Design makes you feel good

Oklahoma State University is featuring a big “creativity” initiative right now. It wants to make the university a center for innovation and creativity. Students and faculty could submit their ideas on how to make creativity a priority and win prizes. That’s all fine and good in theory. But what about making the university a real and tangible center for creativity?

Every time I walk into a university building, I wouldn’t know which one it was if I were unfamiliar with the campus.  You know what I’m talking about:  the same drab beige walls as every other anonymous institutional building, with multipurpose rooms filled with desks that are impossible to get in and out of.  The hallways have the same boring, tight-weave carpet designed to mask stains and spills, and the only hint of decoration is fliers pinned on a bulletin board announcing the next meeting for a club.

Is this the way to inspire our students?

No one can argue that our environment profoundly affects our attitude, work ethic and creativity.  There’s a reason you feel refreshed and full of ideas when you visit an art museum or a beautiful outdoor park.  There’s also a reason people loathe going to work every morning in a cubicle.

So how can the university truly inspire our students to reach new levels of creativity and innovation?  Here’s my take:

• Don’t ignore interiors. Don’t be afraid to throw some color on the walls that isn’t a shade of pearl.  It will liven up our days.
• Focus on the students. Universities are full of young, up-and-coming students who are beginning to look for their place in the workforce.  They want their work to be recognized, but a world full of more experienced players isn’t always the most receptive.  Call on students to create works of art–sculptures, paintings, drawings, poems, photographs and anything else–and then feature them.  Everywhere.  Put them on every wall, between every window and on every empty patch of grass.  Make the campus a huge showcase of student work.
• Sponsor public art. On a related note, not every building needs to be a fancy Georgian-faithful piece of architecture.  Find an unused, unsightly concrete wall–or build one if needed–and throw a mural up!  People love murals, and will appreciate the public access to art.  Likewise, put some student sculptures on Library Lawn and cycle them in and out every few months.  Nobody else is using the space.
• Encourage outdoor intimacy. Speaking of, there’s no reason not to use Library Lawn.  Take cafe tables like those on the Student Union porch and line the sides of Library Lawn by the hedges.  In nice weather, students can enjoy a sandwich and a cappuccino on the sides of the lawn instead of being cooped up in the dim Atrium.  Sponsor lunchtime pick-up games of touch rugby, football and kickball.  Sure, it may seem a little elementary school, but I can guarantee there are lots of stressed college students who would appreciate it.
• Inspire your signage. Have you been inside the library?  If you need to know where to go, it works great.  Signs neatly spell out floors and stacks with basic black-on-white signs printed with all the info.  But what if you could make it more interesting?  Take a cue from the Madrid Metro system and color-code the library with corresponding numbers.  Color the sides of all the stacks in the proper, bold color and have large white numbers in a nice, pleasing font like Helvetica.  No Comic Sans, please.
• Take advantage of what you have. While I’m speaking of the library, why don’t we use the great architecture we already have?  At around 9 p.m. or so every night, the front entrance of the library shuts down and patrons are forced to use the dismal, low-ceilinged back entrance.  They miss out on the grand marble columns and high ceilings of the front, which seem to instill a stately sense of academic pride.  If you must shut down an entrance, make it the back one.  And keep the browsing room–the only attractive room in the place–open until closing time.  5 p.m. is just unnecessary.