together, you need open spaces and team rooms. If there are a lot of opportunities for individuals to work together, communicate that with open spaces right from the front door. 

The use of an open layout communicates collaboration and offers a feeling of transparency. This may help you communicate to prospective top talent that your location is the ideal place for their growth. 

For employees who spend much of their time behind screens, consider the use of bright spaces with ergonomic furniture. Utilize flexible work zones that allow for a change of scenery during the day. You may wish to incorporate zones of high-tech equipment for collaborative meetings with potential investors. A traditional boardroom still makes sense for many corporate organizations that need to bring people together for valued conversations. 

Communicating Organization Values and Driven Force 

View your office design as not just a real estate decision. It should be a critical strategic HR asset that communicates the organization’s values and puts customers first, especially in the HR world. 

Spending some time modernizing this space provides clarity on who your company is, and every person knows what to expect when they step inside. They instantly have a non-verbal feeling about your company and, often, they know right away if that’s where they want to be and if the company is one they want to be a part of in some way. 

SOURCES:

https://www.newground.com/insights/what-an-organizations-headquarters-means-for-its-brand/ 
https://fmgi.com/reflecting-brand-identity-through-your-office-design/