The Creative Workplace – Rob Alderson

Roads Publishing

Place matters. The environment in which people work not only says a lot about the company and brand, but also has a huge impact on the inspiration and motivation of the team within it. Google’s legendary slides just wouldn’t cut it in GHQ; a brand like Tesco couldn’t have a swanky central London HQ.

The culture and personality of the company and its work can all be reflected in walls, furniture and images where they work. And in visual industries it’s even more crucial. The Creative Workplace opens the doors to graphic design, architecture, advertising and digital media studios around the world and asks creatives what their workplaces say about them.

It’s a beautiful book filled with glossy images of spaces that speak volumes about the aspiration of the companies who created them. Over fifty spaces have been photographed, with stunning inner and outer design work elevating them from the usual office.

‘For creative agencies and design studios, workplaces are part of their brand identities, helping to attract and retain both creative talent and commercial clients,’ writes Rob Alderson in the introduction. ‘But there is a definite sense that there exists a direct cause and effect between the spaces people work in and their productivity, creativity and outlook.

‘People will always shape their spaces to give them an advantage, building an atmosphere that helps them think and work in the best possible way,’ he continues.

There’s no formula. AWe see brave architectural statements, airy minimalist lofts, and quirky personal touches. There’s nature and greenery inside at production and interactive design studio Random Studio in Amsterdam and whereas Casa Rex design house in São Paulo has an entrance that  looks like a demolition site. ‘That always makes a positive first impression.’ they say. And what about mobile working spaces, like a caravan at FIVE AM design studio in Belgium.

Where we work matters, both for a huge company and as an individual. It’s a book worth perusing not just for design porn, but to make us consider location and surroundings. Whether it’s nature, clean space, sitting near a window or having a photo nearby, make a change to your outer space and see if there’s a change within you.

Taking place at over 18th – 19th June 2016 in the beautiful and enchanting Boldshaves Gardens, Kent, where guests will be able to explore over 100 acres of surrounding woodland and farmland. This it’s first year, and the process from idea to fruition has been something of an organic one for founders and directors Andrew and Laura Willen.

Having been London dwellers for many years, they would ‘constantly plot our escape from the confines of the city to explore some of the countless wonderful places across Britain, often armed with little more than a sleeping bag, a book and a chocolate bar or two.’

This gave them a taste of not only the extraordinary diversity of the country’s landscapes but also the fragility of those landscapes, partly caused by the detachment from our surroundings. The modern lifestyle of a top floor flat, where you don’t know your neighbours, buying packaged food that does not resemble how it may have left the ground, glued to technology all indicate  a growing separation between us and our surroundings.

As a result, they’ve invited down a whole host of authors  who in recent years who have written inspiring books about the natural world, our sense of place and the ways in which nature can enrich our lives.

As Andrew explains ‘The idea behind the festival therefore is to celebrate not just the written word but also the subject matter of those books, i.e. the actual, living world around us. Given the everyday importance of the natural world in all our lives, we hope that the festival might appeal to people regardless of whether they are avid readers or not.’

The two days are jam packed with a programme of events, talks, readings, and conversations.  Apt for the location, Philip Walling will be telling the story of wool, money, farming and the soil as he discusses his book Counting Sheep: A Celebration of the Pastoral Heritage of Britain. There’s Patrick Barkham who walked the coastlines of Britain for his book Coastlines: The Story of our Shore, and Miriam Darlington & Charles Foster in conversation about their experiences with wild animals. Esther Woolfson will read from
Field Notes from a Hidden City, proving that nature isn’t only something that happens in rural locations, whilst Cynan Jones and Tom Bullough reflect upon the role of place and nature in fiction.

One concern of Andrew and Laura is the lack of access to nature for young people and those from more disadvantaged backgrounds. As a result, they’ve made accessibility key, with a range of activities appealing to young people, and tickets starting at only £5. Practicing what they preach, they have engaged with the local community and been working with nearby schools, universities, bookshops, galleries, businesses, artists, authors, farmers, producers and more to bring the festival alive.

Whether you’re a fan of words or the world, it’s definitely worth exploring the local landscape this weekend, engaging with the community and heading down to the Wealden Literary Festival.

It might even be sunny.