JOY TO US ALL

Why Joy Matters at Work + How to Create More of It

I recently watched a TedX talk by Ingrid Fetell Lee on creating joy through design. Ingrid suggested that there is a relationship between physical things and the emotional reaction we have to them. Bright pops of color, round shapes, multiples of the same object, and a sense of elevation tend to put us at ease. While sharp corners and dull colors bring about stress.

The non-profit Publicolor (publicolor.org) in NYC puts underprivileged youth to work creating bright, colorful spaces with paint. Administrators in schools that have been painted by Publicolor report better attendance, less graffiti, and students feeling safer at school. Employees working in brighter, more colorful offices tend to be more alert, more confident, and friendlier.

Joy is not the same as happiness. Joy is a short elevation in mood, while happiness is a longer - maybe even lifelong - pursuit. But moments of joy can certainly help lead to more happiness. And so joy is really important, especially in places we spend more waking hours than we do in our own homes. When we look at it this way, what could be more important than increasing joy at work?

Further, if design can bring a sense of joy to the beholder, it stands to reason that the beholder will feel more positively toward the bringer of that joy. Does that mean a joyful design for your office, store, website, or business card will lead to more profit?

A few years ago I hired a neighborhood kid to round the corners of my business cards with a scrapbooking tool. She agreed to $5 but I think I paid her $10 for 1000 cards. That business card gets more attention than almost anything else I have done. It just tends to delight people. They touch the rounded edges and comment "I love your card." I don't know if it results in more sales, but I like the smile when I hand them the card.

So just in case you are buying in to the notion that increasing a sense of joy can improve your life and possibly increase the bottom line, here are 3 ways to bring more joy to work:

• Pops of color. Don't be so serious. You're marketing a palette should always contain one bright, fun pop - like a surprise of orange or green. White always needs a bright contrast color. It won't make your work look like Sesame Street. It WILL surprise and delight. And surprise and delight leads to engagement - the viewer stays on the website longer to read your about page or customer reviews. 
  
  This is true in the workplace and storefront as well. Put 5 or so colorful plants around the store or office, and see if the mood isn't elevated.
  
  If you are having trouble figuring out what a new, surprising color might look like with your traditional palette go to colourlovers.com. Enter the most dominant color from your logo and click enter. COLOURLovers is a community of artists and designers that have shared their favorite palettes. The search will show you the most popular palettes containing your color. What better way to refresh your color scheme than with the help of a community of pros?
  
  
• A Sense of Abundance. Small everyday objects repeated many times tend to create a sense of joy and wellbeing. Its as if flamingo pattern or a bubble print is enough to tell the brain - "there is enough, there will always be enough, there is no need to stress." That's why a rock on the ground is just a rock, but 50 rocks placed carefully in a landscape is a special rock garden. And that's why a single dish on a table is just clutter, but 6 dishes is an invitation to sit and share a meal.
  
  Try this : put one piece of gum in a bowl on your desk and take note of how many people reach for it. The next day dump a few packs of single pieces of gum in the same bowl. You will become the gum-fairy for everyone in the office. Abundance creates joy; joy creates invitation to come in, chat, have a piece of gum.
  
  Graphics or images can bring a sense of abundance without seeming whimsical or silly. A line of round dots can separate two sections of copy. Or a simple symmetrical shape can be repeated lightly in the background.
  
  I love this example of a nursing home designed to evoke joy using a sense of abundance. There is nothing sloppy or silly about this design, even with it's use of color and multiples: 

Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design (http://www.emmanuellemoureaux.com/space/#/space/shinjuen/)

• Space and Elevation. Tree houses evoke a certain sense of nostalgia and happiness in almost anyone. The same with hot air balloons. There is something about a structure whose only purpose is to lift a person above their everyday. It makes us feel hopeful.
  
  Think about mounting a row of planters or a vinyl of your company logo up high. It will unconsciously ask your customers and team members to raise their chins as they enter. The act is physically and emotionally elevating.

I don't know if creating more joy will increase the profitability of your business. But I can tell you with 100% certainty that creating more joy will lead to more joy. And isn't that reason enough?

Oh and if you are looking for that TedX talk I mention above here is the link : www.ted.com/talks/ingrid_fetell_lee_where_joy_hides_and_how_to_find_it

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