Architects often focus on design quality alone when presenting to clients, but clients are actually more interested in the benefits of a design. Benefits can include both tangible outcomes like profits and savings as well as intangible outcomes like status, safety, and credibility. When presenting designs, architects need to understand clients' challenges and priorities in order to clearly explain how the design provides benefits that address those needs. Creativity is also rarely appreciated on its own and can be seen as risky, so architects must frame creative designs in a way that minimizes perceived risk and uncertainty for clients.

1. 5
Minute Marketing
for Architects

2. Currently rebranding and refocusing the
Manchester Society of Architects............
29.01.14

3. Clients Don’t
Buy Design
and
No-one Wants
Creativity
Paul Iddon
22nd January 2014

4. “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill,
they want a quarter-inch hole.”
Theodore Levitt
Clients Don’t Buy Design…
They Buy Benefits…
Benefit - “something that is advantageous or
good; an advantage:”
Dictionary.com

5. Because the quote is incomplete:
What’s the purpose of this quarter-inch hole?
What does the user plan on doing with it?
Even better, what’s the end-result the user wants to
achieve with it?
But that’s a bit simplistic…

6. 6
Benefits usually consist of four
principal levels
Features — what things have.
Advantages — what features do.
Motives — what motives do features satisfy.
Benefits — what those features mean.

7. 7
Benefits usually consist of
four principal levels.
Features — have.
“The apartments have generous balconies.”
Advantages — do.
“Balconies allow the occupants to be outside
whilst in their own space, at upper floor levels”
Motives — satisfy.
“Eliminates feeling ‘cooped up’ and satisfies the
need to experience fresh air, sunshine, have a
smoke and grow stuff”
Benefits — mean.
“An attractive feature that positively differentiates,
allows the developer to charge a price premium,
and confers an advantage for the owner when re-
selling ”

8. 8
So What? I hear you ask, what has
this to do with Design…with
Architecture?

9. ©
2012
kernel
UK
ltd,
all
rights
reserved.
Because…..
Architects and
designers often
think design
quality alone
sells….
….But in the
clients world –
they need to buy
benefits….
Intangible….
Safety
Status
Credibility
Image
Positioning
Tangible….
Profit
Added value
Savings
Increased efficiency
Differentiation

10. 10
So when you present to a client…
Remember Design may be important to you,
but Benefits are important to them….
So you need to do your homework…
What are their challenges?
Who are they accountable to?
“Show me the money!”
Jerry Maguire 1996

11. 11
But there is a much bigger
issue that needs to be
understood…..

12. 12
People Desire, but Reject
Creative Ideas….
We are taught that
creativity will be celebrated
- if we have good ideas, we
will succeed.
BUT research shows that
creativity is rarely
acknowledged: Most
people don’t actually like it.

13. What does this mean?
“Even people who say they are
looking for creativity react negatively
to creative ideas”*
It is not Overt – A bias activates as a
response to reduce uncertainty - Risk
It also causes people to not even
recognise a creative idea….
*The bias against creativity – why people desire but reject creative ideas University of
Pennsylvania 2011

14. What does this mean?
“In terms of decision style, most
people fall short of the creative
ideal … unless they are held
accountable for their decision-
making strategies, they tend to find
the easy way out—either by not
engaging in very careful thinking
or by modeling the choices on the
preferences of those who will be
evaluating them.”

15. 15
People are risk averse – when
it comes to possible gains.
Given a choice people will
generally choose a 90%
chance of winning £1000
over a 10% chance of
winning £100,000..
Unless..
They are in a losing
situation where they will
take risk..

16. 16
People are risk averse
The same principle applies
in following the majority
prevailing view…
Even if it means
abandoning evident
truths…
And especially when
the majority view is
backed by an
authority figure……
I’m
the
BOSS!!

17. 17
Organisations can also follow
this strategy….
They may celebrate
innovation, but few
managers are willing to
take the risk…
It means breaking every
‘rule’ from recruitment
to policy and
investment….

18. 18
Organisations can also follow
this strategy….
Creativity means chaos,
opposition, non-
conformity, uncertainty
and ‘waste’ – Risk
“Creative people do
not ‘mesh well’ with
the proclivities of
the average person”

19. 19
In Conclusion
A Cornell study makes the case that social rejection is not
actually bad for the creative process—and can facilitate it….BUT
in any case
Know your client, know their pains – their situation
Make them look good – but not too risky
Creativity is a sliding scale – small victories – small
moves
Unless you have the rare creative client…then go for
it!! study
shows
that
if
you
have
the
sneaking
suspicion
you
might
not
belong,
the
act
of
being
rejected
confirms
your
interpreta=on.
The
effect
can
liberate
crea=ve

20. thank
you
thank
you