portfolio Archives - Archipreneur

How to Prepare for a Job Interview in Architecture

Archipreneur — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 08:10:31 +0000

Whether it’s your first job application or if you’re looking to change firms, preparing for a job interview can be daunting.

It’s important to remember that the job interview process is a great opportunity to refine and demonstrate your critical thinking and marketing skills to present yourself and your work in the best possible light. Like any pitch, you need to know your audience, be concise and convey a clear message about what you have to offer.

#1 – Set Your Goal

Take a moment and think about your professional experience, skills and ambitions for the future. If you’re not happy with your current professional situation, focus on where you want to be and the necessary steps to get there. Stay positive by acknowledging your hard work thus far and understand that building a career isn’t about lucky breaks or flashy references, it’s about strategizing.

You may decide to refine or learn new skills to help you achieve your long-term goals. For example, if you aim to own your own business someday but you’re not ready now, consider applying for a position in a growing practice that will allow you to take on more responsibility and acquire the business and soft skills (like communication, team work and problem solving) you will need later.

Once you have goals and a strategy, work smart to ensure each job application is a conscious, purposeful decision in line with your professional objectives.

# 2– Research Your Potential Employer

Learn as much as possible about your potential practice to confirm it would be a good fit. If there is a job opening posted, read the job description carefully. Research their completed projects and think about how your professional interests and experience align with the firm’s portfolio. Understanding your potential employer’s work will impress the interviewers and will help you confidently demonstrate how you can contribute to their projects.

In addition to learning about their work, try to get a sense of the company culture. Look up the team, ask around in your network and search online to find out if it would be a comfortable working environment for you. If it’s difficult to get a sense of the office culture before your interview, bring a few questions to the interview which will help give you a clearer picture.

For example, do architects work lots of overtime? Is there a flat or hierarchal structure within the team? How long have existing employees worked there? What is the balance between collaborative and independent work in their design process?

For the interview, knowing the dress code can also be useful. Look at photos online and even drop in to the office if you’re unsure. You wouldn’t want to appear in your worn out All-Stars in front of a bunch of high-powered corporate types. In the same vein, turning up formally dressed for a job interview at a hip startup is the first sign of having different values.

# 3– Don’t Lie in Your Cover Letter CV

Revisit your CV and include only the relevant references for the open position. A lot of young graduates make the mistake of sending out a bunch of same CVs to a number of addresses, hoping that casting a wide net will do the trick. This is not a good strategy. What’s relevant for one firm is superfluous for another. Don’t be afraid to portray yourself with confidence, but avoid lying. Keep it simple and visually appealing–it should reflect the fact that you’re a designer.

# 4– Tailor and Study Your Portfolio

If you include every single student project you’ve ever worked on if your portfolio, the employer will realize that you have no editing or synthesizing skills. This is what every architect should be good at–learning how to concisely and effectively present relevant information. If a project has a dozen sections that all provide the same information about a project, consider including just one.

Also, not all projects need the same visuals. Some are more conceptual, while others are more visually appealing, or some show you can see a project through from start to finish. The balance will depend on the type of firm to which you’re applying. If they’re looking for an experienced project manager, it makes sense to show more projects that show your practical experience. Brush up on your old projects so you can discuss them with competence. Like with the CV, design is essential in a portfolio. Your visual sensibility will play an important role.

Proofread and spellcheck your cover letter, CV and portfolio. Nothing says “half-arsed” like an application filled with spelling errors.

# 5– Prepare Questions

Practice answering interview questions and prepare your own questions about the job and the firm. It’s important to be self-confident and unafraid to make your expectations known.

If you’re interviewing for more than one position, try to keep track of employer’s responses to your questions so you can compare the different job opportunities. Here are a few questions to consider when deciding to take a new job:

What are the company’s goals?

Are the employees treated well?

Is the company too informal or too corporate for me?

Is the company successful, profitable and growing?

Is it a diverse company?

Would I enjoy working with the employees there? Are they friendly, intelligent and interesting?

Would I have a good boss?

Would I be in charge of managing other people or just myself?

Would I get bored there?

Would I have the opportunity to learn new skills?

What hours would I work?

Would I get to travel for work?

How much salary would I get?

What is the holiday policy?

Is working from home permitted?

Is the office comfortable?

Is there a work probation period?

What hardware and software do they use?

What are the benefits of working for this company?

What are the opportunities for growth within the company?

The post How to Prepare for a Job Interview in Architecture appeared first on Archipreneur.

5 Top Tips on Creating a Great Architecture Portfolio

Lidija Grozdanic — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 10:46:59 +0000

At a time of great competitiveness, applying for a job in architecture can get quite stressful. Your architecture portfolio plays a crucial role in whether you land your dream job.

When creating an architecture portfolio, architects get to play the role of marketing experts. They need to think about all the elements that go into creating a perfect presentation and figure out how to communicate their value as succinctly and engagingly as possible. The design and content of a portfolio depends on many factors, particularly its target audience. The process of applying for a job requires a wide range of skills and combines the power of interpersonal communication skills, written word and quality content presented in a compelling way.

Here are some of the most important tips on crafting a great portfolio.

#1 – Research Potential Employers

Architecture portfolios are always a work in progress. We constantly update them with new projects, change layouts and try to strike a balance between great content and stylish presentation. When job-hunting, many architects and young graduates send out the same version of their portfolio to different firms. You should avoid doing this, unless the firms you’re interested in are very similar in what they do and how they do it. Ideally, you should tailor each submission to better fit each firm.

This doesn’t mean you should take a sociopathic attitude to the job application process and change your entire personality and professional interests to please potential employers. It simply means that when you apply for a job, you need to know as much as possible about the firm and focus on crafting a resume and architecture portfolio that accentuate those among your projects that are most relevant. It is not about mimicking the style of the firm, but showcase ideas that explore relevant concepts and solutions in an original way.

#2 – Curate Content

A great architecture portfolio is about quality, not quantity. If you have a handful of multifamily residential buildings in your portfolio, chances are you won’t need to show all of them. Choose one or two most distinctive ones and try not to repeat yourself. If you’re applying for a multidisciplinary, experimental studio, and have little professional experience, feel free to include some of your work from school. This wouldn’t go well with large firms looking for experienced architects and project leaders. In this case you need to show them built projects.

Include ONLY your best work and try to show the process and reasoning behind each project. Potential employers want to see how you think, not only what you can do. How you do at this stage will depend largely on how seriously you approached the previous point in this text research.

#3 – Layout and Text

We’ve all seen architecture portfolios cluttered with projects bombarding the viewer from one page to the next. These are simply awful. Most of the designs are similar, all presented using similar methods like exploded axonometric views, plans and 3d models. Each project should have its own story, which should be told through as little visual content as possible.

Try to cut back on words. Lengthy descriptions of projects and philosophical texts will only take up space on the page. Unless the text is concise and pertains directly to the key ideas and concepts behind the projects, those browsing your portfolio will not read it. Also remember that the first sentence is what usually makes or breaks a text. It has to grab the attention of the reader, not show them your literary skills and knowledge of architectural theory. The descriptions need to be precise, readable, and short.

Don’t use more than a couple of font types and make sure the text is readable and doesn’t overpower the visual content. Anything too quirky is a bad idea, unless you’re applying to a “quirky” firm.

#4 – Print and Digital

You will have to have two versions of your architecture portfolio – an online version and in print. Most application processes start with sending an online portfolio, usually in PDF format. The digital aspect of this will often dictate the amount of work you can include in a file due to its size. Try not to exceed 20 MB of file size, as there’s nothing more annoying than waiting for a large file to open. Don’t send Google drive files, Dropbox and links to articles unless the firm asks you to.

The print version should be beautifully packaged and crafted. You can be unconventional and creative in the choice of binding, cover and paper. Surprise your potential employer by sending them a package. In job interviews, have a print portfolio at hand, leave a copy in the firm or mail them one. You never know whether, in case you don’t hire you on the spot, they’ll take another look later and have you in mind when a new position opens. If you choose to mail your print portfolio, pick the firms carefully. Printing can get quite expensive.

#5 – Software and Printing

It doesn’t really matter which software you use. Most people use Illustrator and InDesign, but if you’re most comfortable with Photoshop, use it to do everything, from image editing to layout design and text. The important thing is to make sure your workflow is non-destructive, meaning you can easily go back and change things if you want to revise.

If the printer you choose is bad, all your other efforts in crafting a architecture portfolio are wasted. Many print-on-demand online services offer an array of designs, paper, cover and size options with a large reduction in cost for more conventional layouts. You can also upload a PDF file and wait for your printed portfolio to arrive in the mail. Some of the most popular choices are Blurb, Lulu and CreateSpace.

For all sorts of tutorials, design and printing tips, check out Alex Hogrefe’s Visualizing Architecture website. It offers a huge amount of information on crafting portfolios as well as visualization strategies.

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What do you consider to be the most important element of a great architecture portfolio?

The post 5 Top Tips on Creating a Great Architecture Portfolio appeared first on Archipreneur.

How Morpholio Apps Revolutionizes the Creative Design Workflow

Archipreneur — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 15:30:00 +0000

This week’s interview is with Anna Kenoff, an architect, curator, and a co-creator of the software company Morpholio.

Morpholio was founded by Anna and three more architects who wanted smarter mobile tools for all phases of the design process. From our interview with Jim Keen we already know how amazing architectural illustrations can be by using Morpholio Trace. Besides Trace, for sketching and drafting, the suite for iPad and iPhone includes Morpholio; a digital portfolio, Board, for mood and design boards, and Journal, a sketchbook for drawing.

Morpholio believes that design tools should amplify the creative process, that thinking with your hands is critical. And that smart software should be accessible everywhere. And almost two million downloads and users in over 150 countries speak for themselves! The apps put designers first as they fuse the fluidity and speed of working by hand with the intelligence and precision of device and CAD technology.

Keep on reading to learn how architects founded this tech startup and how Morpholio could help your practice.

Enjoy the interview!

Could you tell us a little about your background?

I am an architect. I worked in New York City as an architect for almost ten years, spending the most time at Work AC, an OMA offshoot, and then at Columbia University curating and creating public programs, publications and exhibitions at the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture. A notable exhibition from that time was Foreclosed: ReHousing the American Dream in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art. My interest was always in the way that design interacts with the public and it’s ability to shape culture.

What made you decide to found/create Morpholio and who are the co-founders?

Morpholio happened when the first iPad came out, in 2009. Suddenly, we were carrying these incredible devices, but they weren’t meeting any of our creative or professional needs. We were first struck by the beauty and mobility, and therefore created a portfolio app so that we could share and present our work anywhere. But, as a team, we felt strongly, even from this early moment, that the touch screen was a gift to creatives. We believed that the ability to interact with our work in a new way – by hand as opposed to mouse – would have tremendous potential for designers and artists.

My co-founders were friends from the Graduate School of Architecture at Columbia University who were starting to build apps, as well as another architect.

Because we all knew design culture so well, it was easy to generate ideas about how it might translate into device culture.

Sketching with Morpholio Trace | © Morpholio

What is your role in the company?

We all collaborate on designing the features and experience of the software. I also handle all of the PR and work hard to build relationships with our community and share their stories.

What is Morpholio’s business model?

Our business model is based on subscriptions. The app is free for basic use. Pro Tools have a free trial and then a monthly $3.99 or yearly $11.99 subscription.

Finding the perspective with Morpholio Trace | © Morpholio

Morphilio’s flagship app is Trace. Could you give us some examples of how it can be used and how it helps architectural practices?

Canary yellow trace paper is very familiar to architects. It’s a tool we’ve used for decades as a drawing medium, and yet, it was one of the last things to get translated into the digital workflow. Architects use so many programs fluidly, but hand sketching is ultimately the way we communicate to create, develop, and discuss ideas.

This is where Morpholio Trace comes in. It is the only tool that takes you through the entire design workflow. From start to finish, whether you are sketching early ideas over a site photo; developing massing that require scale and measuring tools, marking up drawing sets and details, or capturing images on-site and making notes to share with a contractor; all you need these days is your iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

It takes the fluidity of hand drawing and merges it with the precision and smart tools of CAD.

This means that not only can professionals benefit from this fast new intersection of thinking and drawing enhanced by digital magic. But that anyone can experience architecture and have access to design-specific tools that will help them start a renovation or dream up a new plan for their home or office.

An example how Morpholio Trace can be used. | Image Courtesy of Sean Gallagher, Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Morpholio has just lanched two new augumented reality tools. Could you tell us a little about them?

Yes! Morpholio is excited to add augmented reality to Trace with the launch of AR Perspective Finder. This new drawing tool lets users uncover virtual perspective girds, to scale, anywhere — making complex sketching easy and accessible. The scaling of the projected grids is revolutionary. And is only made possible by the power of iPad and ARKit to read and interpret the environment for you. You can now capture any space and sketch on top with perspective grides and guides to help you get it right!

Morpholio is also exploring new territories in Augmented Reality with the launch of AR Color Capture, a new feature in its already popular Board app, a mood boarding app primarily for interior design ideas. The new tool lets anyone virtually sample, experience and record colors from the world around them. Not only is this a new way of experiencing color, but also a new way of allowing color to influence décor, design and sourcing.

How has your architectural training helped you in the actual running of your businesses? What specific/transferable skills have proved the most useful?

Practically, architects are trained to work very hard, and to try their hand at a variety of skills. From graphic design to various software and techniques. Which means that architects are well versed to tackle the day to day needs of a startup as they arise.

But, above all, architects look at problems differently. When faced with a challenge, we are encouraged to rethink the angle, look at it from a new perspective, maybe even reframe the question in order to propose something that is both smart and novel.

Jim Keen’s work with Morpholio Trace | Image Courtesy of Jim Keen

The building industry is known for being slow to adapt to now technologies. How is your experience with this?

Designers are generally early adopters. They are not afraid to try new things and genuinely enthusiastic about finding ways to make their work smarter, faster and more productive.

Do you have any advice for Archipreneurs who want to start and build their own business?

Go for it! But stay lean. We’ve built a creative team that allowed us to do most of the work on our own without expensive outsourcing. They say that startups that have to make tough decisions early on about priorities sometimes make smarter decisions than those who take investment and don’t have the same constraints. Don’t be afraid to take risks and fail along the way. It’s all about experimenting and getting feedback as you build a community.

In which areas (outside of traditional practice) can you see major business opportunities for up and coming architects?

I believe technology is opening so many doors for makers. We see this in the Brooklyn neighborhoods where warehouses and office have been transformed into furniture, fabric and product studios and showrooms. Digital processes and fabrication are really creating new possibilities for creatives and architects already know how to work with materials and details.

On the other had, we’re seeing really interesting think tanks gather teams around solving problems across the city. I heard a story about a startup gathering architects, technologists, urban planners and public health specialists to rethink a group of disfunctional neighborhood health clinics into a highly performing network of care providers that could also better track the data. And therefore the needs, of the population they were serving. This feat required the application of both technology and design. I imagine this is more of a “social” opportunity than a “business” opportunity, but certainly an interesting segue career that could have various immeasurable rewards.

About Anna Kenoff

Anna Kenoff is an architect, curator, and a co-creator of Morpholio; a software company that makes mobile design tools for creatives and professionals such as architects and designers. As an architect, she worked in New York City leading projects for Work Architecture Company; and exhibitions and public programming for Columbia University’s Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture.

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Anna would love to see your work and hear about your experience with Morpholio Trace or Board. Drop her a line at community@morpholioapps.com

The post How Morpholio Apps Revolutionizes the Creative Design Workflow appeared first on Archipreneur.

10+ Aesthetic & Responsive WordPress Portfolio Themes for Architects

Archipreneur — Tue, 26 May 2015 12:16:22 +0000

When it comes to websites of architecture firms, I strongly feel that a lot of things about their online presence can be improved. In this article, I will show you just over 10 beautiful WordPress portfolio themes, each perfect for professional websites about architecture. These themes provide the easiest and fastest way for an architect to have a beautiful, modern website, which is also state of the art in terms of the website technology currently available.

I had the idea for this article from my own research over past few weeks into creating a website for my architectural profile and projects. I thought it would be cool to have a place that housed all my projects so that future clients, firms or partners could browse my profile and take a look at the projects and firms I have been a part of.

I wanted to create a minimal – but also unique – layout and did not want to hire a professional designer or spend a great deal of money. I also wanted it to be mobile responsive so that it would look good on each of my devices. It had to have extra features, like the possibility to integrate my posts to social media outlets. And, importantly, I wanted to be able to update the content and projects by myself.

Here is the wish list I made for my portfolio site:

Aesthetic, minimal and clean design
Compatibility with all devices, meaning it has to be mobile responsive
A portfolio section containing all my projects
An “about” page
Social media features and plugins
The possibility to have a blog
Inexpensive and low cost to maintain
Easy to customize and update

I quickly found that the easiest way to fulfill this wish list was to take an existing WordPress portfolio theme and then customize it. Many themes are designed to be mobile responsive, which means that whether the user is on a laptop, iPad, iPhone or any other device, the website layout should automatically convert in order to accommodate the different resolution, image size capacity and script. (Illustrated in the cover image above)

Nordic is a clean, minimal responsive WordPress theme, optimized for best portfolio showcase. Nordic is a full ajax theme, which loads only those dynamic parts, and makes browsing experience very smooth for your visitors.

Price: $43

View Demo | Download

Fount

The Fount theme is great for architecture firms. It comes with tons of useful options to ease and speed up the content creating. The theme was envisioned to be a one page theme, but it can be also used as a regular multi page theme.

Price: $58

View Demo | Download

I hope you have enjoyed looking at these themes. Please feel free to share your favorite WordPress themes for architects in the comments. If you are already using a WordPress theme for your website, it would be very interesting for us if you could share your link so that we could all take a look at a real, live example!

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