It may seem counterintuitive to ask designers to work with an IT department from the very first sketch of your space. However, spaces only work well if they work for the people within them. We truly need to understand the world around us and how people use it to create something great. IT may not always be perceived as a creative partner, it’s true. But the fact is they are especially creative and impactful when it comes to designing a successful space and understanding how people work in their environment. You might even be surprised at all you can accomplish together.

We've had the opportunity to create branded environments for two of Michigan State University's athletic teams - football and hockey.

Businesses aren’t that different from people. They function much like humans do as a living, breathing place. They have needs to fulfill, like attracting and retaining top talent, stimulating innovation, increasing efficiency, and strengthening brand connection. Through global research and a robust study, Herman Miller found that the Living Office elevates the experience of work for people through a human-centered approach that helps organizations to define priorities, achieve strategic goals, and fulfill a greater purpose.

What is environmental branding? While there are varying levels of awareness as to what it actually is, a large misconception is that branding is all about signage or even simply the use of your logo in your space. Signage is a commodity that’s readily available but when it comes to branding, there’s a strategic backbone behind what you’re striving to achieve. It’s not about putting an image on the wall but about the thought process and message behind it, the placement of it, and even the material used to make it. By using design strategy, you take a concept from 2D or digital format and bring it into the built environment. In short, branding uniquely defines your space enabling you to tell a story that resonates with people.

On average, we spend 90% of our time in the built environment today. In a strange twist of fate, it has become our natural habitat. But we need things like natural light and materials, indoor plants, views of landscapes, and access to the outdoors to feel and do our best work.

At NeoCon 2017, Herman Miller and designer Yves Béhar unveiled the future of office design with Live OS. It’s an app-based system that brings robotics into offices by connecting workspaces to people’s changing needs throughout the day, empowering them to work smarter and healthier. This customizable system consists of cloud-connected furnishings, an app, and a dashboard to gain an understanding of evolving humans that use it. The end goal is to make constant adjustments to ensure a happy, high-performing workforce. At its core, it’s designed to measure the effectiveness of a space and optimize it for workers.

We talked recently about when to bring a furniture provider into the commercial real estate (CRE) process. It’s not only wise to bring this kind of provider into the CRE process early, but a holistic workplace environment partner you can trust throughout the duration of your commercial property lifecycle. Throughout the property lifecycle there’s a continual need to work with many partners, from groundbreaking to occupancy and other matters for years to come. No matter what stage of the lifecycle you’re in, whether it’s the acquisition, design, build, or maintenance of your property, your workplace partner should be there to support you every step of the way.

George Nelson, Herman Miller's former design director famous for the marshmallow sofa (among other iconic funriture pieces), said:

"Design is a response to social change."

Today, work is social. And smart companies know that workspaces are business tools that reinforce your core values and reflect your culture and brand.

Millennials have overtaken Baby Boomers as the largest generation in America. A recent study conducted by Dell and Intel, called the Future Workforce Study, found that Millennials are greatly shaping the workplace. Technology, the physical space, and even virtual reality are all playing an increasingly important role in workspaces today, and are shaping what’s to come. It’s predicted that traditional office design will someday become extinct.

Many jobs today require us to sit for prolonged periods of time. Science tells us that sitting all day isn’t the healthiest choice when it comes to doing our work, but sometimes it's inevitable. Research suggests that people who sit excessively have increased risk for obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and a cascade of other health ills. The human body is made to move, but global studies show we sit nearly 8 hours a day on average.