The recent disruption of the architecture industry due to coronavirus unleashed a spate of delays, project cancellations, and overwhelming uncertainty about the future of the industry.

With 37% of firms experiencing cancellations, 80% dealing with unforeseen delays, and over half struggling with reduced cash flow, providing a high-quality end product to win — and keep — more customers is more crucial than ever.

Adaptation is critical to survival and, in this case, architects must take greater care developing stunning drawings and presentations to win projects and perfect architectural plans that result in projects that run smoothly from start to finish.

The Process for Perfect Architectural Plans and Stunning Presentations

There are several stages to the architectural job process that begin with presentations to your clients and move through schematic design, design development, and construction drawings.

Powerful Presentations: The Key to Winning More Work

Your architectural drawings and/or presentation boards are the key to helping your clients imagine your design clearly. Like any good sales pitch, they serve to articulate your design and generate excitement and interest.

To create a winning presentation, consider the following tips:

Create with color. Color brings drawings to life — whether you use full color presentations or grayscale drawings with a pop of color to bring focus to specific elements.

Pay attention to details. Providing careful details can help define construction processes, underscore areas of interest or conflict, and help create understanding surrounding your design.

Consider perspective. Use perspective to provide dimension to a two-dimensional drawing.

Embrace technology. Consider using digital technologies and software to generate complex and detailed drawings that create a visual story for your prospective client.

Focus on layout. If you are creating a presentation board, make sure the drawings progress in a logical way and that samples and plans are easy to read.

Output is key. Ensure that your plans, drawings, and designs are output on high quality materials and are printed at a professional level.

After you’ve wowed your clients with your design ideas and won the job, you must stay the course by creating architectural plans that are clear and easy to understand.

Designing Perfect Architectural Plans

Having clear, detailed architectural plans is crucial to preventing the miscommunication that can result in job delays, lost profits, and unhappy clients.

In the pre-design phase, the architect meets with the client to get a good idea of their vision. Once key information is collected, the next phase moves into view.

Schematic Phase — In this phase, the architect should assemble the information from pre-design into a rough drawing that can be changed and modified as it goes through an approval process.

Design Development — During this phase, the client feedback is incorporated and the design becomes more detailed, resulting in a 3D image of the building. The design should be relatively realistic at this point, demonstrating the project’s feasibility.

Construction Drawings — Arguably the most critical state, these highly technical drawings will be used as the final design to get permits and for building crews to begin work. They must contain key information and detailed interior components, including structural elements.

At the construction drawing phase, it is crucial to have these drawings printed on media that is weather-resistant and durable, since the plans will be used on the construction site.

Large Format Printing — The Final Key to Perfect Plans

After you’ve done all the hard work of creating beautifully detailed drawings and plans either for a presentation or for the worksite, they must be turned into a concrete document that your client — or your construction crew — can hold and see.

A Large Format printer allows you to print plans, drawings, and designs in stunning color or crisp black-and-white so that detailed are rendered with clarity and impact.

Plus, today’s Large Format machines provide the flexibility to print plans in any size for better readability and on a number of media — even ones with weather-resistant features — to help preserve the details at the job site.

Best of all, these printers come with technology that makes set-up and use incredibly easy and cost-effective so you can focus on productivity — and profitability.

Bring your perfect architectural plans to life. Contact a Blue Technologies consultant today and explore our wide range of cost-effective Large Format printers.