In the design world, maintaining creativity is a necessity. Sometimes we can find ourselves getting stuck in a rut with our busy lives and day job tasks taking over. That’s why it’s important that we ensure our team are given plenty of opportunity to actively work on their own personal creativity and well-being. We know that everyone finds their creativity in different things; for some it might be a walk with nature, for someone else it might be completing a craft-related activity, for others it could be visiting somewhere that’s full of culture. This is why we introduced our own creativity days to allow each team member the chance to do an activity that allows them to work on their artistic flair in their own way.

Spreading creativity

Not only does ABDA Design allow each team member a full day off to boost their creativity, but we also cover the costs of whatever they choose to do. The only requirement is for our team to share their learnings with the rest of ABDA so that the creativity can be further spread and embedded across the team.

Working on their creativity allows the team to break away from routine, discover emerging trends, and stimulate the mind. Making our creative days part of our annual calendar, was a strategic move by the ABDA directors to grow and evolve within the design world.

Creativity in action

The first of these new creative days was experienced by Claire, Tansin, Melissa and Amie who all agree that it’s important not to get stale and stuck behind your desk. Melissa said: “If we don’t force ourselves to get out into the industry and see what’s happening, we aren’t exposing ourselves to new trends”. Not only was the day about improving creativity but as Tansin, Amie and Melissa are fairly new to the team it was nice for them to spend time outside of the office together.

Claire Smith, director at ABDA added: “Keeping yourself creatively stimulated when you work within a creative business or industry is super important. You can’t grow and develop without constantly feeding your mind. Not allowing yourself time away from your desk because of workload or being caught up in day-to-day tasks can prove to be a real barrier to creativity. You have to want to make moments for yourself to take time for creativity.”

Embracing art

The creative day included visits to a range of arts and hospitality venues including The Royal Academy, Fortnum and Mason, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Opera House, Somerset House, Whitechapel Gallery, Tate Modern and the OXO Tower.

The group were shown around the Royal Academy by Grace who is the general manager for the Jose Pizarro café, restaurant and also the private dining space which was stunning. The art in all the spaces is provided by the Royal Academy and changed frequently.

The visit to Fortnum and Mason was not part of the original agenda but once the creativity was flowing the team decided to visit. As well as seeing their flagship ice cream parlour, they were shown around the tea rooms and tasting room which was very traditionally and quintessentially British with hints of colonial design.

Spring at Somerset House was another highlight which the team stumbled upon. As well as being a stunning space, the team discovered they have introduced a ‘Scratch Menu’ which is announced at 3pm every day. Spring offer three courses for £30 everyday with dishes produced from the waste of the previous services.

ABDA Design has been working with museums and galleries for years, however it is becoming more apparent that clients are wanting to create destinations in these spaces, and we wanted to see what best practice was in the industry.

Trendspotting

Tansin Blankley commented: “There were trends that were clearly visible throughout the venues we visited such as natural materials, muted tones and sculpted counters. Most spaces were unbranded and utilised the artwork from the associated gallery. We noticed a distinctive pattern with the furniture that was used within these spaces.”

Thinking about future creativity days and the impact they will have on the team our operations co-ordinator, Amie told us: “It’s so important for the team to get out and explore new places and experience different things to allow themselves to be inspired. What we don’t want is people to feel as if they’re stuck to their desks and then struggle with creativity. Allowing people to take some time away and explore their creativity is vital for a business’s success.”

Look out for more of our creativity articles to discover how other members of the team have spent their time.