People are not born with appreciation of architecture

Unless you've already achieved wide acclaim, you may have encountered a certain attitude from clients and even construction companies.

Basically, those that would benefit from your skill do not seem to understand it.

There are ways to create understanding and appreciation for your services and skills. This article discusses the nature of the problem and how architects have successfully solved it.

This is an important issue that can greatly influence both your income and motivation. It is definitely a factor in selling architect services. Thus, the better you understand the causes behind this phenomenon, the more you can control these circumstances.

Architecture: Mastery of technology and art combined

That which a person cannot understand he cannot appreciate.

An architect is an artist and a technician in one — a rare, combination of high skills, ability and vision so beyond the average population that it is viewed with awe by those who understand it... and not understood by most.

The visions of architects, the almost god-like ability to create beauty and functionality out of nothing, the very task of actually FORMING the future, are incomprehensible to laymen and thus become something that, for most people, "doesn't exist."

No, I'm not trying to suck up to you nor to make you like me for pleasing you. I count myself among the creative and "painting mental images" is my field. I have also had the benefit of having planned marketing systems to other creative beings just for the purpose of making their prospective clients "see" what is being offered to them!

So I have some experience in the subject and especially with businesses. I appreciate — no, ADMIRE architecture and architects for the simple reason that I well know how much ability it takes to shape and form ANY concept... let alone one that is the size of a house, a block, or the whole section of a city or rural area.

To me, it's not only the beauty combined with function that makes your work so special. It's the sheer MAGNITUDE and SCALE in which your creation takes place that makes your work so magnificent. I dabble with small entities and have sometimes a hard time... and I know that the broader the scope of the project is — the "bigger" it is — the more there is to organize, create, and harmonize. If a BOOK is such a huge undertaking... I cannot even BEGIN to imagine how much skill creating a whole BUILDING would require.

I know of NO other group of people on Earth that would have creations of such size, magnitude, and visibility as architects do. I know of no other profession that would shape the very existence of our environment toward a more aesthetical, more functional and more livable form than architects do.

Artists are forming the future of our civilization — any development has to be IMAGINED before it can be planned, constructed, and so on — and architects create the world as we know it... and always have.

Only don't hold your breath until you get thanked for it. So few see it, even fewer understand. You are always 50 years ahead of the time. Thus it can create a feeling of "being invisible" — nobody notices!

Few people have the knowledge and understanding required to truly appreciate art

Let me tell you a layman's example of how I see architecture and the value thereof.

I had this piece of land in the country and wanted to build a cottage or lodge (a small house to spend weekends in) on it.

Instead of contacting a construction company or one selling pre-manufactured houses, I gave the designing to an architect.

My friends were baffled. They thought I was nuts. Why would you pay so much for just the plan, drawings... just PAPER, for Pete's sake? Admittedly, it did cost me a bundle.

But here's how I think: Do I want to spend the rest of my life in a cottage that is just like thousands of others? Do I want to sit in a house that looks like it's keeling over because of mismatched proportions? — or feels like it's squashing me, has parts that don't fit together... lacks color harmonies and thus distorts the space... NO THANKS! Quite frankly, it would be a PENALIZING experience.

Quality equals harmonious proportions of structure (to me) and I didn't want to spend decades looking at a house that lacks those qualities. To me, that's a 25-to-life sentence!

But alas, most people cannot see harmony or consistency of form. To them, only "matter" matters — a house is a house, measured only by physical denominations, a "lump" of mass, in other words. It is valuable by measures of quantity only.

The same rule is what governs the appreciation of design in any product. Industrial design tells the story. If people buy it, industry will manufacture it. Mass production follows quantitative values and adopts qualitative values only when they have to. (Exceptions exist, of course — this is a generalization.)

Appreciation of beauty is based solely on opinions in our society. Whatever I think is beautiful IS beautiful, end of discussion. Education plays a big part in understanding forms and aesthetics. In our school system, the fundamentals of art, form, design, proportions, rhythm, flows, colors, and such are not taught. Instead, we learn about Vincent Van Gogh's missing ear and memorize dates from the lives of artists.

Of course there ARE rules governing art and the creation of any work of art. To create the specific effect that you set out for requires a high level of professionalism. But the populace is not given even the very basics of these in our modern schooling. They don't KNOW that any rules exist.

You are one of those exceptionally gifted creative beings and YOU found out for yourself and studied, developed skills, executed (and exercised) your visions, style and obtained experience. But if you weren't exceptionally gifted, you wouldn't know — for society does not bother teaching us how to APPRECIATE or evaluate art in any way.

Originality and amateur viewpoint — "I like it"

In its revolt against the existing infrastructure, youth can bring birth to fresh ideas and combinations.

Lack of knowledge of theory isn't always bad — witness The Beatles and how their "out-harmonies" changed the music for good.

Unfortunately, in the main flow of things, lack of knowledge on the basics of arts encourages creation in which all direction and purpose are missing.

The guiding principle of creation becomes the unprofessional viewpoint of "I like it / I don't like it."

In hobby-oriented creation, "I like it" is a perfectly adequate guideline. But in professional work — whether creation or evaluation thereof — it's bird brain.

As a professional you know how you react when you ask someone for an opinion on a creation of yours and they simply say "I like it." Not that it's BAD... but it is so AMATEURISH a response.

A professional would give you pointers, tell you WHY some part is so very good... and perhaps give the reason why he would alter or adjust some other aspect of it.

That type of feedback you could UTILIZE.

This "I like it" viewpoint in evaluation of art tends to devaluate ALL creation and deflate the concept itself to be assigned to just about any human endeavor. Aerobics or knitting... creative.

Of course they are — only the society has lost its ability to evaluate the ORDER of art forms and creation. Art forms, arts, and creation are assigned an EQUAL IMPORTANCE — any art or form is "the same" or "equal" as the next.

"I like it!" — "Oh, THAT I don't like..."

The highest forms of art suffer, of course. architecture is on the TOP of that list — in my opinion, at least — and gets the LEAST appreciation compared to what it deserves. It's not exactly a pleasure moment for an architect to have his or her work rejected because the prospective client "didn't like it."

Luckily, there is something you can do to avoid that in the future, as we will explain further on. But before that, let's look at professional creation and the problems that lack understanding can cause to parties involved.

Only creativity in professional hands produces functionality

Originality IS important but of course, if it is the SOLE goal, nobody will understand the end result nor have any practical (commercial) use for it.

Many art forms today don't communicate in terms of people's understanding and require "an interpreter" — somebody who explains what the work of art is communicating.

Art without any GOAL, without any direction, purpose, or plan — without any RULES — could be called creation gone insane.

It's more like a cancer growth out of control than something that has functionality or use for anyone else but the creator.

Usefulness in art is what sells — albeit there are a multitude of ways to use art. But in marketing architecture, this point does have weight.

The usefulness in architecture is very high... but to be utilized commercially, it has to be understood by the prospective client.

And that is precisely where the problem lies.

Any functional creation intended to be traded commercially must be understood by the buyer as to value, purpose, use, and benefits before a transaction can occur.

The bigger the scope, magnitude and versatility of the function of the creation, the better and more in-depth method is required to create the needed understanding in the mind of the buyer for a sale to occur.

For an architect in selling his or her services, a well-planned presentation is a must in order to effect the needed understanding in the mind of the prospective buyer.

This is something you might not have. If not, this is where we can help.

If architecture is to be appreciated...

In the final analysis, the GENERAL lack of ABILITY to appreciate that the population suffers from is NOT the important part.

A completed work of architecture ALWAYS communicates SOMETHING to viewers.

With a better understanding of art it could be much more... but it IS appreciated, definitely. And it's a shame you don't get the appreciation your work deserves.

But it doesn't really affect the BUSINESS END OF IT.

It is the specific lack of ability of PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS — the buyer that you should sell your not-yet-done work, not-yet-existing "building" — that is the deciding factor in how much your services are commissioned and how many projects you get to do.

THAT is the important area where you can create DRAMATIC CHANGES FOR THE BETTER by implementing a method that "helps each prospective client to understand what he is actually being offered"

It is, after all, a massive and complex concept, a huge investment — and at that stage, only a SYMBOL of the end result... the completed building or structure. Give yourself some credit — realize, that only one in a million can work, understand, grasp, envision, create or even HANDLE such a concept at the level of... an IDEA — a "nothingness" to 90 percent of the population!

So how would you assume your prospective client understands it without help?

The end result of architecture communicates. A completed, existing structure can be SEEN, perceived and experienced by EVERYONE.

But BEFORE it is ready, before it even exists as a sketch (and even when it's on the level of completed plans) you will find that the number of people able to see, perceive, experience and envision is only a small fraction of the population

Thus, communicating the VALUE of the service to the BUYER, at that concept-only stage, requires very skillful presentation.

The end result is not there to be seen. The client doesn't have your exceptional ability to see it, nor the experience and knowledge to understand the outcome and usefulness of the concept as it will materialize in the structure.

Thus, you either have to create that understanding in him or take your chances.

Value of ideas is "not real" until widely realized and accepted

The difference in the understanding level between the creator and the buyer is THE PRIMARY BARRIER to commercial viability — selling the solution.

And, at the risk of offending you, let me state that you may not fully realize how ASTRONOMICAL the difference between you and your client really is.

And what's my point with all this ranting? It's this:

The VALUE of the architect's creation is POTENTIAL and the DEGREE TO WHICH IT CAN BE UTILIZED COMMERCIALLY IS DIRECTLY DEPENDENT ON GETTING EACH PROSPECT TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT VALUE.

Anything symbolic — anything that exist on the idea- or concept -level — to be REAL for another person requires that the person UNDERSTANDS it.

Ideas need to be believed by the person buying them in a whole different way than physical objects. If you sell a house, the prospect cannot deny the existence of it. But a prospective client can deny the value, feasibility and truth of any IDEA or concept... and WILL deny them until he fully understands and agrees that they exist.

In the absence of expertise IN THAT AREA, the other person renders everything to the level of OPINIONS. The less he understands the subject, the more he tends to DISAGREE with it and, ultimately, disbelieve YOU as the source of the information.

Presenting FACTS, using LOGIC will not deter the person from his viewpoint... quite the contrary, in fact.

Thus, we can see that architectural excellence alone does not guarantee commercial success. No matter how great you are, it won't automatically ensure a wide use of your services.

To EXPAND the use of your services — sell more of it, win more projects — you need a very carefully planned, step-by-step presentation that will, with most prospects, create the understanding needed for them to appreciate your work.

Many projects exist and into every one of them, an architect is chosen. Then there are many projects where architects are NOT used -- the "rubber stamp" approval on the plans is bought from a Professional Engineer or architect and that's the extent of it.

Where architects compete for a project, sometimes the best suggestion wins. Yet it is amazing how opinion-based these selections can be... often decided by people who do not grasp the essential nature and purpose of architecture. Many behind-the-scene factors can influence the selection also.

The best proposal doesn't always win. The decision is usually made by "consensus" — a group of people vote and that's it.

If you want to improve your chances and take a good measure of "chance" OUT of the equation with your proposals, you need to ensure that YOU are the one who educates the decision makers and creates an understanding to them more than any other architect.

The fact is that more often that not, the selection is greatly influenced in favor of the architect that "makes most sense."

So, how do you "make sense?"

Simple. Help them to understand architecture, the goals and purposes of your proposal as they serve THEIR objectives, THEIR needs and wants — and make very sure they UNDERSTAND!

If do that, the difference in approval rate can be quite remarkable.

I can help if you let me

With these principles, you can now improve your presentation on those parts you feel might benefit from it.

HOW exactly you best create that understanding in your prospective clients is by far too wide a subject to publish on a web site.

There are tens of crucial steps that, if devised correctly and applied in right sequence, will get most prospects to look at various subjects and then FORM A DECISION on it.

And that's really the simplicity of it — a successful presentation ending in a sale is just a number of smaller decisions that align correctly and result in the "big" decision. Done intelligently, it actually ends with the client's realization that he has, in fact, already MADE HIS DECISION.

This way, that agonizing "big decision" and "closing the deal" phase can be LEFT OUT TOTALLY — but only if you have a system that causes him to make smaller positive decisions one after another.

Any certainty is made out of smaller truths that, combined, form "sufficient evidence" of "sufficient correctness" of that opinion or viewpoint concerning the issue.

If you are sure about something, you have MANY facts, observations, and opinions that all point to the same direction. Thus, you have reached certainty on it. We also have a tendency to ADD to this list other things — items of less value just to "make it REALLY certain."

Decisions of this nature are usually either all positive or all negative. The middle ground doesn't exist in the final decision.

Let's look at an imaginary architect from the viewpoint of a prospective client and examine how he would "form data" and end up with either POSITIVE or NEGATIVE certainty about this architect. The prospective client's train of thought (formation of data) during the presentation is first and then what the architect (A:) does to cause it.

The above is very likely not the most accurate of examples but poignant nevertheless, as it well illustrates how certainty builds up and picks up momentum en route.

Take your prospective client on a scenic route of positive truths and doable possibilities presented truthfully and in a CORRECT GRADIENT, and you will see him becoming more resolute in favour of your project.

Go about it believing that your expertise in ARCHITECTURE equals knowledge in communicating complex subjects to a novice... and you may find yourself paying a high price.

Here's a certainty for you:

Without a careful plan, without having that route mapped out beforehand and without a MAP to follow and guide your prospect toward a POSITIVE certainty, your chances of influencing his decision are gravely diminished.

Decisions tend to be absolute — either positive or negative.

Once you have unwittingly allowed a NEGATIVE train of thought to develop far enough, it takes a trained sales expert to revert that — and even he has only a slight chance.

Of course, ADMITTING to this kind of faulty thinking is something that doesn't happen. And you'd be silly to point it out to the prospect — if his certainty is developing into a positive direction there's no reason to... and if the opposite is the case, you'd only upset him even more.

But admitted or not, that's how people think in areas that are NOT within their own expertise.

I can help you to create a system for greatly increasing the number of POSITIVE certainties created in prospective clients. If you let me.

These tools exist already. The Architect Marketing Guidelines gives detailed instructions on how to achieve this appreciation, how to help your prospective client realize the true value of your services... and how to ensure that they start on that POSITIVE train of thoughts from the onset.

The answer is not in TELLING HIM what to think or extolling your virtues as a great architect.

In fact, it's just the opposite in some ways...

In the Architect Marketing Guidelines you get the full system with ready to use tools, down to individual questions, actions and even specific wordings to use to achieve this recognition of value.

Once this occurs... you don't have to sell anything, really.

The CLIENT will be REQUESTING for your services!

Here's your opportunity to take these elements of uncertainty and not-understanding out of the equation. The result can only be more clients and more appreciation, right?

This is exactly what the system within the Architect Guidelines does.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE about Architect Marketing Guidelines.

Best wishes,

Harry Kafka
HDK Consultants U.S.A. Inc.
PMB 211
411 Cleveland Street
Clearwater, FL 33755
U.S.A.
Phone (727) 474 1206
Calls from outside USA: +1 727 474 1206
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