Architype Archives - Regen Media

Beautiful buildings can almost market themselves. But you can put a much bigger audience in the picture with the right photography. Jessica Taylor, from Architype, tells us more…

Jess

The idea of a picture painting a thousand words is never more relevant than in the world of architecture. However pioneering, dynamic or forward-thinking a building project is, people will only give it the attention it deserves when they see it for themselves.

Someone who understands the power of pictures is Jessica Taylor, marketing assistant with innovative architectural firm Architype. Jessica describes great photography as ‘priceless’ for the business. It provides a golden ticket for building better media coverage and eliminates the need for expensive paid-for ad campaigns.

To understand the true power of great photography, it’s important to delve a bit deeper into Jessica’s role with Architype. As a vital cog in the marketing department, she’s required to get projects published in the media, submit convincing award entries and bid for new business. Without good photography, her job would be significantly tougher. So it’s no surprise she’s a passionate advocate of the trade.

©DennisGilbert/VIEW
Wilkinson Primary School. Dennis is great at capturing the vibrancy and uplifting design of our education projects

“Architype strives to deliver high quality in our buildings,” says Jessica. “So we want to do them justice with quality pictures. It’s an opportunity to familiarize a broad audience with your project and give a very real impression of what that building is like, so it’s high priority for us.”

With architectural photography there really is no place to hide. But if, like Architype, your designs are uplifting and inspiring, then good photography will bring out the best of that. And this can bring tangible benefits to your business. More than you might imagine, in fact.

“Our recently completed University of East Anglia (UEA) Enterprise Centre building has received a huge amount of media attention,” says Jessica.

“We commissioned a professional photographer and the images were absolutely fantastic. They led to us having an awful lot of coverage and we captured new media streams that we wouldn’t necessarily always capture.”

©DennisGilbert/VIEW
UEA Enterprise Centre. An important focus for this project was the use of alternative low carbon materials and Dennis did a great job bringing out the textures and materiality of the finished building

Jessica is sure that this photography was the catalyst for the project being publicised in four different countries, landing four front overs and more than 10 feature length articles.

©DennisGilbert/VIEW
UEA Enterprise Centre. Bringing together the colour palette, forms and spacial connections inside the Enterprise Centre

“The photography was the difference between it being a news item in an industry magazine or something that developed into an in-depth extended article because the photography was really good,” she says.

“Obviously, it is largely about the design merits of the building that forms the real meat of the content, but we do live in a very visual world and people like to see amazing imagery. Good photos are the first thing to capture peoples attention and for magazines in particular, it’s important for them to project themselves as glossy enterprises; if you’ve got great pictures you’re helping them to do that.”

Jessica couldn’t be more certain that investing in good photography delivers an excellent return on your investment.

“Photography can be an expensive exercise, but you have to way-up what the return is on a successful campaign.” says Jessica. “For example, at Architype, we never really advertise. We don’t spend money on placing ads because we get great editorial, and we get great editorial because we get great pictures.

“So although photography can seem expensive, if you’re getting five or six articles in industry magazines because of your pictures, then it pays for itself.”

Jessica has learned a few useful secrets. Here are her top tips for getting the best from your photography.

1. Be organised from the start

When it comes to setting dates for a shoot, make sure you have a few options, not just one. As the shoot gets closer, find out the weather forecast and make sure you shoot on the best weather day. Your photographer will be able to help with this – most of them are better at forecasting accurately than a weather man! Permission is also important. Do you have permission to go into the building you need to shoot? If it’s a school, do you have permission to photograph the children or can you only photograph sensitively? Perhaps there’s a good vantage point from a nearby building. Do you have permission to go in and take a picture from their balcony or rooftop?

©Leigh Simpson
Children learning outdoors at Staunton On Wye Endowed Primary School

2. Make a comprehensive list of what you want from the shoot

Normally I’ll sit down with the project architect and make a list of everything we need and put it into a floor plan so we have something to work to. It needs to be accurate because you need to know which side the sunlight’s coming in on and work around the building in a way that follows the light.

3. Be really familiar with copyright laws

You can’t get this wrong because it causes upset and bad feeling if you share photos that haven’t been paid for. Respect the photographers you work with. It’s their living at the end of the day, so it’s really important that you honour any copyright agreement you’ve come to.

4. Employ a good photographer and share the cost with other project partners if it feels too expensive

Cost wise, there’s not much difference between the day rate of a mediocre photographer and a specialized one. And if you can organise sharing the cost, with three or four project partners it will be much more economical.

5. Spend time finding a photographer that’s going to match your brand

Someone who’s interested in architecture, if not an architectural photographer. Do some research for yourself as well as listening to recommendations. Call, get quotes, compare and interview people and see what their own interests are. Talk to them and find someone who can really capture the look you’re going for.

6. Accompany the photographer

Lots of photographers get commissioned and do their own thing, but it’s pot luck really what the results will be. If you can afford to have someone to go along with them and work together for the day, it really pays off.

7. You need to be patient, because good photography is not something that can be rushed

It’s worthwhile taking your time setting up the shoot and getting the right picture rather than relying on post-production where you can see it’s been doctored. Today, people are really savvy about what’s real and what’s not, so it’s better to get the right picture in the first place.

©Leigh Simpson
Some patience required in getting this early morning shot at Coed y Brenin Visitors Centre, Snowdonia

8. Try to capture a building in use

Use people to bring animation and scale to your pictures. Part of our mission statement at Architype is to deliver uplifting architecture and a lot of that is about how people operate in a building. So putting people in situ always looks so much better.

©Leigh Simpson
The hall in use at the Willows School

9. Try to get animation from seasons as well

It’s not always possible to shoot in summer, which is obviously always more preferable. But if you have a building finishing in the middle of winter, you can still get nice shots with a low-lying sun. You just have to make the most of the situation.

And a final word from Jessica. “Last year we launched our new branding and that’s really coming into its own now. The photography we commission really complements that,” she says.

“Our buildings speak for themselves, but we have to represent them with the same quality that we design them with. Good photography is the cherry on the cake and it reflects the ambiance and vibrancy of our projects as well as their physicality.

“Although photography can be expensive, if you’re getting five or six articles because of your pictures, then it pays for itself.”

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Architect Elrond Burrell launched his lively, plain English blog on Passivhaus last year. So what has he learned from a year in the blogosphere?

Elrond Burrell is passionate about designing buildings that are affordable, comfortable and healthy to live in – and which have the minimum impact on the environment. It’s a passion he puts into practice at the firm where he works, Architype. They’re one of the UK’s leading Passivhaus and sustainable architecture companies.

He’s long been an active and outspoken participant on social media, interacting and commenting regularly on matters of environmental and sustainable design. It was this evident passion that saw his peers prompt Elrond to start his own Passivhaus blog.

“Because I was active on social media anyway, establishing relationships with others in the industry, I found myself commenting on Passivhaus and sustainable building a lot,” he said.

“A couple of people said to me that it was unusual to have someone who was so knowledgeable and outspoken about Passivhaus and suggested I do something for myself. That was what really prompted me to think about blogging.”

Conflict Resolution

Elrond loves to write. In fact, he goes as far as saying that if he had an alternative career, it would be as a writer. But if you think that made starting a blog any easier, you’d be wrong.

“There was a lot of deliberation when I started thinking about writing the blog,” he said. “It took me a long time before I published anything.

“My main concerns were about what I could and couldn’t write about in a personal capacity. The blog is a personal project, so I have to be careful not to write specifically about Architype, clients or projects I’m working on.

“That conflict between work and personal opinions was a tricky line to tread – and there are still some grey areas. It took a few months of thinking about that before I got the guts up to publish.”

Avalanche of Ideas

Elrond’s second concern was what to write about. So he embarked on the ambitious task of scheduling ideas – one blog every two weeks – for the entire year. Each one would be based on questions or challenges he encountered around Passivhaus and would provide a few key answers.

“What always interests me is when you work with clients you hear the misconceptions and misunderstandings people have about adopting Passivhaus. So these were a great starting point.”

With the planning in place, Elrond stepped into a brave new world of blogging. And here are 10 key lessons he’s learned:

Tone down your perfectionism

It always takes much longer to write than I anticipate. I’ve had to learn to tone down my perfectionist streak. Early on, I was drafting something, then editing it, then worrying whether I should have done it in a different way. What I’ve learned is that at some point, you say ‘it’s done, it’s good enough’ and you hit publish.

Your schedule is sacrosanct

I decided early on to publish a post every two weeks. And having a schedule for this was important for two reasons. Firstly, it meant I did it – otherwise it was too easy to put it off. Secondly, reliable, regular posting helps people get engaged because they know something is coming. The most important thing is to keep going. Regularity is as important as the quality of your work.

Collaboration is key

Working with other people is beneficial in terms of generating different quality of content. I’ve done two interview-type posts with a structural engineer and builder. I use their comments to reinforce my message, help flesh out my own ideas and get a good synergy between their words and mine.

Controversial titles are good for traffic

I wrote a piece called, 10 Things I Hate About Passivhaus. It was kind of tongue in cheek and based around the film 10 Things I Hate About You. In that film, through hating each other, two characters eventually fall in love. The blog was similar. It said that in order to adopt Passivhaus, you need to get to know it first and change your mind about a few things. It caused a massive stir, with triple the normal traffic. But I’d be cautious about being too attention-grabbing. I’d rather get people who want to get involved in the subject rather than those just looking at the blog because of a controversial headline.

Be clear on your ideas

I find it easier – and I write better – if I spend time getting a clear idea of what I want to say before I start writing. I’m also a fan of writing in small chunks and then checking they all fit together at the end. So I’ll tackle the intro, make sure I’m happy with that, then each key point, and then the summary. Then I’ll give it a final proofread to check it flows well.

Short is sweet

It’s really important to write shorter sentences. With technical subjects, it’s easy to have a long, in-depth style. But actually, in terms of getting people to read what you’ve written – and feel it’s fast paced and easy to understand – it’s better to write punchier sentences.

Define your target readers

At the beginning, I tried to establish who my target readers were, which helps me to keep my posts relevant and engaging. I established that my readers would be either self builders, architects or design professionals looking for information on Passivhaus, or corporate clients keen to find out more. I’m also trying to provide resources that take Passivhaus back to basics to see what response I get. I want it to be an evergreen resource for people new to Passivhaus, to try and extend the blog’s reach.

Book reviews boost traffic

I had the idea of reviewing Passivhaus books quite early on, where I’d take out the key points and get people to think about them. So I wrote to authors who had published an English language book on Passivhaus and asked for a review copy. It’s been great on a number of levels. You establish a relationship with the author, who’s an influencer in the sector, you get a free copy of a book you’re interested in, and you bring a new audience to your site.

Ideas flow once you’re up and running

I found that once I got going, I was overflowing with content ideas, so I’ve barely referred back to my original list. It’s important to make a note of good ideas when you get them – or you’ll forget them later! I’ve got so many things to write about now, that I can’t possibly fit them all in. I’ve also learned to borrow ideas from other disciplines. Lots of Passivhaus writing is quite insular, but I want to push the boundaries of understanding Passivhaus and get it out to a wider audience.

Fresh ideas grow your audience

I recently added a pop-up to the blog, which displays when it looks like you might be leaving the site. It gives people an easy opportunity to subscribe and has increased my number of subscribers considerably. I’m also using MailChimp to send a newsletter out when each post gets published. While the mail used to just be a summary of the blog and a link to it, I now write a few paragraphs of original content that share my thoughts on various conversations I’ve had or my thoughts on projects I’m working on. I refer to it as ‘insider information’ – although I don’t share any specific details – and it is an experiment to see if it entices more people to subscribe and feel privileged as a subscriber.

You can read and subscribe to Elrond’s blog at elrondburrell.com