78% of people will research the employer’s reputation before applying for a job.

88% of millennials (ages 26-40 right now) believe that being part of the right company culture is critical.

32% of employees have left a job because the culture wasn’t what they thought it would be when they joined the organization.

How do you create, and communicate, company culture in a way that your employees see…and believe?

Experiential Design (XD).

But the secrets of setting companies up for success aren’t exclusive to the workplace. In fact, I work for a firm that designs for nine different industries, and there’s one thing they all have in common – Experiential Design’s place in their projects.

Take a hospital for example – a research study from the MA Innovation + Research team, surveying hundreds of people nationwide, found that 62% of people would trust a hospital more if it had comprehensive wayfinding.

Retail thrives on Experiential Design (XD), building more value as a brand by incorporating concepts like multi-sensory design, with 36% of people noting they value the smell of a space and 30% of people valuing the sound of a space.

Senior Living, community projects, multi-family residential units… They all benefit and grow from the power of experiential design’s ability to make experiences meaningful, growing culture, trust, and value.

VALUE: Positioning for Success Through Any Pandemic Phase

We’ve mentioned some – culture storytelling elements, wayfinding, multisensory design – and that’s just the beginning.

In the wake of the pandemic, the power of XD is greater than ever, while human connection couldn’t be more.

As we move through the next phases of the pandemic, while trying to remain as prepared as possible, companies throughout all industries recognize the value of human connection while maintaining social distancing practices that let those that enter your space feel safe.

These feelings translate directly into value – with 79% of people reporting they value how a space feels when they walk in.

Enter the concept of spacemaking, built on the principles of boundaries, both figuratively and literally. This concept was trending pre-pandemic, with people beginning to feel more comfortable setting boundaries in their own lives, and within their own spaces, to help optimize their productivity and well-being simultaneously. Design prompts reactions. Creating experiences that coincide with how you may want someone to feel and act in a setting is essential to providing comfortable environments. Messaging and graphics are an effective way to do this.

TRUST: Positioning for Success Through Any Pandemic Phase

A recent study found 19% of employees see a strong match between how the company represents itself and the actions they experience while working there.

According to 2021 research, 57% of 10,000 US consumers believe brand authenticity is more important after the pandemic, while 77% say they prefer to purchase from a brand they perceive as authentic over one they do not.

What does this mean? What companies say, they have to show. You use Experiential Design to do this.

This is why it’s important to curate the space to visually showcase your brand and values, regardless of your industry, in a visual way that tells your story, accomplished through things like wall murals, key phrases presented in artistic ways and elements of branding that bring people in your space back to your brand.

CULTURE: Positioning for Success Through Any Pandemic Phase

Our 2021 Innovation + Research study found people felt more trustworthy of a hospital with clear wayfinding, then with the hospital organization’s mission and vision shared clearly on display.

The research also proved that from a source of hundreds, nationwide, people valued the success of peers being highlighted in the workplace as their top priority, and company goals on display as the least valued.

People are looking for the humanistic elements of a brand to connect – the elements of culture – like mission, vision, and celebration of those individuals that collectively make up the company.

It starts with creating an environment that exudes the company’s personality, values and beliefs, done in a way with XD that makes a space that people want to return to.

By definition, XD is the art of creating memorable moments by integrating brand and culture in thoughtful, unexpected ways, connecting someone to the space and culture.
Experiential Design can energize and inspire, evoke emotion and pride, engage and impress, curate first impressions and initiate meaningful conversations.

The MA Way: Our Process

We immerse ourselves in discovering your goals and what sets your people, culture, and brand apart. We uncover details that ignite design opportunities, focused through the lens of human behaviors, to curate meaningful experiences that deliver results and lasting impressions.

Every day our XD experts work alongside our in-house architects, interior designers, and foresight teams. This collaboration provides invaluable insight, and access, into ways people holistically experience a space in its entirety – ranging from behavioral psychology to code compliance and everything between. We offer an umbrella of services from brand identity for a space to wayfinding and life details for both permanent and temporary environments.

So, What Does All of This Mean?

Creating an environment that exudes the company’s personality, values and beliefs is the key to the future of the workplace. It’s all about making a space that people want to return to. And that’s where we come in. We make the experience meaningful through Experiential Design. It’s the art of creating memorable moments by integrating brand and culture in thoughtful, unexpected ways, connecting someone to the space and culture. And that strong connection is the biggest return on investment because you’re not only connecting with current employees, but future employees, customers and guests. Experiential Design can energize and inspire, evoke emotion and pride, engage and impress, curate first impressions and initiate meaningful conversations.

We Want to Help

We exist to make your brand succeed.

So, email me at aliciao@designwithma.com. We’d love to dig in and really help you define your brand and bring your culture to life.