Bring your wildest ideas to life and clearly communicate your design vision for proposals with these tips from design experts.
We all want more work. More than that, we want better projects. Not just the best-paying projects, but the ones that remind you why you became an architect - exciting projects that let you express your creativity, make a lasting impact in your community and take pride in your work. But competition is tough. Whether a developer comes to you looking for a partner to guide them, you're entering a fast-paced design competition, or the tender has just gone out, be prepared to make your case. Bids are won or lost based on the ability to build momentum and communicate your design vision. Here's some advice from editors and design specialists on developing winning projects.
Omar Calderon Santiago's innovative design and advocacyhelped convince key stakeholders to allocate funds to what is now the most energy-efficient high school in the United States (Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, designed by Perkins Eastman).
1. Expand your network.
Networking starts long before you have an idea for a design. Half the job of landing a project is making contacts - with clients, end-users, property developers, other architects (if you're in the habit of associating), local council members, contractors and municipal officials. With such a long list of people to build trust with, it's essential to focus on developing the relationships that are most important to your project. Establishing new relationships is just as important as retaining old ones. Repeat customers are the foundation of your business, so consistently deliver excellence and address all your customers' concerns even after they've moved in.
Interior architects at the Chengdu Hotel leveraged a lifecycle BIM workflow for design teams and contractors to reduce construction time by 50%.
2. Choose the right team.
Before you start creating that plan, get the right people around the table. But what does it mean to "choose the right team"? It means choosing your team based on their expertise, past collaborations and the client's objectives. For example, let's say you're deciding which landscape architecture firm to use for a new project. You have two options:
Option A: You call on a landscaping firm you've worked with before, because you know they're consistent and reliable, even if they're not innovative.
Option B: You work with a landscape architecture firm that the customer prefers. You've never worked with Option B, but you have a positive work reference from your structural engineer. In addition, Option B is an expert in rainwater harvesting systems, which is essential to the client's goal of a living building.
Are you going to follow what's known (option A) or take a risk (option B)? If it's a smaller project, the best option may be to choose the unknown landscaper (option B) that the customer likes. Choosing the right team is a balancing act that involves showing the customer that you understand their needs and ensuring that you have the right team in place to execute the project when you win it.
A bird's-eye view of Knowledge Park in Sweden, showing its link with a neighboring nature reserve, Kungsmarken.
3. Present your design in context.
Show the customer that you've taken the time to understand and research their project, and that certain details may spark ideas for improving your design plan. An easy way to show that you know the topography, structures and other existing conditions is to present your conceptual plan in a real-life context. Geolocate the potential site using functions such as Add Location. You can then import high-resolution satellite images and create simple mass concepts. Go one step further and create precise shadow studies using climate data analysis with a tool like PreDesign. We recommend taking the extra step to demonstrate that you know how the site's topography will influence building placement, pedestrian access and occupant views. Your attention to detail will impress them.
4. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Unless you're lucky, your first plan for that award-winning sports stadium will take several tries. If you enter a high-profile competition, your competitors may have the same ideas as you. What will win you the project is adopting a point of view that the others haven't adopted. Unfortunately, you may not have the time to devote to ideation, and this project prevents your collaborators from putting in hours they could bill for. To avoid too much reworking of the 3D model, keep the level of detail low, or exploit a small range of components (dynamic and living) to improve your plan until you decide on the final concept. When it comes to developing an unconventional and unique idea, HGTV star J.Pickens says: "Creativity must always come first." Use flexible 3D modeling software like SketchUp to iterate quickly.
"SketchUp is an invaluable tool for quickly conveying complex ideas and emotions to a customer. It's more important to use software to convey that spark of imagination than to go through a mundane 'this part has to be seven-eighths of an inch' process."
-J.Pickens, HGTV Star
Henry Goss, of The Boundary, incorporates fundamental architectural principles into his elaborate, detailed illustrations to create his own style.
5. Create stunning visuals.
Once you've decided on your concept plan, it's time to draw the customer into your 3D scenario with a visual narrative. Jim Kessler, Director of the Visual Media Group at Jacobs, believes that communicating the intent of a project is like "turning on a light bulb". There are three main ways to create visual impact: run 3D models through rendering software to create expressive visuals, use video to tell the story, or take advantage of interactive tools like virtual and augmented reality. Whatever you decide, try to develop a unique visual style so that your design is recognizable and stands out.
Realistic visuals can certainly add the "wow" factor to a proposal, but getting visuals to a high level of realism - that's a challenge. Use visualization software like Enscape or V-Ray. Architect and visual designer Luis Bertomeu Sanchez recommends using 3D Warehouse models to speed up your workflow. Quite often, someone has already created a chair, plant or window to real-world specifications, and you can import the model from 3D Warehouse with minimal adjustments.
"Context is the most important part of a rendering. Future residents can change furniture options, but they can't change the way light reflects off walls as the day progresses, or explore what the view from a bedroom window would look like. These details have to be fine-tuned, and this is the part of the project that leaves the least room for creative freedom."
-Luis Bertomeu Sanchez, architect and visual designer
Instead, some architects prefer less realistic visuals - perfect for explaining your vision without committing to a photo-realistic likeness that may change later. Long-time architectural design and visualization consultant James Akers is passionate about designing renderings with a watercolor aesthetic. James' clients are often other architects. Design managers come to him when they have to submit a proposal under tight deadlines and need a quick presentation of their initial concepts. He has set up a highly sophisticated workflow for quickly creating hand renderings (with Apple Pencil) on SketchUp for iPad. To make your project stand out from other proposals, consider adopting this or a similar style, eye-catching and full of character.
Lund+Slaatto Architects presents customers with live clicks on SketchUp scenes (SketchUp model of the Valle Wood project).
6. Communicate your vision clearly.
Visuals are only part of your presentation to the client. Typically, your proposal includes a written section in which you introduce the team, your values, your past experience and your approach to the project. Having spoken to many marketers and business leaders in the architecture, engineering and construction sectors, we advise you to write clearly, concisely and with a customer-focused approach. You can, quite rightly, mention your company's many accolades, but keep the story focused on your customer and the benefits your expertise can bring them. Combine text and visual elements for greater impact by using .skp in Microsoft 365 applications, such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
It's not easy to get your message across in front of a crowd. Even if you design your idea in three dimensions, your presentation can be a combination of screenshots and PNG images. 2D visuals have their place in your story, but we encourage you to fully immerse the customer in the world of possibilities you can offer - let the technology do the talking. We suggest you try SketchUp's Presentation mode on the iPad. Use its simplified interface in your presentation to navigate in 3D, or switch to full screen to make your designs stand out. Drag scenes with a three-finger swipe gesture, play animations or activate the Laser Pointer tool to focus attention when using an external screen to share video calls. If you don't have access to an iPad, your mobile device has augmented reality viewing capabilities. Highlighting digital technologies in your presentation is a great way to immerse others in your reality.
You're on it!
Focus on the people who best serve your company's objectives, assemble the A-team, analyze your customer's values and the project context, and repeat, repeat, repeat as you search for the winning concept. You're a storyteller; your aids are 3D technology and stunning visuals that show the customer what their project can be. Remember, if you don't win the project, always ask the customer for a review to see how you can improve in the future. Making proposals that are both unique and inspiring is truly an art. Architectural firms that master this principle produce the best projects and, ultimately, meaningful work.
Try SketchUp for your next proposal with a free 30-day trial.
