Unique or Sexy: Does your architecture have publishing potential?

05 Apr 2016

How to assess your projects to find a winner.

Back in 2014 we began exploring what it was that made certain projects more ‘publishable’ than others. We discovered there are about a million answers to this question, from the mix of projects in a certain magazine to (quite seriously) the colour of a building. Different publications are looking for a mix of different factors to ensure their editorial is both consistent and original.

However, we were able to develop what we call the ‘publishing potential grid’. It sounds fancy, but really it’s just a fun way for you to plot how successful your projects might be in getting published – a way to help you honestly assess your work and help get an idea of what to expect. If you have ever used a risk assessment table, you’ll be familiar with this type of approach. The way it works is that you assess your project on two levels. The first is how unique your project is, and the second is how sexy it is.

Generally, projects that are unique (with standout one-of-a-kind features) will get more attention than projects that are similar to many others out there. On the flip side, really well-built, beautiful, sexy projects are always in high demand and will be more attractive to editors, particularly when they have great photography. Nail both of these and you’ve got media gold.

So why not take a look at your projects using the above ‘grid’. You might even find that there’s some gold in your previous projects that could still see them published.

We’ll be launching the all-new BowerBird app very soon. Head over here to secure your exclusive pre-launch invitation…