When leading financial services firm Smith & Williamson recently opened an office on Colmore Row at the heart of Birmingham’s business district, they realised that their surroundings needed to reflect their company values of client-focus, innovation and excellence. Faced with an abundance of blank walls, Smith & Williamson turned to Visual to find a variety of artworks for their reception area and meeting spaces, to inspire staff as well as get clients talking. Associate Director, Alex Reynolds, explains further:
“When we moved into our new offices, one of the inevitable challenges we faced was how to cover the blank walls. Selecting art for an office is always a challenge, given you are working within a budget, and the works have to appeal to employees and visitors, all of whom vary enormously in age and taste.
We were fortunate to involve Arts & Business in these decisions as at early stage. They provided a huge range of options through Visual for us to select from. We were advised on what images would work together in style, subject and medium and even visited one of the artist’s studios to view the works to ensure we were comfortable with them. In addition, we were then able to arrange for a second piece to be created to compliment an existing work.
Once we had made our choices, Visual ensured the frames and locations worked in the context of the office. All the images selected, have been extremely well received by employees and clients.”
To find out how you can transform your working environment with contemporary art, contact visual@artsandbusiness.org.uk or call us on 0844 335 1305.