Design Thinking and Holiday Greetings

Following is our e-newsletter, sent on 12/22/06. You can subscribe here.

People Are Drawn To Good Design

"As consumers invest more time and money into what they buy, a growing number of companies are placing heavy emphasis on design."

This quote kicks off the article entitled "With Good Looks Come Big Profits" at Inc.'s online magazine. Hey, we're in the design business! This is good news for us.

Read the article at inc.com...

Last Week's Course

We just finished our very first course last week! It was an intimate group of enthusiastic designers, most local to the Chicago area, with one from Michigan. We had a great time and it was exciting to see the progress every single person made in just 5 short days.

In fact, we want to give others the opportunity to have the same experience, so Sissinghurst will be offered again in January.

There are a couple of schedule changes you can read about here. For anyone interested in taking advantage of the Early Bird Tuition AND the 2-4-1 (two for one) offer, the E.B. deadline for the 1/22 course has been extended to 12/26. After that, the 2-4-1 is still available, but at the full price. Still a smokin' deal!

Check back at aaldweb.com in the coming days for further updates.


Design Thinking

We talked a lot about “design thinking” last week. What exactly is “design thinking”? Funny enough, I thought it was a phrase I’d coined, but a quick visit to Google says otherwise. It seems to be used differently by different people though.

As we use the term, “design thinking” has to do with approaching your business, your sales and marketing process, even the language you use, with the same mind set you use to design a landscape. And vice versa.

Consider the concept of the transition. On a news broadcast, you’ll hear reporters use the word “segue.” That’s how they transition from one story to another. We use transitions to connect different spaces within the landscape, or to connect landscape to architecture. In our businesses, we ought to consider (and choreograph) how we transition from initial contact with a potential client, through the design process, and into construction. “Design thinking” helps us put those puzzle pieces together. Successful use of design thinking will also improve the way we communicate our design ideas to clients so that they get excited about the project. If they get excited about it, they feel good, and our chances for the project to proceed improve. These are but a few examples.

Winter Conferences

For those of you in Toronto, I’ll be speaking at the Landscape Ontario Congress on January 8 and 9, 2007. On January 17, I’m on the agenda at the Mid Am Trade Show in Chicago. Hope to see you there.

Have a great Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years and any and every other occasion you might celebrate this time of year! Enjoy the season!


Tim

Who Is This Guy?

Who is this guy?
One of the reasons the Academy has an Advisory Board is to have reliable people with whom to discuss ideas. One of them suggested I do something I'm not accustomed to: Brag. Well, not brag exactly. He suggested that many people out there might want to know why they should trust their money and time to the American Academy of Landscape Design. What does Tim have to offer? Who exactly is he and what qualifies him to teach me or my employees?

Well, here goes.

I graduated from Duke University in 1986 with a degree in Landscape Design. To this day it is highly likely that I am still the only person on the planet to be honored by Duke with such a degree. Without going into too much detail, Duke allows a student to design his or her own major. Why do such a thing? It's complicated, but suffice it to say that as a sophomore English major, I found myself surrounded by pre-law students. Yeah, I know. I had to get out. Duke did not have a major that fit me, so I made my own.

Good or bad, I've always been one to question the "norm" and explore other routes. The AALD follows that same path.

From Duke, I went to England's Inchbald School of Design. It was not accredited at the time, though it is now a Masters program. ("If you want to study cooking, go to France; if you want to study gardens, go to England," I reasoned.). After a year of intense, life-changing study, I returned home to the Chicago area and ultimately put up a shingle and started Garden Concepts.

Now, 18 years later, the American Academy of Landscape Design is born.

In those 18 years (here's the bragging part), my company has been successful in many areas. Following is a sampling from the resume.

Press Mentions
Have had mentions, interviews, projects profiled, or written articles in more than 60 publications. Although many are magazines and newspapers, included in these numbers are 5 Sunset Books, one This Old House book, a Harris Publications project called Backyard Ideas by Barbara Ballinger due out in spring 2007 (7 projects included), and an English book called The Book of Plans for Small Gardens by Andrew Wilson due out in 2007(4 projects included). In 2006 we also had a project featured in Better Homes and Gardens. Some details are here, though the list is not completely up to date.

Awards
Have won awards from ASLA, APLD, PPA and ILCA, including APLD's Harry Schuster Service Award in 2002.

Industry Connections and Credentials
APLD certified (lifetime); Full member of ASLA; certified arborist (ISA); past president of APLD (1998-99) member of its Past Presidents Council; founding member and first president of Midwest Chapter of APLD. Recently left the board of the Landscape Design Association after nearly 10 years. Member of the following organizations: ANLA, APLD, ASLA, GWA (Garden Writers Association), LDA, MNLA. OLA (Ohio), PPA, PLANET (Michigan), VNLA (Virginia). More on the geeky side, I'm also a member of American Mensa and the Conjuror's Corner magic club.

Lecturing/Speaking
Have spoken to many different groups in 11 different states and Canada. For testimonials about teaching and lecturing, see here.

For some design client testimonials, see here.

Honestly, probably my least favorite topic is myself. I'd much rather talk about Duke Basketball, the Cubs' prospects for next year (Fonzi has arrived!), or (dare I say it?) the Bears' chances to reach the big game in February. Thanks for bearing with me. So if you'd like to discuss any of those topics, or landscape design, please give me a call. Or we can talk pinewood derby, health and fitness or magic tricks!

2-4-1 still available for Jan and Feb courses. See here.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." --Albert Einstein
Imagination is a tool critical to good design. Join us to sharpen your creative tools.

Exclusive Autumn Offer!

Following is our e-newsletter, sent on 11/13/06. You can subscribe here.

The holiday season is upon us and WE NEED STUDENTS! Keep reading to find out

about how you can attend for HALF price.

2-4-1

That's "Two For One!" Take advantage of this one-time deal. Sign up for winter 2006-2007 courses and bring a second person for FREE! The second person can be an employee, a co-worker or even a friendly competitor.

You read it right. But we need your registration by the published Earlybird Deadlines (see below). There is no specific place for special offers on the application. This is an "internet-only" offer. Just print this coupon and attach it to your enrollment forms.

Earlybird Deadlines
Sissinghurst December 11-15, 2006 (Early Bird deadline extended to 11/20/06 for this offer)
Barnsley House January 15-19, 2007 (Early Bird deadline 12/18/06)
Hidcote January 22-26, 2007 (Early Bird deadline 12/22/06)
Hidcote February 5-9, 2007 (Early Bird deadline 1/8/07)
Sissinghurst February 12-16, 2007 (Early Bird deadline 1/12/07)
Barnsley House February 26-March 2, 2007 (Early Bird deadline 1/29/07)

Click here for this Smokin' Deal!

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,

American Academy of Landscape Design

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email: info@aaldweb.com

web: http://www.aaldweb.com
voice: 847-657-7900

This offer only good with a printed version of this offer.

PLANET Recap, Free Magazine, Thoughts on Selling, Winter Courses

Following is our e-newsletter, sent on 11/7/06. You can subscribe here.

PLANET Meeting in Columbus

It seemed all too familiar. The Convention Center, that is. In my mind, I had not been to Columbus since 1992 when I visited Ameriflora as a post conference tour with APLD. But we never visited the Convention Center in 1992. It finally clicked when I walked past the nut shop on the lower level of the Convention Center and read the poster inside: "Studies show people who eat peanuts live longer than people that don't eat." Too funny.

"I've seen that sign before," I thought! It was less than 2 years ago I was here to speak at the Ohio State University Short Course! No wonder it looked so familiar. What a spaceball. Anyway, the OSU/CENTS program is a good one. If you've not been, it's worth your time.

The reason I was in Columbus was to attend my first PLANET Green Industry Conference/Expo. I'm told they draw nearly 2000 landscape professionals from all over the U.S. Indeed, I met folks from California, Oregon, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Texas and the Carolinas. PLANET as an organization serves the landscape contracting industry, and the focus of its educational programs tends to be all business: Marketing, branding, pricing, profit, selling and succession planning. There was little, if any, design on the agenda. I enjoyed very much the programs I attended, though my first love is design. It was time well spent.

Landshapes
My appreciation of good design is shared by the editor of Landshapes magazine, Stephanie Rose. I spent some valuable time speaking with Stephanie at the show. She informs me that an article I wrote will appear in the January/February issue which should show up near the end of the year. The article is a project profile which you can read if you are a subscriber. The cost to subscribe is..... NOTHING! If you are in the landscape design/architecture business, all you have to do is sign up at their web site. Simple.

Buying and Selling
Buying anything should be simple. Especially if it is something you're selling! When it comes to selling, one of the great truths about people is this: People don't like to be sold to. But they LOVE TO BUY! Selling landscape design or contracting services is no different. A good sales system is set up so that it is easy for both buyer and seller. Not only does it give the buyer a sense of control, but it takes a lot of pressure off a designer who might not be comfortable "selling" in the traditional sense. The system does most of the work. This type of system is one of the topics covered in AALD's Barnsley House as well as Sissinghurst courses. It's such an important topic that it is the only one we repeat.

Speaking of AALD courses, the Early Bird deadline for the December Sissinghurst course has been extended to 11/13, so hurry if you want to join us!

Check our website for the most current information.

Lastly, just last week we were excited to receive our printed brochures! If you would like a copy, please let us know by phone or email, and we'll gladly put one in the mail to you.

Thanks for reading.

I'm Tim Thoelecke, and I approved this message.

Sincerely,

Tim Thoelecke

American Academy of Landscape Design

ASLA Recap, Residential Design Thoughts, Fall/Winter Courses

Following is our e-newsletter, sent on 9/29/06. You can subscribe here.

ASLA Meeting in Minneapolis

We have leaves on the ground here in the Chicago area. I’m fresh off a plane from Minneapolis where I attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Traditionally, ASLA has not been a big supporter of residential landscape design, but this time was different.

Most of the conference was really well done. A highlight was sitting in on the Residential Landscape Design Professional Practice Network. I had a nice conversation with Rosheen Styczinski who chairs the group. It’s amazing how landscape architects and designers who work in the residential market all face the same issues, many of them having to do with practice management—how we run our businesses. It also came out in the group discussion that 70% of ASLA members practice residential design. This is the largest of any specialty within the organization, and it appears as if ASLA might begin to cater more to that segment of its membership.

Industry conferences are a great thing. For those who don't participate, I encourage you to give them a try. ASLA, APLD, ANLA, PLANET and many state green industry organizations all have great things to offer. You learn, but more importantly, you meet new people who share your interests and problems. I ran into many old friends and made a few new ones in Minneapolis. It was a nice experience.

Residential Is Different

At the meeting, which was not strictly residential in subject matter, I was reminded of the different mind set we have when designing residential landscapes. It is the opposite of most landscape architecture. In larger scale design, the designer is designing spaces that more or less dictate how people will use them. In residential design, we are designing for a specific client, and our goal is a happy client. If we can do something for the greater good in the process, then terrific! But our clients are primary.

Remainder of Fall and Winter Courses Online

Over the weekend, we posted the remainder of our fall and winter course schedule. Sissinghust will be repeated in December and February, and Barnsley House will be repeated in January and February. Although both courses are design-focused, we do cover many practice management topics as well. Also, a third course is scheduled, called Hidcote. The details will be posted in the next week or so, but its focus will be the RIGHT side of the brain! Topics and exercises will be on creativity and communication.

Check our website for the most current information.

Lastly, check your mail. If we have your mailing address, you should have received our first direct mail postcard, and, if you are an APLD member, you will have received the 2007 APLD calendar, produced with support from Monrovia Growers. We have a project featured on the July page.

Thanks for reading. We'll be in touch soon with more updates.

If you know someone who may be interested, please feel free to forward this. There is a very easy Subscribe link on our web site.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Tim Thoelecke

American Academy of Landscape Design