11 Ways to Make Your Environment More Creative
Creative Environments for Innovation
Whether you are designing a room for brainstorming, a dedicated creative suite, a project room, or just trying to get better work out of your daily office, the physical space sets the stage for the mind. At ITG, we believe that where you think impacts how you think.
Follow these 11 steps to design an environment that clears the way for fresh ideas.
1. Dress for Comfort
This isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when people think of the environment, but when a bunch of people in suits come together, you realize the setting isn’t ideal for creativity. The innovation process is about exploring further out ideas and stretching beyond your comfort zone. That is hard to do when you are buttoned up in a stiff suit or formal wear. Encouraging a casual dress code helps lower barriers and signals to the team that it’s time to relax, open up, and generate.
2. Let the Light In
Fluorescent lighting can be a creativity killer. Natural light helps keep the mood and energy levels high during long meetings and sessions, so choose a room with ample windows (ideally on more than one wall). Not only does that feel better in the room itself, it also gives the eyes more places to glance and find inspiration.
3. Design for Movement
Innovation is kinetic. You can't expect dynamic ideas if your team is glued to a single chair for eight hours. Design your space with room to pace, stand, and circulate. The physical act of moving changes your perspective and keeps the blood flowing to the brain, preventing the mental stagnation that comes from sitting still.
4. Create Breakout Zones
Big group energy is great for finding inspiration in what everyone is saying, but sometimes you need small-group work to drive volume and create new interpersonal dynamics. Ensure your environment has smaller nooks or breakout areas where pairs and trios can retreat for focused collaboration. These shifts in scale—from the big room to the small corner—help different types of thinkers contribute effectively.
5. Fuel the Brain
Ideation is metabolically expensive work. It is difficult to focus on the next big thing when you’re wondering, “How much longer until lunch?” Avoid heavy meals that lead to the post-lunch slump. Instead, provide energizing snacks and protein-rich meals that keep blood sugar—and creative stamina—steady throughout the day.
6. Protect the New (Forness® Thinking)
The most important part of a creative environment isn't physical—it's psychological. You must create a space where ideas aren't immediately judged. ITG practices Forness® thinking, which ensures that every idea is treated with curiosity rather than critique. When participants know they won't be shut down, they are willing to voice the bold, imperfect ideas that often lead to new and interesting innovations.
7. Use “Invisible” Idea Capture Tools
The tool you use to capture ideas should never slow you down. Whether digital or analog, your capture method needs to be intuitive and fast, ensuring that the mechanics of typing or writing don't interrupt the flow of thought. If your team has to fight the technology to log an idea, you’ve already lost the spark.
8. Manage the Mood
Creative energy is a finite resource, and it fluctuates. A great Facilitator (or team leader) reads the room and adjusts the environment to match. If energy is dipping, switch to a more upbeat exercise or shuffle the teams. Treat the emotional vibe of the room as a controllable variable, and use it to your advantage.
9. Co-Create with Outsiders
You work with your colleagues all the time… that’s what makes them your colleagues. We believe in breaking out of any shared mindsets (Curse of Knowledge) by bringing Creative Consumers® associates directly into the room. Pairing clients one-on-one with consumers changes the social dynamic of the space and creates a new ground for bouncing raw ideas off fresh minds—minds with the perspective of your target audience.
10. Use an External Facilitator (to Neutralize Hierarchy)
When a team leader runs the session, the team often falls victim to Conformity Bias—agreeing with the boss rather than pushing for the best idea. An external Facilitator manages the process so your team can focus entirely on the content. This neutralizes the hierarchy, ensuring the most senior person doesn't accidentally stifle the room and that the best ideas—not just the loudest ones—win.
11. Activate Embodied Cognition (Yes, Play with Toys)
Keeping your hands busy allows the mind to work more effectively. This is known as Embodied Cognition, the idea that physical action influences mental processing. Fiddling with kinetic sand, slinkies, or stress balls can distract the conscious filter just enough to let new connections form. We like to have a variety of toys within reach to keep the creative energy flowing.
Follow these 10 rules to produce environments that induce creativity all year long. The environments we create for each ITG engagement keeps things interesting.