Part One – Pitch to Published: Best Practices and Strategies to Get Your Projects Published
Learn what the pros know about getting projects published and how professional photography, narrative creation and knowing your audience can set you apart. Learn how can brand partnerships help get your designs promotion and exposure to potential new clients as well as new branding and revenue generating opportunities.
This is a comprehensive conversation for design and publicity professions that details and outlines ways to get designers projects into the public media. Topics include;
Process (prep)
Strategy – Photography, story, client approvals, art clearances, etc.
The Pitch
Creative deliverables, photography, re-shoots, etc.
Words matter. They are important not just for the sake of clear communications but to showcase the specific skillset one has in an effort to attract a suitable client. Suitability. If you are a regular listener to Convo By Design you know what I am talking about. If not, first, hopefully you will be a regular listener, second, the idea of suitability in all endeavors is more important now than ever before.Suitability means vibing and open to new ideas through a mutual trust. A mutual trust allows someone to communicate with another, without having to masque every idea under the veil of “correctness”, in whatever form that may take.
No, we are not going to be talking about politics or anything that might make anyone uncomfortable. Today, you are going to hear my conversation with Paulina Hospod with Aha!Interiors about design vs. renovation and subtle details. Sometimes, subtle details make all the difference between the overused, overplayed looks you can find while doomscrolling on the socials. Design should make us happy, and were going to explore that idea with Paulina, right after this.
Thank you, Paulina. Loved our chat. Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales, and Design Hardware. Amazing companies and great friends to the trade so please give them an opportunity for your next project. And, thank you for listening, subscribing the show and sharing with your colleagues. If not already subscribing, please consider that so you receive every new episode automatically to your podcast feed. Until next week, thank you for sharing this time together, until the next episode, be well, stay focused and now that it has arrived in earnest, try to rise above the chaos. – CXD
For the past 12 years, it has been a mission to bring you voices and stories of talent in design, architecture and the arts. There have been so many twists and turns over these past 12 years and many of you have been with me since the early days of the show. A few ideas that often come back to me when presenting these conversations. Two major themes are authenticity and suitability. Two words that you don’t hear often. The first being authenticity in design and the other, which you never hear, except here is suitability. Were going to drill down on both this week.
Today on the show, you are going to hear from Bailey Todd of White Cliff Studio. Bailey and her Midwest minded, Illinois based firm deals in authenticity in all her projects and we will dig in a bit. It’s the suitability idea that I have been focused on lately. For years, I have been non-plussed by the trades, magazines and social media prognosticators alike and this is the perfect way to draw the correlation between the influencer and the influential. The influencer will tell you just how great they are and because they know, here are the things with which you should surround yourself. Influentials on the other hand, this is experienced based knowledge shared with you by people who know because they have experience. I really enjoyed my conversation with Bailey and I think yo will too. She knows her industry, she understands her business and she is willing to chop it up and share. Love that. And, it’s coming up, right after this.
Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales, Monogram and Design Hardware. Amazing companies and great friends to the trade so please give them an opportunity for your next project. And, thank you for listening, subscribing the show and sharing with your colleagues. If not already subscribing, please consider that so you receive every new episode automatically to your podcast feed. Until next week, thank you for sharing this time together, until the next episode, be well, stay focused and now that it has arrived in earnest, try to rise above the chaos. – CXD
Over the years, I have spoken with many clients who really don’t understand the process behind design. I think there are many beginner and mid-level designers that don’t fully understand process, means and methods. If a client wants their projects completed quickly, they can always find a designer who will do it for them. It’s their replacement who has to pick up the pieces. I can hear many of you nodding in agreement as I say this. It’s the journey, like that of a runner. You don’t decide to run a marathon, buy a pair of shoes and run it. There is a process. A very long and challenging process. The same is true when trying to become the best at what you do in any endeavor. Just like design.
Today, you are going to hear from Holly Hollenbeck. Holly and I discussed the parallels between long-distance running and project management. Holly, an experienced ultra-distance runner, shared her lessons learned from participating in challenging races, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning, determination, and experience. She also highlighted how these experiences have influenced her approach to project strategy and risk management.
Holly shares some of the challenges she faced in her design and client management roles due to the Covid-19 pandemic and economic fluctuations. She emphasized the importance of clear communication with clients, setting expectations upfront, and being flexible to pivot when necessary. We also discussed the differences in real estate design and mentality between the United States, Europe, and Asia, with a focus on the concept of the ancestral home and the shift towards renovating existing homes rather than moving due to high housing costs. There is an overwhelming need to adapt to constantly changing market conditions and client needs.
Holly shares her experience of having her kitchen design featured on the cover of California Home and Design in 2007, which she attributed to serendipity and connections with friends. Holly and I discussed the pitfalls of designing homes based on current trends, emphasizing the importance of creating cohesive, functional spaces rather than focusing on individual, trendy elements. They highlighted the risk of a design becoming outdated and the need to balance trendy elements with timeless pieces. Holly shared her approach to navigating clients’ desires for trendy features by ensuring these elements are used in unique and personalized ways. And you are going to hear all about it, right after this.
Thank you Holly, loved our chat. Keep on truckin.
Thank you to my incredible partner/ sponsors; ThermaSol, Design Hardware, pacific Sales, Monogram and TimberTech for your support for the show and the industry as a whole. We are a stronger because of industry partners like you. And of course, thank you for listening to the podcast, subscribing to the show and sharing it with friends and colleagues. Please keep the show and guest suggestions coming, I do appreciate them and do my best to respond to every one.Convo By Design @ Outlook dot com and on Instagram, convoXDesign, with an “X”.Thanks again for listening. Happy New Year, make this the year you’ve been hoping it would be. Until the next episode, Stay focused and above the chaos.
Suitability has been on my mind a lot lately. I was taking the pup for a walk the other day and as I passed a home in the neighborhood that was under major renovation, it got me thinking about the concept of design suitability. I have been thinking about it quite a bit actually. Design suitability could also be interpreted as creatively vibing. To be on the same creative plane, with an ability to communicate freely and effectively. Any designer or client who has experienced creatively vibing understands that the way things get done when people are sharing that headspace is, beyond compare. It’s a rarity.
When I got back to the house, I found a package leaning against the front door. I don’t know about you but coming home to a package delivery still makes me giddy. It’s that same feeling when you are out to eat and come back from the restroom to find your food waiting for you. Love that. The package was a book, so we have a new BOOKLOOK for you featuring the new book called Contemporary Livingby Paul McClean of McClean Design. This book is a love letter to California and California living. This is an extraordinary book that opens with an essay about California living and the roots of residential design in the Golden State. You’ll hear abut some of California architecture pioneers like Koenig, Gehry and Neutra that leads you through an exploration of McCleans work perched in the Hills of Los Angeles. These modern masterworks demonstrate McCleans understanding and respect for the origins of California living, followed by concrete examples of how he deconstructs the core ideas and presents the concepts within completely original works. It’s a masterful understanding of how something works and possessing the talent and ability to take those ideas and reimagine them.
That original idea of creatively vibing with others, the environment, and past works of long lost masters provides all the elements for something very special. Contemporary Living by Paul McClean guides you through a visual journey of the architecture, site placement, scale and material selection. Design books, when done right are treasures to those who love to look at the work. This one is special for those that not only want to see the work but to gather an understanding of the philosophical approach taken to the finished residence. Finding the right architect is critical to obtaining the right shelter space for each individual. That method of vibing creatively allows the design to emerge and adapt to the individual. I don’t think we talk enough about the people when it comes to design. This monograph makes sure to focus on elemental ideas like land, water, light, elevation, and the California ethos, which is inextricably connected to people who long for the California feel. If you love modern design and contemporary living that California feel, you should get this book. Published by Rizzoli and you can find a link in the show notes. Brilliant monograph, Paul. Well done.
Staying on the creative vibing theme for a bit longer, this episode of the podcast features a conversation with designer, Michelle Murphy of DemiRyan. One of the things that constantly troubles me is the idea that design is a universal concept. It’s not. Design is personal. The relationship between client and designer should be personal. That doesn’t mean you have to be besties, you don’t even have to like each other. Michelle and I talk about a number of things that point to this idea of suitability that can mean success or failure of the client-designer relationship. You are going to be hearing much more on this idea about suitability and vibing creatively. Starting with the following conversation with DemiRyan’s co-founder and principal designer, Michelle Murphy, right after this.
Thank you, Michelle. Loved our chat and appreciate the time. Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors; ThermaSol, Design Hardware, Pacific Sales, Monogram and TimberTech. These are all fantastic partners with exceptional products and service to match. I have vetted these companies and I believe in them, and I think you should too. Check the show notes for direct links. Thank you for checking them out and specifying them on your next project. I also want to thank you for listening to the show and sharing Convo By Design with your friends, coworkers and colleagues who you think might enjoy it as well.
Please also keep the guest and show suggestions coming; convo by design at outlook dot com and on Instagram @convoxdesign, with an “x”. Until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD
I’m josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a sampling from the Summer edition of the Designer Showcase event at Design Hardware. Every Season, we invite some of the most talented creatives from across the Southland and the U.S. to participate in strategic conversations, interviews, product launches and panel conversations. This is part of Design Hardware’s commitment to the design community. And we’ve got a sampling from that event.
This episode of the show features two very talented and very different creatives. The first is Jaime Rummerfield who you have heard before on the podcast. Jaime is an old friend and a crazy-talented designer. You have heard her before, usually with Ron Woodson, but things change and Jaime has gone out on her own. What’s that like? You’re going to find out. Then, you will hear from Marcos Santa Ana of Alloi. Marcos is an architect and general contractor with a very unique perspective on the work and art that is architecture. And you are going to hear all about it.
Thank you Jaime and Marcos. By the way, if you are listening to this on the day we published, November 12th, you still have time to see both of these amazing designers as well as dozens more at the WestEdge Design Fair, November 14th through the 16th at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Here is a link to get tickets to the show and see all of the incredible programming produced by Convo By Design.
Thank you to my incredible partner sponsors; ThermaSol, Design Hardware, Pacific Sales, Monogram and TimberTech. These are all fantastic partners with exceptional products and service to match. I have vetted these companies and I believe in them, and I think you should too. Check the show notes for direct links. Thank you for checking them out and specifying them on your next project. I also want to thank you for listening to the show and sharing Convo By Design with your friends, coworkers and colleagues who you think might enjoy it as well.
Please also keep the guest and show suggestions coming; convo by design at outlook dot com and on Instagram @convoxdesign, with an “x”. Until next week, be well and take today first. -CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a special episode for the holidays. Before I shut things down, stop thinking about the business, I want to encourage you to do the same for about an hour. Hang with the fam, binge the Hallmark Channel all week. But, before you do, give this episode a listen with some eggnog…. Which is always better with Fireball. Just saying.
For the holidays, I’m posting a throwback that has nothing to do with the business of design. A past chat with friend of the show, Peter Gurski. Peter is a multi-disciplinary creative who also was responsible for the look and feel of the smash TV hit, Will & Grace. Peter was episode 203 of Convo By Design and I thought you might enjoy hearing about the set design and then go hit Hulu and watch. As you do, you can find some of the accessories in the show, look at the paintings, the furniture and you will see what he is talking about.
I have a special treat for you. I received a package in the mail. A book. So this installment of BOOKLOOK features Together at the Table, Entertaining At Home With The Creators Of Juliska. Capucine De Wulf Gooding and David Gooding have crafted a book that celebrates being together in so many ways just as their home tableware brand Juliska does. This book is part how-to, part why-you-should and part inspiration for better living. The better living part is what captured my attention. It’s not about buying someone else’s life which is what social made seems to have been made for. This is a concise treatise for better living. As the Gooding’s like to say here, “Don’t overthink.” There is tremendous value in that alone but even Moreso when it is accompanied by visual examples, which is what you find here. Great work here, Goodings. “Architects of Togetherness”! I love that. Jacket design is fabulous. The book is available now through the usual channels I assume.
Enjoy and happy holidays form all of us at Convo By Design. We’ll get to Peter Gurski LIVE from the Set of Will & Grace.
Designer Resources
ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman
Article, great style is easy. It’s the best way to buy beautiful modern furniture
Thank you Peter. I remember it like it was last week. Thank you for the tour and the fun look back. Thank you CXD partners and sponsors, ThermaSol, Article Furniture, York Wallcoverings, Franz Viegener and Moya Living for your continued support. Thank you for listening, downloading and subscribing to the show. Thank you for your emails and guest submissions. I love them, keep em coming. You are the reason I produce CXD. Designers, architects, set decorators, showroom managers, publicists, artists, makers…You make this world a better place. Remember why you do what you do. Be well. Until next week, take today first. -CXD
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. Today, we are going back to the WestEdge Design Fair in Dallas, Texas with designer, Chad Dorsey.
I started Convo By Design in response to a complete lack of design focused content prior to 2012. When I started this show, it was to purposefully and thoughtfully transport you everywhere design was happening. That was even true until March 13, 2020. But since then, everyone with the latest smartphone provides some sort of coverage from every event known to man. My priority since day one was to bring this to you, packaged so you felt in some small way that you were actually there, experiencing it first hand. That is my commitment to you, I will keep doing that. And because of this, I have had to continually up my game because every day, there is a new podcast, digital video outlet or e-design platform producing more and more design focused content. I appreciate the challenge, it keeps me motivated. Is that weird?
Designer Resources
ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman
Article, great style is easy. It’s the best way to buy beautiful modern furniture
Anyhow, I started a new extension of the show called Perspectives, featuring creatives who are doing things differently. This is one such conversation from the WestEdge Design Fair’s first edition in Dallas Texas in September 2022. This conversation is with interiors and product designer, Chad Dorsey.Chad has been on the show previously, back in 2019 when we caught up with him and his Lacienega Design Quarter, Legends installation. We reminisce a bit about that. This was so much fun.
For those interested in seeing some of Chad’s work or the video from this conversation, check the show notes for links. Enjoy, that is coming up right after this.
Thank you Chad, WestEdge Design Fair and to all of you who came to the show. Thank you to CXD sponsors and partners, ThermaSOl, Article Furniture, York Wallcoverings, Moya Living and Franz Viegener for your continued support. Of course, thank you for downloading, subscribing and listening to the show. Thank you for the emails of support and the guest submissions. I love them and it has allowed me to find some amazing talent to showcase. Please remember why you do what you do and for whom you do it. Designers, architects, artists, product designers, showroom managers, publicists, magazine editors, publishers, set decorators and everyone else that makes our industry stronger by the day, this show is for you. That’s why I do it. Be well, and take today first.
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a conversation about influence, your influence on the business of design and the relationships with others that make up this remarkable industry of ours.
Every successful creative knows the importance of presenting a professional image in digital media. The importance has been magnified in the past few years but with compressed schedules and far less free time to learn new strategies it has become more challenging to create beautiful and meaningful content. While we can’t give you more time to do it, you will learn best practices for interviews, editing images and text to best showcase your work in short videos and social media. You will also learn how to craft your professional introduction on mic and on camera. This is a perfect conversation for the successful designer and architect looking to take their promotional content to the next level. This chat took place at the WestEdge Design Fair in Dallas, Texas in September 2022. It features Melanie Venture of the Dove Agency, Sara Malek Barney of Bandd Design and moderated by me. And, we will get right to it after this.
Designer Resources
ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Episode 271 featuring Mitch Altman
Article, great style is easy. It’s the best way to buy beautiful modern furniture
Thank you Melanie and Sara for your time and willingness to share your expertise. Thank you WestEdge Design Fair and to all of you who came to the show. Thank you to CXD sponsors and partners, ThermaSol, Article Furniture, York Wallcoverings, Moya Living and Franz Viegener for your continued support. Of course, thank you for downloading, subscribing and listening to the show. Thank you for the emails of support and the guest submissions. I love them and it has allowed me to find some amazing talent to showcase. Please remember why you do what you do and for whom you do it. Designers, architects, artists, product designers, showroom managers, publicists, magazine editors, publishers, set decorators and everyone else that makes our industry stronger by the day, this show is for you. That’s why I do it. Thanks for listening. Be well, and take today first.
I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. This episode features writer, speaker and architect, Peter Pennoyer. We are talking about classic architecture from a French Modern Townhouse to a rural Farm House, a log cabin in the Adirondacks. That is a broad stretch, so much to talk about.
We are two weeks into 2022 and dealing with Omicron,the next variant of this seemingly endless pandemic. I bring it up not to tell you what you already know, but because architecture and design are just as important to getting through this as vaccines and protective procedures. This is not a political statement, but one of empirical data. Interior designers are making our homes more functional and architects are crafting new concepts into homes of today to address these issues when something like this happens again.
Peter Pennoyer is the founder of his namesake firm, Peter Pennoyer Architects. Peter is president of the Whiting Foundation, a nonprofit that supports scholars and writers. He has served on the board ion the Institute of Classical Architecture and his formal training in past architecture has influenced how he crafts for the future. Peter has been recognized and awarded far too often to mention them here. Awards follow the work, as form follows function. We discuss more about that and review some projects over the next hour. Enjoy this conversation with architect, Peter Pennoyer.
But first, if you listened to last weeks episode you know, I made a very special announcement…Convo By Design presents the 2022 Remote Design House | Tulsa. A unique idea around an equally unique show house. I have been wanting to do another design house project for many years now, but the right opportunity had not presented itself. Sure, there were projects, but none were right for me. Then, the pandemic hit. Here I was, producing a podcast for 8 years and all of a sudden, the entire industry stops working in an office and trying to figure out what the future of design is even going to look like. I am going to go a bit further down that rabbit hole in future episodes. Right now, I want to tell you where this is all going. In the first 200 days of the pandemic, I recorded over 100 interviews, conversations and panels. Like you probably did, I dived into the work, for two reasons. The first was to keep myself from going crazy with a family of four in a small house, trying to keep everyone calm and not lose my cool in the face of something scary and unknown. The second part was a strong belief at the time that our industry was on the precipice of something amazing. I had no idea that the product would be in short supply until the summer of 2020. I was on a run in Manhattan Beach, California on day, unable to run along the Strand, I was forced into a neighboring alley and noticed all of the boxes awaiting trash pickup. I started counting and identifying the boxes which became a hobby and way on passing the miles while running through mostly empty streets and alleys. The boxes were TV’s, appliances, office furniture and equipment. There were fitness equipment boxes and all kinds of design materials and product. I remember the “a-ha” moment for me was later in the Fall. I had completed recording and airing a series called, “Designing for Disaster.” You can still find these episodes in the CXD stream.
Designers architects were telling me that, of their clients, the ones that could were escaping to mountain, beach and more remote locations to live this out and using the opportunity to remodel both homes. Designers and architects, you know this… You have been busy ever since. Part of this new professional reality meant that embracing the new technology like Zoom, Slack, Base Camp, Microsoft Office and Google Drive was now a mandatory part of their jobs. This also meant that they would be required to design from a distance. That is something that represents the most revolutionary element for the design trade. How can you continue to work with your clients, now on the move and do what you do which traditionally was almost all in person and face to face.
I wanted to find out and so here we are in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a really special project house that is going to be reimagined by some of the world’s most talented creatives, none of whom are from Tulsa, this house is real and and the design is completely remote, the meets are all virtual and the work is being completed locally by local craftsmen, artisans and tradesmen. I haven’t seen a project like this before, so I really don’t have anything with which to compare it. So, we will learn together. Episodes featuring the designers and design partners are coming soon.
York Wallcoverings: Wallpaper is having a moment, a well deserved moment that is allowing designers to craft and create in new and amazing ways. Convo By Design has a new partner this year. This partnership includes participation in our Remote Design House | Tulsa project of which you will be hearing a lot about this year. I have been working closely with an exclusive group of partners and I am absolutely thrilled to be working with York Wallcoverings. This company has been crafting exquisite wall coverings for over a century with an archive that dates back to the early 18th century. This deeply rich history provides inspiration for the future, and the designs available through the York Wallcoverings Studio have long been lauded for their authenticity and craftsmanship. This art, artistry and history combined with a commitment to continually reimagining the manufacturing process allows York Wallcoverings to provide a consistently exquisite product. For options and inspiration, find them online, York Wallcoverings dot com. You can also find their store locator tool for a location near you.
Thank you, Peter. Not much makes me happier than deep dives like this! Thank you Walker Zanger for presenting Convo By Design. Thank you ThermaSol, Article, York Wallcoverings and Franz Viegener for your partnership. You are remarkable partners and amazing allies for the trade. And, thank you for listening, remember why you do what you do and that the business of design is about making better the lives of those we serve. Until next week. Be well and take today first.
