Marketing Buzzwords for 21st Century Design
by Tony Chavira
What do people really want out of their buildings in the 21st century? Urban planners change terminology depending on what the research says: after WWII it was suburbia and front yards, today it’s density, smart growth, and transit-oriented development. It’s easy for a developer to say all of the buzzwords that get politicians excited, but we all know how often their promises come to fruition. Thanks to New Urbanist theories in action, the list of goals (and terms) that developers use grows longer every year: sustainable, mixed-use, greenspace, live-work, etc. The list of terms architects are required to know grows as well; building on older terms like green and modular to more recent manifestations of architectural babble, including reclamation, pre-fabricated, and ecological. “Gothic style,” “neo-classic style,” and “deco style” are antiquated designer bylines, forcibly removed from the vernacular by Ayn Rand herself. Today, “modern architecture” is just as antiquated as any term you’d read in an art history textbook. Post-modern has past. “Futurism” is no longer futurist. In fact, the future might be over.
None of these terms really matter, though, except to further subdivide beliefs and categorize design. When someone who isn’t a designer looks at a building, a framework for understanding the thought process that goes into its design is useful. Using these terms can help clients to understand what the designer is trying to achieve with a space, whether the designer is a contractor with a limited budget, an urban designer arranging a master-planned community, or an architect building a small housing complex.
Marketing for architects, urban planners and developers is tough because it forces them to set goals outside of “I just want to make money” or “I want to be the next William Pereira.” What’s harder yet is that a lot of laypeople secretly see themselves as great designers. It doesn’t mean that they couldn’t actually be good designers, it just means that they expect bleeding-edge design services for their hard-earned money. And why not? Everyone wants more bang for the buck.
I’m not going to presume that I know anything about design, and approach the idea of marketing from a practical and frankly dispassionate point-of-view. “What do people really want out of their buildings in the 21st century?” is a stupid question. At one point, European architects favored flying buttresses, rose windows and spires. They were “in.” Developers in India preferred pre-fab in the 16th century, way before that became a buzzword fad here. It fell out of style when British colonialism kicked in, but then marble became an international hit after it was used in the Taj Mahal. Marble’s like a winning smile; it never goes out of style.
Marketing for architects, urban planners and developers is easy because the focus isn’t on the clients as much as one might think. Design has less to do with “originality of design” and more to do with “quality of design.” What does your office do really well, something that sets you apart from most? Did you design a walkable community that caters to 10,000 residents a day? Did you develop a mixed-use complex with a great community center? Does your company spare no expense on the details of your developments? Maybe your design originality is the quality thing that sets you apart (although it’s the curse of the artist to struggle in futility for originality). But at this one thing, you are great. Your company’s strength lies somewhere, and when potential clients see that strength they will sigh heavily, fawn, and fall in love with you.
I’m not going to presume that I know anything about your company, and approach the idea of marketing from a practical and frankly dispassionate point-of-view. The key to successfully marketing a company and its ideas is for everyone to understand the company’s vision. A vision is something that everyone understands, but is hard to write down on paper. Get into words exactly what you see your company doing in 10, 20 or 50 years. It’s an argument of “style versus substance”; buzzwords and style fads come and go, and you might even look back at your neon green and bright purple interiors from 1991 and shake your head at how antiquated they look. “Quality” is timeless, and if your clients want to completely revamp their dated designs, your company’s vision will mean more than any design fad or buzzword. If you care about your design quality, regardless of the project’s size or scope, you will always find clients willing to pay for that quality. This is how you focus your company’s vision: “What do we do at the highest quality?” Not “what’s in style now?” I would be shocked if anyone would buy into a Le Corbusier design today. Fredrick Law Olmsted would have a hard time putting a “central park” in Los Angeles or Orange County, especially in a suburban neighborhood. Pruitt-Igoe would get rejected the moment it was proposed. Who knows how people will think of Zaha Hadid or Frank Gehry in 20 years? Or 100 years.
Admittedly, buzzwords are great to attract hype. Dwell Magazine and Metropolis Magazine are sprinkled with droplets of “sustainable design,” “environments,” “preservation,” and “pre-fab.” Developers read “mixed-use” and think about how much more money restaurant space can rent for, compared to office space in the same structure. Urban designers read the term “sprawl” with disdain and the term “smart density” with admiration, as the urgency of the terms must demand their attention. One would only assume that savvy clients would also see these terms and experience the same emotional rollercoaster.
But you’re obviously not going to get every single job in the world that every developer will ever offer ever, so you need to distill your clientele down to those who genuinely care about the same things you do. These clients will be loyal like no other, and will gladly return to your company to update your own antiquated designs when the time comes. Why? Because they’re buying the quality of your services, not the style of your services. You’re a designer; it’s just assumed that you have style.
Luckily for everyone, savvy clients don’t need buzzwords and can see right to the meat of your design. The clients you want will understand exactly what you’re trying to achieve, whether it’s smart density, sustainable modernity, or full-blown neo-classical style. Clients who understand the quality of design also understand how much quality design costs, and you’re definitely in this to make money. Using buzzwords for marketing is fine and dandy, but without a strong vision to focus your efforts and show clients what you’re worth, you’re nothing more than the buzzword of the week.
www.racaia.com | tony@fourstory.org
Comments
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2009-07-15 by Residential Properties on Rent in noida