Wednesday, February 21, 2007

More Words

Here are a few more Words We Use.

From Robin Templar Williams, respected garden designer from England and Managing Director of the Garden Design School:

"Positive Line"
"Positive Space"
"Clear Direction"
"Clear Intent"
"Ease of Passage"
"Uninterrupted Flow"
"Seamless Transition"

Rob notes that these phrases are not unique, and he's correct. But they show how an experienced designer thinks. Every single one of these shows intent. Intent is active design. Many designers get hung up on decoration and use terms that reflect that. You often hear things like "This ____ is placed here to provide some 'interest' or 'variety.'" Or "I chose this plant because I really like it." Those are "decorating" terms, not "design" terms. If you can't see the difference, then let me know and I'll try to make it more clear. The point is, Rob is an excellent designer. Good designers place elements in the landscape with a purpose, a defensible purpose. The terms we use to describe this purpose are real indicators of how well we understand what we are doing.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Check Your Pubs

The mail man was very kind to me today!
If you don't subscribe to Landshapes, you ought to. An article I wrote for them last fall has finally appeared. Stephanie Rose and company do a really nice job. By the way, a subscription is free. Just sign up on their web site. My friends Rosalind Reed and Judy Nauseef also have articles in this issue.

Also in the mail was a new publication you may find at the grocery store called Distinctive Backyard Ideas, published by Harris Publications and edited by Barbara Ballinger. I'm looking for a link. When I find it, I'll post it here! Oh, there are 7 of my projects in it covering 24 pages! Chicago appears to be well represented in the publication. Let me know if you see it on magazine stands!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Words We Use and Survey Update

Survey Update
We've got quite a few survey responses and we're hoping for a few more. Thank you to all who took the time to fill it out. I really appreciate the positive comments as well as all the suggestions. I'll be posting some of the results here in the coming weeks. If you have not yet had a chance to fill it out, click here. It's only 13 questions and goes quickly. Thanks.

Words We Use
A few friends have provided some phrases and words they use when communicating design ideas to clients. Here's a sampling:

The first come from Bernard Trainor of Bernard Trainor + Associates in Pacific Grove, CA. Bernard will be one of the featured speakers at the upcoming APLD conference in Pasadena.
  • “The landscape and architecture will merge together seamlessly.”
  • “Trees will anchor the building to the larger (borrowed) landscape.”
  • “The driveway is the most used part of the landscape so make it memorable!”
The following come from Pete Wodarz of Milieu Design in Wheeling, IL. Pete has helped me out in the classroom, and is one of the more talented designers I know.
  • "We use these plants to create a tapestry of color throughout the season."
  • "These elements combine to give the area a strong sense of place."
  • "Creating a sense of mystery and a desire to explore further"
  • "Framing the view"
Joel Lerner, author of Anyone Can Landscape (among many others) and president of Joel M. Lerner Environmental Design in Chevy Chase, MD offers these:
  • "My job is to put you in touch with your property to make it reflect the essence of your personality -- LERNSCAPING(TM)."
  • "Progressive realization, not seeing the whole picture at one time, is the way to add mystery (interest) to your design."
  • "Creating garden rooms (is) a way of subdividing your yard, and subdividing tends to make a property look larger."
  • "Make smooth transitions from one space to another, like using the edge of forest plantings to go from lawn to woodland."
  • "More comfort in spatial enclosure"; "12-month interest"; "create smooth indoor/outdoor relationships."
You may have heard Jeff Korhan of Treemendous Landscape Company speak at an industry conference this off-season. He's been on the docket at a number of them this year. His professional speaking site is here. Also, visit his blog here. Following are a couple of his contributions:
  • "A house is just a pile of lumber, bricks, fasteners etc. But a beautiful home is the arrangement of these elements to create something special, unique, and functional. It's the same with landscapes. Anyone can throw a bunch of plants together, but it takes training, talent, and time to arrange them for an intended purpose."
  • "I've made thousands of mistakes and learned from them. So you, Mr./Ms. Client, don't have to take risks because I've already taken them for you. I'm not experimenting with your money."
If you have any you would like to share, feel free to post a comment here, or just send me an email at tim@aaldweb.com!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

The Words We Use

Communication is what it's all about. If you can't communicate your ideas in a meaningful way, then those ideas can get lost. When we present our designs, our ideas, to a client, the words we use ought to paint a picture.

I'll start you off with a few that I use, and a few used by friends. Some are statements; others are just phrases. Please chime in with your own using the comment link below.

"When you walk out onto your patio, you should feel as if you are entering another room."
"A walk around the garden is a voyage of discovery."
"A view from every window."
"All other things being equal, an ugly landscape costs just as much to install as an attractive one." (the late Harry Schuster)

Please share some of your favorites!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Curriculum Survey

As any education junkie like myself knows, there is a skill to attending conferences. That would be a good topic for a future post.

Over the last few months, I've attended quite a few of them. One of my missions was to do some informal research. It is pretty clear that high quality design programs are hard to find. That is why we created the AALD.

Interestingly, a topic that many suggested is closely related to design, but is more business related. It may be summed up in the term "Practice Management." This can mean any of the following: Managing the paper trail; getting noticed and getting business; establishing and cultivating credibility; understanding insurance needs; design fees; managing clients; contracts, and more.

Please help us narrow this down and let your voice be heard. The survey is only 13 questions and will go fast. Thanks!

Click here!

Monday, February 5, 2007

Reflections on ANLA Management Clinic

I just returned from the ANLA's Management Clinic in Louisville, KY. It's been at least 10 years since I last attended this terrific green industry conference. If you have not ever been, you're missing out. I hope to make this an annual event from now on.

It's been held at the Galt House in Louisville for thirty-some years now. Attendance this year was somewhere around 1200. I met folks from Texas, California, Washington (DC and state), Florida, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. And quite a few from Ontario.

The keynote speaker most were interested in was William McDonough. Though I'm not yet a "true believer," his presentation was compelling and well-constructed. I really enjoyed the keynote the following day by Dan Heath, co-author of a new book called "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die." As a designer and small business owner, I really find the concept interesting. I've started the book and look forward to making my way through it.

Quotes from the Clinic (some paraphrased):

"When get up in the morning and do something with intent, you are designing." (William McDonough)

"Leadership is doing the right things. Management is doing those things in the most efficient way ." This is not unlike "Leaders manage people. Managers manage tasks." I prefer "Managers have subordinates. Leaders have followers." In any case, the concept is important.

"We are all waves in the same ocean–different, but the same."

And a couple from Mid Am

"We are all teachers...all the time. We are constantly teaching everyone around us who we are and what we believe life is all about." (Dr. John Powers)

"We can either learn from someone or judge them but we cannot do both. One eliminates the possibility of the other." (Dr. John Powers)