How to Win Work

How to Win Work - The architect's guide to business development and marketing

This indispensable book, written by one of the most influential marketers in architecture, will demystify Public Relations and marketing for all architects, whether in large practices or practicing as sole practitioners.

You are a great designer, but no one knows you. Now what?

By directly confronting the burning question ‘How do you win work?’, this book addresses the key purpose of architects investing time and effort in public relations and marketing.

Written by one of the most influential and perceptive voices in business development, Jan Knikker, Partner for Strategy and Development at MVRDV, the narrative simultaneously informs and excites, making marketing accessible and compelling for all architects regardless of sector and practice size.

Knikker draws on over 20 years’ experience at the forefront of global practice at MVRDV and OMA, shaping their public images and business strategies. Bridging the distance between architects and marketing, he provides practical tips and best practice guidance, ranging from strategic business plans to the nuts and bolts of writing press releases and fee proposals.

Successful PR has to be more than skin deep. It needs to rest on strong and stable foundations. Knikker emphasises the importance of nurturing a creative and innovative practice culture, which also invests in core values, such as being a good employer and professional ethics.

The result of extensive research, Knikker draws on fresh insights and approaches from a wide range of architects in the UK and internationally:

• David Miller Architects

• Coffey Architects

• Studio MUTT

• MgMaStudio

• Feilden Fowles

• Powerhouse Company

• Shedkm.

CONTENT

Foreword 

About the Author 

1 How we are supposed to work for free 

2 We can do better 

3 To specialise or not to specialise 

4 Marketing: a dirty word 

5 Mission and vision 

6 Branding and company culture 

PUBLIC RELATIONS 

7 "If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR" 

7.1 Writing a marketing strategy 

8 The office is your business card 

9 Your website: your online shop window 10 Your work amidst a changing media landscape 

10.1 Print 

10.2 Online media 

10.3 Social media 

10.4 TV and Youtube 

10.5 Vlogs and podcasts 

10.6 Crisis communication and the outreach that might prevent it 

10.7 Others 

11 Lectures 

12 Receiving or organising awards 

13 Your product in the picture 

13.1 The drawing 

13.2 The render 

13.3 Collages and hand-drawings 

13.4 Talking to clients: the project text and press release 

13.5 The model 

14 The built project 

15 The project book 

16 Exhibitions 

17 Prioritising BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

18 Business development, the direct way to win new work 

19 Client relationships 

20 Who are you as a person, and how do you approach selling? 

21 Just do it 

22 Going abroad 

23 Fairs 

24 How to calculate a fee 

25 Contracts: managing risks and keeping promises 

26 It's not easy being green 

27 The pitch 

28 Broadening your portfolio 

29 Planning 

30 Collaborations 

31 Learning from others 

32 Styles 

33 Ethics for architects 

34 Suing your client 

35 Spam and fraud 

36 Crisis 

CASE STUDIES 1 shedkm 2 MgMaStudio 3 Studio MUTT 4 Coffey Architects 5 David Millar Architects 6 Feilden Fowles 7 Turner Works 8 From 0 to 100 staff in 15 years Acknowledgements Image credits Index

About the author

Jan Knikker is Partner at MVRDV, leading the Contracts, Business Development and Public Relations efforts. He leads MVRDV's branding efforts and has overseen the practice's rapid expansion into new markets, focusing on solutions for global issues through its architecture and urbanism. Jan regularly lectures internationally, at commercial and academic venues in Germany, the UK, Israel, Colombia, Austria, Australia, Kuala Lumpur, and elsewhere. He writes for various publications and was Deputy Editor of Domus 2019.