How to Use Your Interior Design for Business Branding

After your exterior design, the interior of your business is one of the most influential aspects of your branding. It has the power to create an experience that leaves a lasting impression with your customers. If you haven’t done it before, you must start thinking of your interior as a branding element, and use it to its maximum potential. So how do you use your interior design for business branding?

Consider the emotions you want to evoke when customers enter your space. Is it a familiar sense of warmth and comfort, or a feeling of energy and excitement? Everything should start here, and every element of your interior should contribute to this overall atmosphere. 

While a total update of an existing business may be more involved, here are a few elements that you can easily change and control for maximum effect. By using them the right way, you can influence your customers’ behavior, increase your sales and create a more powerful brand.

WestPac Wealth Partners office design in San Diego by Mindful Design Consulting

Color

Color has the power to influence the way we feel in a space, to set the tone and create a certain atmosphere. Color can be stimulating, expressive, exuberant and symbolic. It can also be calming, relaxing or suggesting trust. Before you choose your color palette, study how color influence people. 

Start your color selection with the brand‘s dominant colors, as this will favor brand recognition and connection. From there, you can create chromatic combinations to induce a certain state in customers. Cooler colors are known to calm people down, while brighter tones can stimulate the senses. Do you want to evoke a feeling of confidence and reliability? If so, then choosing classic colors such as navy blue, taupe, or beige may be your best option. If, on the other hand, you want to create a space that is vibrant and energizing, use colors such as yellow, orange or pink to create a cheerful atmosphere.

WestPac Wealth Partners office design in San Diego by Mindful Design Consulting

Furniture

There is the style and, of course, the color. But when selecting chairs, also think of how long you expect (or want) your customers to sit. Do you want them to feel relaxed, or do you want a fast transaction? Comfortable and supportive seating options such as enveloping upholstered chairs invite your customers to linger, while minimalist chairs are great for a quick stop.

Next, consider the atmosphere you want to create. If you want to suggest a sense of relaxation and trust, opt for comfortable chairs of the same build around a round table. This seating arrangement allows customers to feel like equals, with no one person having a higher status than another. Alternatively, talking to someone from behind your desk sends messages of power and authority. If you are trying to convince decision makers to accept your terms, talking from behind your desk will make them listen.

WestPac Wealth Partners office design in San Diego by Mindful Design Consulting

Music

Music has a powerful effect on perceptions and behaviors, and has been long used as a tool in influencing them. Different elements of music such as rhythm, volume, and harmony can affect listeners in different ways. Studies have shown that an increased tempo and a higher volume can create a sense of excitement, making people talk faster, eat  faster and even walk faster when at a restaurant. Without even knowing it, individuals tend to adjust their rhythm to the rhythm of music.

Retail stores use the this powerful tool to influence customers‘ buying behavior. Playing certain types of music can evoke positive emotions and create a pleasant atmosphere, which can encourage customers to stay longer and purchase more items. Slow, calming music can also help customers feel relaxed and more likely to browse for longer periods of time. Music can also create a sense of urgency, which can lead customers to make more impulse purchases. Finally, music can help customers associate certain items with certain moods, which can drive up sales of certain products.

Smell

In commercial spaces, smell is a much underestimated element when it comes to generating a certain type of emotional, psychological and behavioral reaction. However, studies have shown that, in the presence of a perfumed environment, customers appreciate the store image as being positive, the store decor as modern, and the quality of services as superior.

Pleasant smells such as cinnamon, citrus, and vanilla can draw customers in and encourage them to stay longer. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee or baked goods can make them feel more relaxed and willing to browse and purchase more. Conversely, unpleasant smells such as strong cleaning agents can drive customers away. By strategically using scents in a retail setting, as well as other elements of interior design for business branding, stores can create a more inviting atmosphere, which can lead to increased sales.

Blondie’s Doughnuts store by Mindful Design Consulting

If you are thinking to open a new business or are in the process of rebranding and remodeling your existing business, contact us to get a free consultation from Mindful Design Consulting. Click HERE to price your project design.