AEC Industry
As a Graphic Designer in the AEC industry, I develop layouts and graphics for pursuits and a variety of marketing materials. I address the challenge of aligning a firm’s brand identity and company statement with the strict requirements of different RFPs and marketing material requests.
Designing for Proposals
As the Graphic Designer, it is my responsibility within any Marketing team to manage the layouts for the content of every pursuit. Creating a cohesive final proposal package that is inclusive of all submittal materials, from the main RFP response to any fees and forms, is my priority within the team.
Collaborating with Proposal Managers and PMs is essential throughout the proposal process. This means as a designer, I participate in research at kickoff, source high-quality photos, maintain awareness of page limits and submission requirements for the team through regular communication, and commit to a work ethic that adheres to internal team deadlines. This is all to ensure that our submission can be submitted on-time and to the utmost quality at the time of submission.
I customize every proposal to meet the RFP requirements while maintaining the brand guidelines of the firm. It is my goal that every proposal is not just compliant but also readable and engaging to the client through aesthetic and memorable graphics.
Working across overlapping deadlines and multiple firms, I create and maintain a high-level base template of all common content that is required within proposals. This means adding additional depth to an org chart or switching out projects is never a hurdle. By streamlining the key content in a submission, changes can be easily and efficiently executed at any point of the process. This creates more time between deadlines to develop targeted graphics and to support the Proposal Managers.
Supporting Pursuits Beyond the Design
I believe a proposal’s design will always be better when the designer is educated and informed about the context and details that they are designing for. To consistently deliver this level of quality and care in every proposal, I keep myself informed on the priorities, practices, and messaging of the firm by providing support in the following areas of a pursuit:
QA/QC the written content across multiple drafts, internal deadlines, and page turns
Research and update project sheets, resumes, and headshots
Read, study, and research the RFI to maintain the same awareness as Proposal Managers
Assist in maintaining SharePoint and overall file structures/naming conventions
Perform administrative tasks for forms and fees by preparing them to be executed efficiently
Branding…and Why It Matters!
Why should a strong brand be a priority to an AEC firm?
The brand and visual identity of any business develops and maintains the impression of a company to clients, teaming partners, and competitors. A visual brand that is clear, consistent, and well-defined enhances the messaging, strengthening the services that the company has to offer. For an AEC firm, this effect will be compounded with time and successful service delivery, allowing a firm’s name and reputation to become top-of-mind for clients and teaming partners. It is more than the logo and some colors, it is how your firm is remembered and recalled within the industry.
Defining the Brand
A Mini Case-Study with JGM
Performing a Brand Audit
A brand audit requires the collection of all the visual elements of a firm’s brand from the logo and colors to the graphics. This also includes compiling all marketing materials from slide decks, business cards, social media posts, etc. By organizing these files and assets, I can create a Brand Guide that can be consulted as a dictionary and rulebook for the company’s visual identity.
This also creates an opportunity to evaluate how these assets have performed across all platforms and how to best utilize each one. This process helps discover where there are holes in the company’s brand toolkit that need to be filled. The more this toolkit is built out cohesively, the stronger and more well-defined the brand will be. This process is always collaborative and includes the input and feedback of the whole Marketing team and upper leadership.
Using the Brand to the Fullest
With a brand audit complete, I am able to create new pathways for the company to shine. This means discovering and designing new ways to mix and match the same ingredients of the Brand Guide to fulfill its potential. These new discoveries create a distinct visual language that is truly unique to the firm. This enhances what sets the company apart in a viewer’s mind and helps set a strong and cohesive pattern in their memory.
Aligning the Visuals
There always comes the challenge of incorporating the brand across all platforms. As a Graphic Designer, I prioritize brand cohesiveness and will personally update and create new designs to be used across all digital and print applications. This visual cohesion strengthens the firm’s overall identity to the audience by being the clear through-line across all platforms that help others verify the legitimacy and validity of the message they are receiving. Brand cohesion creates trust in the firm to deliver their services with the same level of care that the brand was carried out with.
A Butterfly Effect in Benefits
A well-defined and organized brand creates a chain reaction of benefits within any firm’s Marketing team:
Assets can be found easily, mitigating bottlenecks across departments and creating efficiency in completing RFIs
Resumes and project sheets share the same voice as the firm, even when used within a teaming partner’s proposal
Social media posts can be smoothly produced and planned around a calendar
The website can act as the backbone of trustworthy and reliable information about the company
PMs can interview confidently with a slide deck that supports and validates their message with the strength of the firm’s
Delivering more than just proposals…
My role as a Graphic Designer goes beyond my contributions to the production process of creating proposals and marketing materials. As a multi-disciplinary designer, I bring an additional suite of design skills that have been utilized within the industry including event photography, photo-editing, illustration, video editing/motion graphics, and web design (UX/UI support).
Firms I’ve Worked With
Let’s connect!
If you are interested in working together or have any questions about the design work I have completed, please do not hesitate to reach out! I’d love to discuss how my background and skills can support you and your goals to deliver high-quality services in the AEC industry.