Product feature: Whiteboard Vinyl Wall Covering

Whiteboard vinyl has the power to boost collaboration, inspire creativity and save you money… Or it can put off your clients, distract your staff and make your office look messy. Here is a quick guide to doing whiteboard vinyl right and wiping away the problems before they occur.

Whiteboard vinyl is one of our best selling products here at Vi, here’s why:

Pros

-       Promotes collaboration

Having a blank space that is designated for mutually communicating ideas to a group is a great way to improve connections and communication. In turn this can increase productivity and job satisfaction.

-       Saves space and makes the working environment organic

Placing a band of whiteboard vinyl around an entire room increases its functionality and gives you plenty of room to express your ideas it also saves you having to wheel around a whiteboard stand.

-       Promotes creativity and idea generation

Google is arguably the most recognised company in the world for innovation and creativity. In their blog about their ‘creative skills for innovation’ workshops they highlight the importance of investing in the physical environment:

“Having a supportive environment can make a big difference, so learn how what types of space inspire creativity. To create a more open, playful environment, try a flexible workplace with no offices. Or, help ideas flow more freely by making lots of whiteboard space easily accessible.”

 -       Cultivates a fun culture

With the open-endedness that whiteboards provide there is always scope for fun in the office, which promotes strong teamwork.

Cons

-       Unclean whiteboards are an eyesore

Whiteboards that are displaying a smudged version of last week’s great ideas are unattractive to say the least. This can put off clients if and when they visit your offices.

-       Can be a distraction from actual work

There is something about whiteboards and certain personality types that when combined result in endless doodling of a useless and oftentimes inappropriate nature. This is especially true if a whiteboard is placed in close vicinity to the everyday working area of staff members.

-       Can look out of place if not incorporated with good design

An isolated block of shiny crisp-white whiteboard vinyl sitting on an off white wall looks terrible.

Having seen the pros and cons here is a quick and easy list of solutions to maximise the pros and wipe out the cons.

Whiteboard vinyl top tips:

1. Cover the length of the wall or just do the whole room

Because the surface of whiteboard vinyl is glossy we recommend that you avoid using it in isolated squares like a traditional whiteboard, it just doesn’t look great. Where possible apply whiteboard vinyl across the full length of the wall it is on.

Better still go all out and dedicate a room to creativity by covering every wall entirely with whiteboard vinyl.

2. Keep it clean

It’s not complicated but it is important. Messy whiteboards project an image of primary schools, not professional businesses. Always keep a rubber and good quality window cleaner close by and make sure you use them. 

3. Incorporate it as part of a holistic design 

There are some very simple things that you can add to a whiteboard vinyl to make it look like it belongs. Here are some low cost and simple ideas.

a)    Place a company logo in one of the corners

b)   Create an on-brand border for the whiteboard using coloured vinyl (This also stops people unwittingly writing on the paintwork)

c)    Centre the whiteboard on the wall, horizontally and vertically 

4. Put it in the right place

If your staff are the type to get distracted by doodling on a whiteboard then don’t put one within arm’s reach of their desk. Where possible place whiteboard vinyl in a dedicated meeting room that is purpose built for collaboration and idea generation.

So if you are looking for a more comprehensive solution than bolting a dated whiteboard to your wall or you want to enhance the creative flow of your workforce then look no further. Get some whiteboard vinyl for your office today starting from just £40. 

We also offer whiteboard pens which you can grab at the same time as your whiteboard vinyl.

Sources:

http://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/unleashing-creativity-in-googles-csilab.html