Repositioning design/architectural services for the new millenium.

Corporations are strategically planning their facilities for the year 2005; retail and entertainment venues are positioning themselves through 2010; and hotels are projecting for tourists' occupancy through 2020. So how do design and architecture firms strategize and competitively market their services to these varied client bases now, for the 21st Century?

No matter what size of the firm, their identity is the key to repositioning services. How are architectural and design firms perceived by existing and prospective clients, as well as those businesses which they partner with, such as real estate brokers, developers, construction companies, manufacturers and suppliers?

Competitors providing similar services are the best source of information to begin the repositioning process. A recognizable name is an advantageous foundation, but in today's fortuitous market, a firm needs to identify their brand identity.

Constant reinforcement in the industry which they practice takes investment of time and dollars. Brand identity is simply what your customers, competitors, supplies, etc. have to say about who you are in your industry. The package of services today needs to reach beyond the brochure and client list. Various markets are strong at different times, and design services are viewed as a commodity.

Corporations are pioneering and establishing new standards on how people work in their environments. Retail stores comprised of flagships and satellites nationally and globally are forecasting and creating trends for their venues to entice shoppers to spend more money. Movie theaters which anchor "entertainment destination venues" are such enterprising businesses today that they can be considered a driving force in how people spend their leisure time.

These industries rely upon designers and architects to bring visions and concepts to plan, and then plans to execution. Theming in venues is everywhere we look today and has become so much a part of where we dine, shop and sometimes even work that we find ourselves raising the "bar" with each new concept. Corporations are searching for their identities in their own marketplaces when they relocate or renovate their aesthetic surroundings to keep up with their technological changes.

Branding the client's identity and offering a package of comprehensive services to these clients is definitely a value-added component. Providing branding and identity, signage and fixturing design, and in-house graphic communication services align and integrate with the architectural and design process. The benefits of this combination of in-house services provide for a smooth and seamless project with proven results. Of course, this is not to diminish the importance of accurate construction documents and other deliverables.

Technology and information management plays an enormous role in the way we conduct our businesses today. For designers, it is a two-fold process. First, they need to constantly upgrade hardware and software and to be educated in cutting-edge technology. Second, they need to reinvest and utilize these tools to present more tangible visual presentations, visual aids such as computer generated renderings communicate quickly and effectively far beyond a floorplan. New talent well versed in computer technology, coupled with seasoned architectural designers, is the synergy needed to produce these new marketing and service tools.

One of the most compelling issues today is the often-heard premise that business survival in the 21st Century depends on our ability to shape our future rather than passively accepting a future shaped by those forces around us.