We’ve all been there. You’ve dedicated a tremendous amount of time and effort into your landscape design project, only to ramble or stutter your way through a studio presentation that leaves the instructor and jury thoroughly perplexed. Unfortunately, even the best design solutions can be ruined by poor presentations.

In this article, I will peak behind the curtain and provide 5 quick tips that professors and design critics look for to best help in your next studio presentation. As long as you put in the hard work and preparation, these tips can maximize the quality of the feedback you receive from jurors and showcase the best parts of your design.

Tip #1: Form Follows Function, Design Follows Process

When a juror first engages with your class’s studio assignment, they often are briefed on the main components of the project, but most likely have not spent the same level of time and dedication researching as much information as you have. Therefore, it is important to review your final design through a description of the processes you followed to arrive there, especially if you are one of the first few presenters. Not only will this help the jury better understand the project, but it will also provide a personal insight into how you tackled with design problem.

Most of the time when design critics look at your work, they are not only trying to provide advice on what you’ve created, but also on the decisions you made to get there. By taking them step by step (in an engaging and personable way) through your process, you will get better advice on how to adapt, modify, and better your future design work.

Tip #2: One In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush

Take a second, close your eyes, and think about being in the middle of a landscape. How would you describe it?

We experience things not only through sight, but also through fragrance (for example, the smell of blooming flowers), sounds (a vibrant city atmosphere or the peaceful woodland chirpings of birds), texture (the feel of a polished slate wall or gravel under your feet), and taste (salty ocean air).

In a standard design presentation, students usually only provide a visual example of their design either through a drawing on the wall or a three-dimensional model on a computer screen – but we experience landscapes much differently. I often advise students to show me examples (real physical specimens) of materials, plants, or products they wish to use.

The famous idiom, one in the hand is worth two in the bush, is applicable here.

You can show me many pictures of a wall stone, but if you really want me to understand it, let me feel it. By bringing in small items to your presentation, not only will it show the jury a level of professionalism, but it will also better support the thoughtfulness of your choices.

Tip #3: Details Matter – But Only So Much

Think about a movie you recently watched. Do you remember which color sneakers the main character was wearing? Probably not – but why?

Well, when you are the viewer of a theatrical presentation, you are processing a great deal of information all at once. Subconsciously, you simply dismiss and remove parts of the film that are irrelevant or of little importance as they do not assist in the main story’s progression – in this example, the specific color of sneakers. If someone were to ask you whether the movie was good, I highly doubt you would say “Yes, it was great – except for the sneakers the main character was wearing.”

This idea relates directly to the format and emphasis your design presentation. You have probably spent countless hours reviewing and meticulously detailing every aspect of your landscape for the design project, down to every single last plant cultivar.

However, when you present your work, every minute matters. You should not spend too much time describing every agonizing detail of the project.

First, it would be a very boring presentation to watch. And second, most of the the details will not convince the juror on the success or failure of your project.

The jury is there to provide fresh-eyes and honest professional feedback from a short presentation. Give them the best highlights of your project and the main “plot” – to use the movie reference.

Your instructor (assuming he/she has been the one working with you through your semester) will be the one reviewing your final design in more detail afterward and will surely see the level of attention you gave to your design along with any smaller details. There is no need to spend presentation time on details worth skipping.

Tip #4: Body Language Matters

A few years ago I had a student who had a mastery of landscape sketching. With even simplistic lines she was able to showcase movement, gesture, and seasonality within her drawings. But whenever she pinned her designs to the wall for presentations, everything fell flat.

She would speak with a dull monotone rhythm, shoulders slumped, reading off a concise and direct script of notecards she carried. As if intentionally rushing through her presentation, she would never look up at the audience or provide any flourishes of detail. She did a disservice to her design.

Whether you like it or not, your posture and tone matters when speaking publicly. This is exceedingly important in the landscape design profession when you often need to sell a client on a design.

Advice I often give students is three-fold:

Speak to the jurors directly – do not face your board. Try to make eye contact with each juror at least once during your presentation.

Don’t be afraid to be personable and self-deprecating with the jury. Often students feel as if they are “on-trial” and being judged. Remember, the jury is there to HELP YOU. Even if they are seasoned professionals, they are all regular people that are just trying to best serve you as an educator. Adding a personal anecdote or a funny little story can go a long way to make a connection in your favor.

Move Around – but with intention. This is not the State of The Union address and unless you have a podium in front of you, you can and should move freely around your design plans. If you have a laser-pointer, use it.

Otherwise make sure you are pointing to the specific areas on the plan you are reviewing. But make sure you have your design boards and presentation outlined ahead of time, the last thing you would want to do is constantly hop back and forth between drawing boards throughout the whole presentation.

Nobody is saying you need to do cartwheels in front of your project to express how happy you are with it, but if you aren’t enthusiastic about your own work, the jury won’t be either. Remember, the purpose of these design presentations is to prepare you for client interactions, so even if you had a very difficult time with the project, you need to present a confident and positive disposition to the audience.

Tip #5: Separate The Personal From The Professional

I remember my second studio presentation as a lowly undergraduate landscape architecture student with great clarity. I put tremendous effort into my design, my graphics, and my presentation. The problem was – the design stunk!

At the end of my presentation, my professor just looked at me and said “Wow – there are a lot of problems here…” From there he continued for about 20 minutes to rip my project apart. I was devasted. It felt soul crushing.

All designers have gone through this type of humbling public criticism before. And if you haven’t, you are one of the unlucky ones – believe me. Just like a broken bone that heals stronger than it once was, so too is your pride and confidence. You will be a better designer by shaking off the negative feedback, brushing off the dirt, and trying again.

I realize how difficult it can be when receiving criticism for a project you worked so hard on – but that is the main point of a studio course. If an instructor offers no constructive criticism, then he/she is doing a bad job preparing the young student designers for the professional world.

It’s important for students to realize (speaking as a Professor here) that it is our JOB to give you criticism. Without it, you wouldn’t grow as a designer.

The feedback you receive from jurors should not be taken personally. It is a professional critique that would be similar to conversations you may receive in a design office or from a client. Take it with your chin up.

If you still can’t get past the personal feelings tied to your designs, I have some final advice.

This will garner no love from seasoned designers or landscape architects – but it is the truth and needs to be said. Here it goes…

Landscape architecture is not everything.

There I said it.

The profession of landscape architecture is a noble pursuit and one which I wholeheartedly love. But let’s be honest – we are not medical professionals saving lives on a daily basis. It’s ok to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them. So don’t take criticism too harshly.

With those tips in mind, I hope that they are helpful in preparing you for your next design presentation. As long as you work hard and stay dedicated to the project’s mission, I am sure your next studio assignment will go swimmingly.

If you liked the content of this article, be sure to also check out our Design Resources section and Business Planning articles for all the most recent information in the Landscape Design field.

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