Recently, some of us at WindowWorks attended the Now of Design, a webinar put on by 3M. 3M occasionally puts on these fabulous webinars about design and window film or other kinds of film. Check out the last blog post about a 3M webinar here: Highlights from new 3M Fasara Patterns. Here are some of the ideas from that webinar that might interest you.

Design and Empathy

As designers, we all need to be good listeners. Our clients need us to respond to them and assimilate what they say. And we’re designing for a global audience, as well as for a neurodiverse one, says Sandra Olave, Chair of Interior Design at College of Creative Studies. But we also need to listen to each other and those on our teams — one of the ways we do that at Window Works is through celebrations (and things like karaoke, too). We’d also like to point out the great job that Megan Kennedy did moderating the talk.

Healing Environments

We have the ability to create photorealistic renderings in spaces. It’s a great time to be doing design. We can layer tools, study options… We’re creating environments that have the opportunity to have a huge impact, connect, and heal. Design is influenced by the times we’re living in. Colors are more muted when the economy is down. In prosperous times, colors become brighter. These were some of the ideas put forth by Rich Bonnin, Design Principal, HGA. And we agree that having either windows that open out onto nature or wallpaper with images of nature can help create a healing environment.

Creating a Welcoming Space

It’s critical to create a welcoming space, especially now when people are coming back to the workplace. Many people might not want to come back, so it’s part of our mission to make workplaces as welcoming as possible. We can of course elicit feelings from the spaces we create. Use the colors and shapes that represent the brand, explains Ryan Kovalak, Executive Director, Environments & Experience, Monigle. You may want a space that’s fun and energetic. Or you could want a calmer mood for some areas. Not everyone is an extrovert, and some may need quiet to do their work.

The Future of the Workplace

We need to repurpose the office. The model we had worked for a long time, but now things are different. Kovalak explains that the office used to be a way to bring people together, but the office needs a new purpose. The office can still be a hub. It represents a sense of community, collaboration, and a social function, rather than one of efficiency. Bonnin adds that the last two years have been interesting. Less than 20% had a work from home policy, and now nearly everyone does. We’ve proven that we can do our work anywhere and be as remote as we wish. The question is: What have people gotten used to at home where they’ve been able to move around from the kitchen to the office to the back patio? And how can those lessons be applied to the business environment? Collaboration is a work mode we need to understand and support. By the way, we loved having someone’s dog appear in the webinar, too. An illustration of what we might be missing if we move back into a corporate office. Do corporations need to allow pets to make offices more welcoming?

Inspiration and Design Paralysis

People are looking around to see what everyone else is doing. Many are putting off decisions on expensive projects, either due to expenses or paralysis. Everyone wants flexibility from their office space. But, as Bonnin explained, life goes on. Decisions need to be made. Surprisingly, younger people are worried about not seeing their boss, and being overlooked for opportunities, promotions, etc. Kovalak adds that it’s smart to pause a little bit. People are going back to the places that were familiar that now seem like the past. “Everything needs to be reimagined. Small things can have big impact. And big things can have small impact. Wellness is no longer a trend.”

Hybrid Environments

Not everyone wants to go back to work, but it’s largely dependent upon what people do for a living, not so much which generation they’re from, says Bonnin. If you’re working in a call center, you don’t necessarily want to drive 45 minutes each way (especially with the price of gas now) to sit in a cubicle.

Connection is Critical

As Olave says, she makes her students feel like they’re superheroes! Bonnin makes a very good point when he says that for people without that connection, it’s just as easy to go from one company doing zoom calls all day to another company doing zoom calls all day. It’s expensive to companies. What can we do to make people feel like a part of the organization? To answer that point, we at Window Works make it a point to celebrate our wins, our birthdays, and our local holidays–and that includes karaoke. We say that not to brag, but in the hopes that other companies can also have an inclusive environment and celebrate all the members of their teams. What does your company or team do to ensure everyone feels included?