Company culture is incredibly important when attracting new recruits and keeping current employees happy. Most of us spend a big chunk of our life in an office of some sort, so it’s very important to create a visually appealing, comfortable office that can build and influence better company culture.

Working at a startup, I know how important it is to use budgets efficiently, so here are some easy, cost-effective graphic design ideas that can create a great place to work.

1. Colour Therapy

Create colours that inspire, motivate or reflect your brand. You’d be surprised the difference a single feature wall can make. If you can’t afford to hire painters, get staff to help out and turn it into a company ‘creativity’ day. You can even paint a wall with chalkboard or whiteboard paint.

2. Deck the walls

Have a staff wall, client wall, or inspiration wall, and encourage employers to use it. You can put up photos of company events, art, posters, and more.

3. Get worldly

Include something that reflects the broader vision or scope of your company. If you work with clients or team members around the world, buy some wall clocks and label them with each office. It’s old-school but reminds the team and visitors that your vision is big and your reach is on a global scale.

4. Plants

Jazz up your office with some plants and flowers - create fresh air!

5. Lots of Light

Making the office appear as open and fresh as possible is very important. Bring in some lights, open up the windows and orient desks to work with the sunlight coming through.

Conclusion

Your environment has a big subconscious influence on you and your employees - productivity, creativity, attitude, and comfort. Make it an expression of your brand, your core values, and motivations behind the work you do. And have fun doing it!

Have you adopted any of these creative tactics to turn your workspace into a den of inspiring productivity? Share your ideas in the comments below!

This post written by Jo Sabin was originally published in Business Insider.

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Written by Jo Sabin on Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.