THE RECEPTION AREA: WHERE YOUR BRAND EXPERIENCE STARTS

Where Your Brand Experience Starts

Your office reception area is your Brand Story in a frame.

Put differently, if a person took a wrong turn and meandered into your reception lobby, do you think it would make them feel welcomed?

As a business or brand, the communication you pitch to visitors and occupants starts at your reception area. If you desire that your company is seen as young and vibrant, then your front desk should reflect spiritedness to everyone who walks in. Whereas, if the need is for your brand to project a sense of luxury, the principal aim of your reception area would then be to make a unique declaration and call to indulgence. Your reception area, whether primary or secondary, is your brand’s first point of contact, it is the space where the clients and visitors learn about the ethos, brand, and culture of your company.

With over 12 years of designing and delivering commercial spaces, we have gained insights and developed a matrix that allows us to choose a unique experience for each brand or client. We have also found that at the heart of the functional reception area is a clear definition of who the reception space serves, as well as a proper curation of the visitors’ entire experience in the space.

Designing a welcome space that is true to the identity and aspirations of the brand has added benefits, such as influencing both existing and potential employee mindset; reminding them of the larger vision of the brand.

In this article, we share three important design considerations for creating a functional and welcoming reception space.

Simplicity :

Less is definitely more.

By all means, do not overcompensate or make an ostentatious display of your brand, such that it literally screams at visitors: certainly, incorporate your brand’s colors and text into your reception area too, but don’t overdo it.

A strong brand messaging does the natural charm, the next move would be to effortlessly articulate the same in the layout of your reception area, especially with the furniture arrangement, and layering of elements.

Also, remember the negative spaces (void spaces) are just as important as the positive spaces.

Nature :

Draw on man’s connection to nature by bringing in the outdoors: employ natural light and or greenery.

Natural light is always more welcoming and easier on the eyes than artificial light. It contains an even balance of all the colors of the spectrum and alternates with the time of day, which is intrinsic to our circadian rhythm.

Plan the furniture layout, where possible, such that it intensifies any natural light coming into your reception space or any living area.

In the absence of this, explore light fittings that mimic daylight or respond to the time of day.

Including indoor plants, whether vertical or floor standing is always a good idea, however, be careful to select plants that are right for the indoors.

Service :

Show some compassion in your design.

Create a personable and hospitable ambiance, imagine and reimagine how your visitors would travel through your reception space, from the moment they come through your door.

Are there crossing paths that could cause a clumsy flow of traffic in your space? Does your space evoke a sense of place or arrival for your visitors?

Please share with us, in our comment section, what other components you would desire to see in a well-designed reception area.

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