Design plays a critical role whether you work in business or the arts. Interestingly enough though, escape rooms are a great example of the two fields coming to use design as a major component for success.

Hence, it might actually be a good idea to check out an escape room for ideas on how design is understood and executed. But of course, it does help to have a more specific understanding of what it means to say ‘design’ and how that definition helps one in business. Try observing the following concepts during your next escape room visit.

Theme

This is most likely the one aspect of design that every escape room visitor first takes interest in. A theme in a design greatly resonates with an audience because it represents ideas or identities they find entertaining.

For example. A Victorian mystery theme appeals to people who love the time period and also those who like the genres it inspired. A science-fiction themed escape room will certainly appeal to a lot of geeks (especially if it makes nods to familiar TV shows and tropes).

More importantly, however, the essence of a theme is that it keeps design consistent. And by being consistent, it holds the idea together. Applied to business, it can take in the form of having a consistent color scheme for your brand (which can then pass on to areas in your marketing campaign like your website and your email copy). This helps hold the idea of your brand firmly in the of your target customers.

Purpose

One might think that escape rooms are meant to generally have one purpose: to entertain. However, some of the more acclaimed ones take it a step further and use the design of their challenges to accomplish something more.

A good example would be the “Privilege of Escape,” an escape room that served as a public art display in Onassis, USA. It was designed not only to provide a taste of the escape room experience but it was also built with the intent of teaching a lesson about privilege.

Purpose is also another element that solidifies design, no matter what it is you are creating for your business. It can apply to a product, service or system of management. The more specific the purpose behind each creation’s design is, the more you can accomplish goals with it.

Interaction

Last but certainly not least, good design is something that does a lot of interaction. Naturally, this is clear in great escape rooms, where clever interactions with the environment is key to solving the challenges.

This is a philosophy that really helps a lot when implementing design in business. For instance, have you ever wondered why today’s consumers prefer interactive content rather than static? That is because interactive content is inherently engaging and gives them more reason to pay more attention to your brand.

This though is just one way the concept of interaction can have positive effects on a business. Gamification is another example of how interaction can be used to improve work. It can also extend to designing team building activities that boost camaraderie.

All in all, it just goes to show that the idea of engaging design isn’t just a buzz phrase in business advice. It is actually based on a lot of solid concepts and escape rooms can be a surprising place to see those concepts proven. Try dropping by one sometime and see what you can learn!