Imagine yourself visiting an office for a meeting. You are the client, and you’re looking to find a trustworthy team to do the services you need. They need to make an excellent first impression on you. They can do that in many ways. But it won’t be in a way you’d think.
How the directors or managers welcome you won’t get to do that. It also won’t be how the team makes its presentation. No, it’s up to the lobby to make the company’s first impression. How you feel the moment you step into their office will tell you what kind of company they are.
Investing in art can be so much more than displaying stock photos with inspirational quotes. If you find yourself constrained by a budget, you can turn to invest in fine art replicas instead. You can fulfill your dreams of having a work by Vincent Van Gogh or Georgia O’Keeffe.
Where Corporations and Art Meet
Walking into a lobby that displays works of art can immediately cause feelings of elation or at least awe. Many companies invest thousands—even millions—in art collections. This practice was popularized by prominent American banker David Rockefeller in 1967. He established the Business Committee for the Arts, Inc. (BCA). It’s a nationwide nonprofit that promotes collaboration of business and art and the value of art in the corporate setting.
Fortune 500 companies do this in unique ways. For example, the Campbell Soup Company invested in art displays of vintage soup tureens. It’s a fun and innovative way of establishing their identity as the leading expert on soups. The Folger Coffee Company does a similar thing by investing in vintage silver coffee pots.
Representing Corporate Identity
How a business designs its office shows the kind of work they do and the people who work there. A 100-year-old business displaying a modern masterpiece by, say, Andy Warhol suggests that the company is experienced but keeps up with the modern times. It shows that although they mean business, they are also cultured.
The people may be old players in the game, but they collaborate well with the millennials. It could also suggest that business may be a serious matter. But the pop of color of a Warhol piece indicates that they also know how to have fun.
The representation of identity could make or break a potential partnership with a client. It could also affect the interest of applicants who can contribute to the company in a significant way.
Looking After Employees’ Well-being
Businesses thrive because of many reasons. But one significant reason is their employees’ balanced mental state and good camaraderie with colleagues. There are many ways to keep morale up, such as company outings, free food and drinks, and support for their health.
But another significant way is through the display of art in the workplace. A study in the Environment and Behavior journal by SAGE Publications found that workers surrounded by aesthetically-pleasing posters and displays eased their stress and anger. It improved their relationships with their co-workers. It’s even more effective if the artworks are images of nature.
Improving Creativity and Productivity
Surrounding employees with art also boosts their work performance. They respond better to their assignments. The submissions that they turn in also receive better feedback from their supervisors. That will lead to a greater impact on the company’s success.
Data in Forbes states that their performance improved by 15%. But what’s even more rewarding is collaborating with them in deciding which art to display in the workplace.
The return of investment in the art may not be as immediate and apparent. But it yields better results that come from its roots: the employees’ performance.
Enhancing CSR Profile
When a company contributes to the art community, they are recognized as a Patron of the Art and improve their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) profile. That impacts their positive reputation to prospective clients. It also builds a network with the local community. Forging healthy relationships with the locals also affects their impression on clients, leading to the success of the business.
Businesses can even lend their art collections to local galleries or display at events. That makes art even more accessible to the public. Thus, the company’s impression of the community enhances as well.
Displaying works of art in the workplace shows how much you care about your employees and your relationship with the local community. Someday, you can even reach the success of a business like the Deutsche Bank in Germany. It has the vastest corporate art collection in the world. They are driven by the philosophy that art always inspires business.