Every Monday morning, team members in the Philadelphia and Princeton offices gather together via video-conference to discuss firm news and upcoming events and projects. Since 2003, founding partner Allan Kehrt, FAIA, has delivered his Monday Morning Musings, weekly slices of personal insight into the design profession, to the firm. To comment on any of his posts, send an email to us. We look forward to hearing from you. |
| December 28, 2009 Belongings We have become a nation of people who closely tie their identities to their belongings. We select products we consider will reflect positively on the image we wish convey and we surround ourselves with those items, believing that a careful enough selection can substitute for the character and communication by which prior generations identified who they were. We wear slogans on our chests, even billboard shirts proclaiming the brand equal to the object and ourselves better by our overt association with whatever it is. As designers, we are perhaps more thoughtful of our associations and the branding of ourselves, but the image of the architect or designer dressed in black is difficult to banish; we are, after all, human also so we must be influenced by what we see around us. Let's be aware though that there are other brands we designers encounter that can sneak into our self branding beyond T-shirts. There are designers out there who have as great an influence on us as the latest Nike shoes have on others; we need to be aware of those influences and filter them carefully. |
| December 21, 2009 FUBB (1) During our recent marketing retreat we presented a series of slides to back up the presentation. There was one phrase that kept appearing and reappearing; the phrase was follow up. It is one of the most important things that we as service providers can do. We are in a service industry. Even if we think the most important thing in our life is the design of buildings, we must remember it's almost always someone else's building. How we design it and the way we interact with our client will determine whether we get to design another. The way we conduct ourselves with clients is so important that it really supersedes everything else, design included. One of the most important things we can do is to follow up on everything we do, everything we say, everything we promise, and everything we think we should do. Did I follow up on the items in the minutes? Did I follow up to see if the proposal got there? Did I follow up to make sure it is clear? Did I follow up on the client's request for something? Did I follow up on the last invoice? Did I call the client to see if there was something I should have followed up on? It should never stop until the client screams. FUBB is a good acronym to remember: Follow Up Beyond Belief (1).
(1) Joan Capelin after Bill Fife |
| December 14, 2009 Dogs For the past 34 years I've never been without a dog. They've all been labs and for about four years I even had two. After spending so much time with them, I think we can learn something about living from dogs. That may seem slightly absurd, but most dogs I've known look at life a bit differently than we do. For all of those 34 years plus a lot more, I've also been a worrier. I worry about all kinds of things and sometimes I let my worrying get the best of me: It wears me out, saps my energy and enthusiasm. But I've never had a dog that worried about a damn thing. They always seem to get up every morning with the same unbounded zeal and optimism as they did the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that and, well, you know. They never give up the hope that this may just be the best day of their lives ... or at least a day as good as yesterday and yesterday was pretty good. I've always been partial to Labrador Retrievers because they never seem to stop wagging their tails. They seem to have more optimism than most other dogs; I suppose there is some prejudice in my position and I would listen to anyone who wants to argue. With the current economic environment in which we find ourselves, a dog might be a good thing to have around. Mine helps. |
| December 7, 2009 Messages We all send messages about who we are. The way we dress, the way we cut our hair, the way we speak (or don't), the way we smell (or don't) all give others information about us. Some of that information conveys a positive image and some does not. All these individual messages and many others put together an image of us that others interpret to understand who we are. Sometimes we are very careful to think about the messages we send. Other times we let things slide and the message is not what we want it to be. The same is true of businesses. The way a business treats its customers, the way it presents itself through the material it distributes, the way its employees present themselves, the way its facilities look and function all send information to the individuals with whom we interact. It is important for us to consider all of these messages and how they reflect our business. If we expect to impress those we wish to impress, all the little messages should be carefully considered. |
