Sounds Like Design

When you’re running an architecture firm, you can’t be successful without some form of Business Development and Marketing.

Every time you write, post, pitch, publish, enter awards, and present your work, you’re doing Business Development and Marketing.

You can either do it intentionally, or you can piece it together on the fly.

When you apply intention and consistency for the first time, the results might shock you.

More enquiries.
More referrals.
More leads.
More requests for fee proposals or EOIs.
More aligned clients.
More and better projects.
More attention.
More publicity.
More word-of-mouth.
More money (fees and salaries).
More creative freedom.
More discernment and choice.
More client satisfaction.
More joy, delight and purpose.

When you get intentional about how you position your architecture work, firm and unique approach, everything changes.

If you’re ready to stop settling for bad marketing, get in touch.

I have services - from quick CPD workshops to a longer course to a 1:1 consulting package - to help you get really good at it.

And not just so you can get good at business development and marketing, but so you can get good at architecture.

Because more and better clients and projects = more and better architecture.

You create the future for your clients.

Are you ready to design your own?

DM me and let’s chat...

You may not know this about me...
.. but writing stories about architecture is one of my favourite things to do.

I relish every chance I get to talk about architecture projects with architects, and then take all of that complexity and turn it into a story.

I'm trying to craft a narrative that is both interesting to read and easy to understand, especially for non-architects.

And - despite years of practice - it's still challenging and fun to distil different perspectives and competing problems into a short and legible article.

Years of architectural thinking and collaborative work get reduced to about 800 words, or even less in some cases.

It's a bit like trying to wrangle all of the constraints in any given architecture project into an elegant design solution, albeit on a much smaller scale.

This particular story was especially challenging, because the word count was just 350 words. (Although, admittedly, I stretched it out to about 400 words!)

It's actually harder to write a short story than a long one, as the famous quote from Mark Twain attests.

So I was so glad to receive this positive feedback from Andrew Boyne, after the story was published.

I'd spent several hours discussing the house with him and the clients onsite.

And then it took me many more hours - over several days - to whittle down everything we'd discussed into three succinct ideas.

The story also benefitted from some excellent editing from , which I'm grateful for as well.

So thanks Andrew for sending me your feedback (and for permission to share it).

And if you'd like to learn how to tell great stories, come along to my next CPD training, "Get Published for architects".

I'll be sharing my best tips, because I want all architects to amplify their stories about the joy and wonder of good design.

You can find the workshop details in my bio.

And I'll share the link for this article in my Stories (and the "Get Published" highlight), in case you'd like to read it.

Feel free to let me know what you think?

S M A L L, A N D B I G E N O U G H

This new home at Witchcliffe - south of Margaret River - has a really interesting back story.

I wrote about it for Sanctuary magazine, and was intrigued to discover how the clients did their research before moving "Down South".

> Firstly, they found a free architect-designed plan - from the government's Your Home website - that suited their needs.

> Then they engaged local designers - Michael and Susan from .au - to help them adapt that plan for their rural site, and work with local builders and trades and bring it to life.

This is a really great story about how good design is accessible and affordable, and how Michael and Susan adapted their standard processes to achieve a great outcome for their clients.

Michael said:

“I love the fact that they’ve built a
smaller house and highlighted what’s
really important to them, so it feels so very
much like them. I love that
together we proved that you can take an
existing design and really personalise it.”

Let me know if you'd like a PDF of this article, and I can send it to you.

And if you want to tell an interesting and intriguing story about one of your projects, I'm sharing my best journo tips in an CPD workshop later this month.

You can find all the details in my bio.

Design: .au
Photography:
Feature article: 74

Institute Members have shared their views about what needs to change when it comes to architecture advocacy.

They want less focus on "glossy", high-end and iconic buildings

And more examples of ALL THE WAYS that architects contribute to a better world.

This is great news!

And it means that architects need to find better ways to tell NEW and DIFFERENT stories about:

> what architecture is,
> who architecture is for,
> how regular people can access good design services, and
> why EVERYONE deserves to enjoy well-designed spaces and places.

As an architecture journalist, this has been my mission for 25 years!

So I'm excited to be sharing insider knowledge of publishing and the media with architects, in my next CPD workshop.

Get Published for architects is happening on Fri 29 May via Zoom.

So if you're keen to find out how to get your work seen by thousands - to attract more of the clients you love working with...

And you also want to reframe tired and outdated narratives around architecture, to make it more accessible to more people...

I hope you'll join me.

Enrolments are open now.

DM me the words "PublishCPD" and I'll send you the link to sign up.

And if you have questions - DM me, or ask them in the comments. I'm happy to help.