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When important decisions are made at these three offices, thinking caps aren’t donned in stuffy boardrooms. Rather, the heads of these companies —? two advertising agencies and a design firm — have put the traditional office climate through the paper shredder. They say it’s led to more productive workers and satisfied clients.

“If we are supposed to he creative, you’ve got to do some fun things,” said Cynthia Grow, visioneer and vice president of DEI Inc., a company that designs banks.

While an unusual office setting is not for everyone, experts say companies that rely on creativity need more than bland cubicles for workers.

“If you’re confined to one space … that’s not creative, or is devoid of anything that can spark your imagination, it makes it more difficult for you to use your imagination,” said Suzanne Carney, president of the Ohio South/Kentucky chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.

A nontraditional space also can help a company “give the impression to its employees that it is loose, it is creative, that it will push the envelope,” said Daniel Langmeyer, professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati.

Here’s a look at how three local companies use their office environment to stimulate their business.

Best foot forward

When people come to work at Barefoot, they don’t have the standard headshot taken â€â€? they get a foot shot.

And everybody gets to see it.

President Doug Worple hangs the pictures of employees’ feet —? toes and all — on the wall directly behind the receptionist.

“It is the first thing everybody sees, and it kind of sets me tone for the fact that we do things differently,” Worple said.

But these black-and-white photos certainly don’t look like advertisements for Dr. Scholl’s shoes. In each picture, the employee uses their feet along with some creative props to symbolize something about their personality.

Worple arched on the tips of Ills toes atop some award books � his metaphor for always striving to do better. Some of the pictures include a big toe donning a miniature Cincinnati Reds baseball helmet, feet covered in rotini pasta and toes clutching chopsticks.

The from-the-ground-up introduction of each of the firms 28 employees isn’t the only thing different about Barefoot’s office, which is located in century-old Longworth Hall downtown.

Staffers brainstorm for ideas in a living room-type setting, with purple and red couches and Grinch green-colored chairs. During break time, they can play ping-pong or throw darts in the back of the office.

Worple’s golden retriever, ADDY, frequently puts in eight-hour days. He’s even got spot on the wall —? it’s a close-up shot of his two furry paws crossing one another.

Before starting the advertising company, Worple worked as a brand manager for Procter & Gamble, where things aren’t quite as relaxed. At Barefoot, he allows employees to listen to music of their choice —everything from Barry Manilow to Megadeth.

“This is much more laid back,” he said. “It is designed to really encourage collaboration.”