Branding a Healthcare Office Through Architecture

When it comes to healthcare design, our team has experienced the first-hand effects architecture can play in one’s well-being. Whether you’re a patient, physician, or family member, there is no doubt that a depressing space can exacerbate emotions. For this reason and many others, it is important to carefully brand every healthcare office and waiting room not only to align with a hospital’s mission statement, but also to create trust with patients through consistent brand messaging.

Gone are the days of stifling magenta and yellow waiting rooms with finished crossword puzzles and lukewarm coffee. Although efficiency and groundbreaking technology will always be important in healthcare design, patient care is taking the forefront in 2019. So why does branding matter in patient care in the first place? Our healthcare design experts are here to explainHaving a consistent experience, especially if the healthcare system has more than one location, is key to creating patient trust. Waiting rooms can house some of the most stressful moments of a person’s life—such as death, birth, or even long awaited lab results. If a patient trusts in the healthcare system, seeing branded signals like a logo and comforting colors will make them feel at ease even if they are in another city. Branding plays into other factors in a healthcare facility’s dynamics as well, such as creating unity among employees through a common goal. When branding a healthcare office, architects in San Luis Obispo and everywhere should consider these three factors in their design:

1. Comfortability

When creating a brand theme for a healthcare facility, color plays a huge role in the layout decisions. Bright reds and yellows are energetic and can sometimes exacerbate stress. When choosing a scheme, it is ideal to add in neutral tones that warm up a space without being overbearing. The same mindset applies to picking fabrics and furniture. Creating a cozy space with light wood and open natural lighting can dramatically shift the experience of a patient. Some hospitals, depending on their services and mission, have shifted the waiting room to appear more like a space to hangout rather than anxiously pace.

2. Consistency

After creating branding that aligns with the hospital’s mission, it is then important to have the imaging and feel be consistent across all platforms. Patients should be able to go online, and then enter into a waiting room that is complementary. They should see a logo in the office, even if subtle, as well as similar colors and textures. Branding can be incorporated into way-finding elements, hallways, and even bathrooms.

3. Timelessness

Trends come and go, but a solid healthcare design should be relevant for many years. Even in offices and waiting rooms, healthcare design should accommodate the potential for technological or spatial expansion. Perhaps in a few years a new system for checking patients in will need to be put in place, and architects need to account for this.

At Studio Design Group architects, we are passionate about designing healing spaces. Whether you’re looking for a simple office renovation, or a total healthcare expansion, our architects in San Luis Obispo combine ingenuity with experience to create spaces that stand out. Get in touch with us online. We are happy to answer any and all of your questions.