Awards help business development efforts by elevating firms above their competitors. They also provide valuable visual assets for marketing and social-media content. Another benefit of entering professional awards is that prominent jury members review the submissions; jury members are often media professionals or other architects who sit on approval boards, project competition juries, and conference committees. The primary challenge is prioritizing which awards programs are the best matches for our clients’ budgets and goals—whether recognition for a specific project, firm, or individual.
The general public—and even some in the AEC industry—consider landscape architects “gardeners with college degrees.” Taylor & Company’s challenge was to showcase client Surfacedesign’s industry-leading expertise in design and materials selection, elevating perception of the profession in the process. Focusing on the broad range of client types—from airports to wineries—demonstrated the firm’s flexibility and felicity with various typologies.
Taylor & Company conceived a two-tiered strategy. First, we prioritized Surfacedesign’s high-profile work to demonstrate a swath of solutions across varied typologies: master plans, urban designs, civic, hospitality, education, workplace, institutional, and residential. Media approached included consumer and trade design and landscape outlets as well as vertical publications related to specific typologies.
Taylor & Company has chaired awards committees and uses this insight to council clients on which programs can provide the best platform for uplifting clients and their projects. We maintain a growing calendar of awards that includes deadlines and eligibility requirements. In addition to awards consultation, Taylor & Company can manage the submission process. This usually entails our team writing text to fit word-count requirements, gathering additional information, and re-formatting photography according to specifications. Each submission has different parameters.
We highlighted innovative aspects of landscape design, including bioretention stormwater strategies, brownfield remediation techniques, reclaimed materials from site demolition and other sustainable sources, biodynamic soil treatment, green roofs, green walls, and even geomancy. Artful wayfinding and ADA accessibility using both hardscape and plantings demonstrated aesthetic solutions to regulatory and circulation challenges.
The second wave of our outreach spotlighted firm principals and project leaders. Execution included booking landscape architects for podcasts, webcasts, and webinars, as well as ghost-writing bylined articles for professional journals.
Often overlooked, local awards offer opportunities to stand out in the community. Many business journals and urbanism groups offer awards programs that recognize local projects and staff for a variety of accomplishments. As well, several awards programs offer opportunities to support younger team members with “40 Under 40” and similar commendations for new talent. On the other end of the spectrum, senior staff may be eligible for “Life Achievement” and “Legacy” awards.
Surfacedesign’s single-family projects appeared on the covers of consumer shelter publications Luxe Interiors + Design and Modern Luxury Interiors, while commercial and institutional work was featured in major design outlets including Architectural Record, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Metropolis, Enki (United Kingdom), Green Building & Design, Topos (Germany), and World Architecture News, among others.
Awards wins are marketing tools with impact, as they recognize important industry achievements. They provide engaging web and social-media content, and they bolster “About Us” boilerplates with impressive results. Taylor & Company reinforces award wins by creating and distributing announcements, which often result in additional coverage and features.
Projects were also included in several trade verticals for the aviation and wine industries, including Airport-World, Aviation News (New Zealand), Aviation Pros, Wine Business, and Wine Industry Advisor. Interviews with the firm’s principals yielded coverage in Contract, Dwell, “Iconic Hour” podcast, Landscape Architecture Magazine, “The Midnight Charette” podcast, and TheManual.com.
Individual achievement awards can also help fuel future campaigns for other professional certifications, such as AIA College of Fellows admission, boards of directors candidacies, and other committees and endeavors. All previous project and individual award wins fuel submissions for firm awards.
Individual achievement awards can also help fuel future campaigns for other professional certifications, such as AIA College of Fellows admission, boards of directors candidacies, and other committees and endeavors. All previous project and individual award wins fuel submissions for firm awards.
Ready to elevate your company’s presence in the media? Contact us today to learn more about our marketing and public relations team and how we can help you achieve your goals in the industry. Let’s tell your story and make an impact together.