Building The Story: Web And Graphic Design Supporting Architecture, Ft. Adam Tarasewicz

Building the Story - Web and Graphic Design supporting Architecture, ft. Adam Tarasewicz
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[00:00:00]

Stephen Drew: Hello everyone. It's Friday. Are you down the pub? One o'clock. If you were, I wouldn't blame you, but if you were in the office, we'll try and have a bit of fun. Don't worry about it. I'm sober as a judge. Anyways, visuals, 2d, 3D Web design, graphic design. Alright, I love it all. We'll talk about it in 20 seconds.

14 seconds. Friday.

Hello everyone. It's Friday. It's that time. You know what? Better chance to get to Doss around on LinkedIn with [00:01:00] me, but I've got something jam-packed and really interesting because we're not gonna just doss around. Actually, we're gonna learn something really interesting. I, years ago, loved graphic design.

It's something that I studied at college and it's a massive part of Architecture, I think. So whether it's web design, Graphic design. Could be on street signs, could be the brochures, could be, I don't know, the design and access statement. There's so much stuff that it all kind of trickles into, but now you don't wanna hear that from me.

I've got actually an expert who's trained as an Architect cause I'm just a part two. But more importantly as well is doing it in the industry. So on that note, I've got Adam Tara svi. Have I said it right, Adam?

Adam Tarasewicz: Yes. All good?

Stephen Drew: I need to give myself a round of applause if I had my sounds on, but Adam's here.

Adam, tell me all about yourself, Adam, and how are you today?

Adam Tarasewicz: Thanks a lot, Steve for having me, and well done with the [00:02:00] surname.

Stephen Drew: Woo.

Adam Tarasewicz: Yes. Yeah, my name's Adam. I'm a trade Architect but also a graphic designer. I've started doing bits in graphics couple years back, and last year I decided to step up a bit and try to offer. My services and above my knowledge to some freelancers, to all the architects and yeah, everyone.

That's, we interested in either visual identities or web design.

Stephen Drew: Nice. Nice. Now, so while I did graphic design in college, you've caught the bug along the way of graphic design. You were a trained Architect, but, and we can talk about where we are, where you are now, but let's rewind the clocks a little bit. So tell me, when did you start getting the bug for graphic design and when did you start getting interested in, in, in that, in part of your journey?

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah, sure. I think maybe, so towards end of high school I started looking a bit more into just an album [00:03:00] covers for like my favorite artists and just being absolutely amazed by how they all looked, the colors, the topography, and all of that. But I think it wasn't until. Probably second year back at uni when I went to University of Sheffield for Architecture I joined Archite Architecture Society back there and they were looking for a graphic designer to, to do some flies and posters for the upcoming events.

And yeah, this is how it all started. And it was obviously very much on a trial and error and experimenting with things and. Walking things out whilst, still doing full-time degree. But that was just really good fun. And that almost, it almost made me quit Architecture.

I was considering for part two going either Architecture or doing visual communications. But I decided, okay, do you know what? I already started Architecture, let's. I just carry on with that and if anything, I [00:04:00] could still do bits here and there later down the line. So yeah, then when I went for Masters back to Shef as well, I did join the society again to do graphics.

And so I, because at the time I was already a bit more mature in terms of what I was looking to get out of it yeah, I just kept doing that. And then, Yeah, graduated and went full on Architecture. It wasn't until actually the first lockdown because during that time, so that was, yeah, March, 2020 I was on furlough for two months, two and a half months.

And it wasn't until then I decide to get our. Course online that was also do with creative coding or coding for designers specifically. And I did it for a month and a half, so most of my fuller time and that sort of cemented like my interests and married a bit of a digital design and the web [00:05:00] and all of that.

And yeah, it is, yeah, it's been quite a journey. But yeah, I really enjoyed that.

Stephen Drew: It's very interesting and we'll go into it. I'll give you a round of applause for sticking with Architecture cause I think there's a dual aspect to it. It's really good that you practice Architecture, but also the graphic design is really interesting as well. The fact that you are an Architect, I think it lends in both ways and that, and I think that's why it will be really interesting to explore that relationship between both, because sometimes people think graphic design is very different than Architecture. They're two very different professions. But like you say, in this modern digital world, everything kind of blurs, especially with websites. Websites, in my opinion, are The business cards of 20

Adam Tarasewicz: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: they, and on, on that note, I've got your website here, so I'm gonna bring it up while we may as well write, it's a very visual thing. We're talking about audio listeners on Spotify in the replay. And this, I'm sorry, but you can check out this on this video on YouTube as well. And I'm gonna [00:06:00] bring up Adam's website now and we can talk about a few particular projects.

But just before we do that, So we've got Sando, who's a little bit of a graphic designer himself, who's tuned in. So if you've got any questions for Adam who's doing it, just fire them away. But, oh, it's always good to see that some people are still here and knocked down the pub

on a Friday.

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah,

Stephen Drew: But yeah, here we go.

So this is your website, right? You touched upon coding. I do a little bit of coding with the Architecture, Social, bit of css, a bit of, functions p php and all that stuff. But tell me, so I've got a few projects here as well, so it's a really nice website. Now, Wellstone High Street, when we spoke before is probably one of the projects that you found as being very hands-on.

A very, robust project. Do you wanna walk us through this particular project in, in, in a bit more detail?

Adam Tarasewicz: ab absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, as I mentioned to you, that was probably the biggest project to date so far. It [00:07:00] all started with my friend from another bear money. So he's he started a couple years back in 3D printing pots, which is, a great little side hustle to have as a creative.

And I was helping him out at one of the market stores and some other friends of his came by. They were also architects, Fisher Chang. And we started chatting and I did mention that I also do graphics. I've done money's business cards. And they're like, oh, would you like to collaborate at some point?

So I was like, absolutely, that'd be fantastic. And we started chatting and we went to, we went for a bit together, them as architects and myself as a graphic designer for the bit. And we won. And that was August? August last year. And yeah, it was, yeah, phenomenal opportunity, but also quite a big chunk of work to develop.

Especially if you're freelancers, you still work full-time job [00:08:00] anyway. But yeah the bid asks to design a new visual identity for the High Street, for Wilton High Street in West London as well as developed the website for which will act as a directory of the businesses and events.

Yeah, the website is going to be live in the next two or three weeks, I believe. So it's it's almost, there it is. It's just fi final touches really. But yeah, it's been a great journey to work with the Traders Association, Woodstone, but also with the local council there. Yeah, it's it's been, yeah, just really good project and really rewarding.

Stephen Drew: Nice. I I'm always quite impressed and I do think that what's really interesting about this part is it's not even just the website. Like here we are seeing the images, the kind of the graphic design on the street in the urban fabric, and it bridges that feeling, over. So I quite like seeing that happen in, in, in person.

So [00:09:00] this is a real image then not a mockup. Is that right,

Adam Tarasewicz: It is a mock up still.

Stephen Drew: Oh, it's a very convincing markup, but that's what it's gonna be like then on the street, is it? With all the graphic design? could, that fooled me. That dead,

Adam Tarasewicz: great. That's good. It's the whole graphic, it was inspired by one of the murals in Wilson by Inka Laurie, if I say and then the other part was inspired by the Hashid ings so that sort of extent over the shops. So yeah I just, I think that's just a very interesting.

So of co correlation with Architecture because in school or in like at uni, we are taught to take as much inspiration from the context and try to make it as relevant to its immediate surroundings. Either it's, if it's a building or some kind of installation. And it's a very similar approach.

I tried to. I tried to get here with Wilson where it also began with looking into the history of the place and what [00:10:00] kind of little clues I could sneak into the actual graphical representation of the place. Back in the fifties and sixties Wilson was heavily promoted as part of London suburb suburbs, the suburbia, and there was those magazines and leaflets called Metroland.

And those were, yeah down back in the fifties and sixties and I just started looking into the. Typefaces that would that were used back in the fifties and sixties, but also the Metroland, the name itself of the magazine, it was paired with Metro Hyphen Land. So the Wilton High Street has got this elongated hyphen in between the words that references the Metroland magazines.

So again, it is just because. I've got the training as an Architect. Just looking into the context and looking into the history of the places, that's where this sort of [00:11:00] sensitivity comes to play, and I think that's just, yeah, really useful. I.

Stephen Drew: I agree. I think it adds a sense of purpose and that sense of narrative to what you do. So all those years in Architecture you still practice, but what I mean is that it's nice to see it come into play in a different form as

Adam Tarasewicz: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: you touched upon something earlier, which I'm passionate about.

And I think it's gonna be more and more. Of a common occurrence, which is needed, which is you learn to program. Okay? Now, I dunno about you. I've done a similar thing with the Architecture Social website where it'll get to a point and I'm thinking I have to start learning something. And at first, I don't know about you, Adam, but I felt very overwhelmed doing it.

You're like, oh my gosh, there's so much going on. What? What's your views, first of all, on. Learning how to program as an Architect or graphic designer. [00:12:00] And secondly, how did you push past that initial barrier?

Doing it.

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah, it's I'm completely with you a second. It's been. Quite overwhelming at first, just seeing it's lit literally learning a different language, but you don't really have much point of reference. So yeah, it's been, it is been challenging and it, yeah, I, it generally, I generally think if it wasn't for full load, I'm not sure if I'll be in a place I'm at right now because, I.

We were sort all confined to our spaces, either homes or, wherever we were renting. And because there was, in a way not much else to do, I could be like, okay, I could spend however much time I need to spend to actually get it. And yeah, she said just push through that initial horror.

Be like I dunno how to even the game. Very painful. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: You did it and I'm just doing a little bit of, I can here because I love a little [00:13:00] bit of your web design offsite studio's website. I looked at it earlier. Let me see if I can find it again. Off Light Studio. And I was just enjoying I'm just enjoying your little splash page with the light moving.

That's very cool. I can see where that came from, but so is this a typical thing that you do then, Adam, you would do a client's website. You look at, as well as we talked about the street earlier, do is website and coding is something that you focus on as well then is it.

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah, it is. With my clients, it's usually quite an even split. Some of them would go just for a visual identity. Some of them would go for both, or some of them would go just for the website. So fun enough. We are, I'm currently working again with Alex from Off Flight on the updates on the, to the website.

Yeah, new things on the way I would say. But yeah, it's yeah, again, similar thing with the Wilson High Street. Each person that approaches me of course it is different. So I do [00:14:00] try to Tailor that and find something that's unique about them and how we could translate that into something that could be, like with Alex's website, a bit more interactive, where the gradient, where we talk about light the visuals, the the imagery itself, how we could get the the atmosphere of light or how we perceive it into the website itself.

Stephen Drew: Very cool. For someone like me who has a short attention span, I can just do this all day.

Adam Tarasewicz: Absolutely. I.

Stephen Drew: I think it. It's the subtle little things, but it's so important and what I've learned as well, cause the Architecture Social is a bit of a beast website. Cause partly it's a directory. So it's got behind the scenes, all this stuff and I do think while.

I'm not a professional graphic designer having done graphic design even at college or even for uni, I always working it in the portfolio. I think it's a really useful skill. What I was gonna say is that if you are working [00:15:00] particular, I do like your taste. Okay. I like your taste in graphic design. I like your taste on, on, on approach, but and tell me if you think this is right or wrong.

My understanding though, is it takes a lot of time building an up taste and if I look back at that project I did during my part one where at the time I thought it was super cool, we're using certain fonts. I look back and I'm like, Ugh, that's terrible. But what would you say to anyone that's trying to experiment with graphic design and building up their taste profile?

Adam Tarasewicz: absolutely. I, when I look at some of my. Little projects from back in the days there were I had the obsession with white space and I was just like, I'm gonna make it super minimal, but it was on the verge of not doing much really. Yeah, I, as you said, our tastes do develop it like in time. So I'm pretty sure what I've been doing now is definitely of me as a person at the moment, but [00:16:00] it's not to say that in five years or maybe even like in six months, there will be something else, something new that will catch my attention, I would like to explore, but more in terms of the, either the web design or the actual identities and graphics.

So yeah, it is ever evolving. Absolutely. And. I've, I It is so con Yeah, so confidential. I've got like a client, Architectural client that I work with now, and I've been doing illustrations for them, which I wouldn't have thought I would be doing that, but that was part of the commission and I found it.

Yeah, again, quite challenging at first, but very rewarding in the end.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, fair enough. Wow, that's another level. I tell you what though, my sketches were never great back then, Adam, and they'd be worse now cuz I haven't sketched for years. But that's quite nice, isn't it? Bringing it back to the pen or pencil

as well, Back to the drawing board. Cuz I always think, especially with.

Chat, G P T and all this stuff going on [00:17:00] right now. That's amazing. But one of the recent exhibitions where I saw Mo actually at the other day was was an exhibition where the author was looking at old meets new, the pen versus the code.

Adam Tarasewicz: Was it the one at ra?

Stephen Drew: Yes, exactly. That's a little bit of ai, but we'll keep the AI in the AI box for today.

Because graphic design is a big enough space as well. So where I'm fascinated as well, Adam now is that. You are doing this, your passion project and you touched upon it briefly that you do this currently outside of the practice of Architecture where you are. And and one, it's great that this is starting to evolve, but tell me about your current practice as well.

Do you think that sometimes. The work you do in graphic design helps the way you look at Architecture, and equally, do you think it's still important that you practice Architecture to have that eye when you do graphic design?

Adam Tarasewicz: I [00:18:00] think I go quite lucky that where I'm at now at R C K A people are well aware that I do. I do graphics and I do web design as a free freelancer. And in, in practice, people come up to me and ask, what do you think of this layer? Would you improve anything in the, on the spread?

And it is quite. Quite building, quite fulfilling that, I still, I get to have a say in, in that matter. But equally we we are looking to outsource the design for Rrc K as well. And I've been looking with with one of the directors with Russell into the designers and all the architects websites, and that's been a great process to be involved in.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, I can imagine it's quite handy for them as well to have someone like yourself with that eye. Because in Architecture there's lots of different variations in architects, isn't there? There's technical architects, front end architects, visual architects, and I think that the fact that your you've got [00:19:00] a knife for this stuff really helps.

And especially like you said, when it comes to the website. You're gonna pull you in, aren't you? I would, if you were working on

my team, I'd

Adam Tarasewicz: exactly. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: I would be

Adam Tarasewicz: I'll do my best. Just to dip in. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: Exactly. Fair enough. I'm really glad to hear that. That's very interesting. So what I would love to pick your brains on as well. So going back to what you do, your passion. So you meant, so we talked briefly about web design. I and we talked about coding.

Now, web design as a platform, I think is constantly changing. So you will laugh at him. I got into it. With WordPress, a lot of websites are WordPress, a lot of the socialists, WordPress with highly customized plugins where I've been for that process of paying coders and all this stuff. But we are entering a modern world.

I've seen webflow, I've seen certain things as well. Now, if someone, if some, maybe someone has a practice today, obviously it will be good if they call you up and pick your brains and Adam's details. [00:20:00] Are all here, but what is your advice to maybe a smaller Architectural practice? Which ones to get a fresh look at things just enough before they, they bring someone in as well.

Do you have any advice for like modern platforms at the moment or looking at things like webflow as opposed to WordPress and stuff like that?

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I think people gravitate towards WordPress because it's quite a familiar. Format, it's been around for quite, quite some time, and as you said, you can truly customize it and get the best out of your work wherever it is. I've seen multiple websites built on Squarespace, on Cargo Collective on Wix and should said Web Webflow as well.

And it's interesting to see more and more all the sort of platforms are. Try to set the idea, oh, you can move to our website without coding. Whereas, the coding is still there, it's just hidden behind, like the squares and circles and all of that. [00:21:00] Like I, I know I saw on Instagram there's this platform being heavily advertised currently called Ready Mag, and it's, it is quite interesting because you can get really interesting soft scroll animations.

That don't really seem to slow down the websites that much. And it's, they say it's built without code or you can do the website without the coding, but then yeah, the coding still happens. Just not really accessible to you. So I think yeah, there's just pros and cons, but with the websites I, I work on I tend to recommend cargo to my clients especially if maybe they're more on the creative side because with Cargo Collective, there's quite a few really nicely done templates to begin with, and then I can just then customize it because the HTML and CSS editors are built within the.

Within cargo, they're just really intuitive and quite easy to make edits too. So yeah, I [00:22:00] would say it personally, it'll be the cargo or Squarespace for those. The only thing with sometimes of Squarespace the website could start look quite generic, as in quite a lot of them just start looking.

They have the same. Of elements that have been changed and it, you can, it gets quite formulaic when you look at different websites and they follow the same patterns. And we had this kind conversation at Rrc K with Russell where, you know you enter quite a few of those websites of architects and all is those sort of three by three grids of projects.

And yeah it is just quite, it starts look quite same and.

Stephen Drew: It does.

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: I think that's the pros and cons of template, but I think it's a small business, like you said, if you jump in. That makes sense. But actually the other bit I'd like to highlight is that, half of it as well is graphic design, I think. And it is layering that up and like you said, that little bit of Cs and it's little [00:23:00] bits of stuff cuz even I.

You will laugh. Two weeks ago I was programming the scroll bar on the Architecture Social. Cause I was like, it's such a ugly scroll bar. And then I was like, can we change that? And you can. So I was playing around with that. And even things like on web websites, so I'll go quickly that my website really quickly.

It's that when you highlight text, it's all that like ugly blue. And I was just like, I don't want that, so I'll just change it to yellow. And it's just little bits that I think really help and just make things pop, make things original. Focus back on you.

Cause I'm more interested in your stuff but there's all these little things, isn't it? And this time and their dedication and craft. And I think that. You touched upon it, but I wouldn't necessarily, Wix wouldn't be my first choice or Squarespace. I know. Sorry for YouTube, Squarespace, if you wanna sponsor me one day, I will remove this from the video.

But until then I think they're final small projects. Where it gets tricky is when the company gets bigger. You've lots of different projects and pages, that [00:24:00] initial infrastructure. Is really key. And like you touched upon earlier, web design is a weird one because you've gotta have the speed there cuz otherwise Google penalizes it a bit slow, it's gotta, it's gotta be fast and you've gotta have the seo, which is bizarre. It's always nice having a nice website, but how can people find you and doing all that boring stuff

really?

Adam Tarasewicz: I just really wanted to touch upon that when you mentioned about the graphics and those little moments, like I, I remember spending almost too much time making sure that when you highlight projects on my website, the transition between the links is half a half a second. So the pink appears with the half a second tradition, and instead of, as you said, the standard hyperlink blue because

Stephen Drew: it's the blue it's program into our brain. There's like ugly website, internet Explorer blue, isn't it?

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah,

Stephen Drew: Very good.

Adam Tarasewicz: But yeah it's just, yeah, it's similar thing with the little popups of the snippets of the projects. I think it just helps to get a bit of a [00:25:00] understanding of what the project might be about. And I think it's just quite a useful tool to highlight. So yeah, no, I just want to mesh them there.

Stephen Drew: No, very cool. We actually had a question come in, Adam, which is a nice question. Because you've, we touched upon earlier at the start of your journey, but Ke is saying, do you have any advice for recent graduates that haven't studied Architecture, but are looking to get in the industry experience or in Architectural illustration or design?

Ooh.

Adam Tarasewicz: It's a really good question. Thanks Katie. I think you'll be, Definitely useful to look at some of those designers or illustrators that have maybe that Architecture background, but now switched to illustration. My friend my friend from uni, from back from Sheffield Catherine she did Architecture with me, but I think I believe year and a half ago she switched to do just Architectural illustrations.

So I would definitely recommend looking at some of her stuff because. You can just [00:26:00] get a grasp of how things come together or what elements are highlighted or whatnot. Architecture degree could help with getting maybe a sense of, how thick the walls are, the roof and space in general, but that could also be relent with within your own research when you Yeah.

Look how those illustrators work within Yeah. With the self. Either digital or paper medium, which is, two dimensional and how do they represent something that's more 3D dimensional? So yeah it's just quite interesting because it is been quite a shift where Architecture is no longer just this one thing people do.

I have lots of friends now that sort started doing little bits here and there. I mentioned, yeah, Catherine doing illustrations and my friend money printing pots and. And same thing my other friend Kimbo doing photography of buildings. And so it's been just quite an interesting shift in the perception that, [00:27:00] yeah, we went to uni, great, fine, but then what can we do with that degree?

What have we learned? And I don't the way, so yeah.

Stephen Drew: Yeah I agree. And just to add to your end, to the ke, which was great, it is interesting because see now you don't study Architecture. I think you can still offer a lot of value to the Architecture industry. I think though part of it is understanding that process and understanding how the architects brain works and so on and so forth.

And I think that it could, while I do a lot more recruitment, I, it's partly what I do now is share a little bit of my experience to. People who are job seeking about what Architecture practices are looking, that kind of comes from being in the industry. It's advantageous, but you can also get that by going to the practices learning and speaking to architects and immersing yourself in that world.

And I think, Adam, you've gotta be, if for instance, you want to be the graphic designer or [00:28:00] you want to be the Architectural illustration person for Architecture. Yes, having the skill set is important, but immersing yourself in the industry is the next big key thing. Learning about projects, learning about what's going on.

If you still don't really understand Architecture and you're not in that world, it's not gonna be that appealing. Then when you speak to an Architect, right? Cause they're you're not really speaking my language. So that's what I always think is get immersed in there.

Adam Tarasewicz: Absolutely. Similar thing with another Architect. I know like we work together at Levi Band team, so my previous practice and she's now a fourth and artist ha Hannah Hood. And it's just been really interesting to hear. Her journey of, she's full-time artist right now, but it's just be, it is because she did practice as an Architect.

She can she has some kind of above advantage when, and say biding for work because she's a the, of the [00:29:00] planning the requirements or essentially how we, the whole planning works in general. So I, yeah, it's just quite interesting to hear all those different journeys. As you said the more immersed you are and the better understanding you have of the processes, all the better.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, I agree. I'm going to do, you know what though? I will look back in your website in one minute, but we've got so many questions that come in. This is like the easiest podcast for me because I'm on all autopilot. So Billow asks, and it could be interesting cause I'm not sure this question could be taken in a few ways, but, so Billow says, do you use any user data when def the designing interfaces?

So I'm guessing, Adam, that's like the process. Do you sit down with the Architect, you take that information, do you have any insight for Bill out on, on that kind of stuff?

Adam Tarasewicz: Sure. Essentially before I start with any sort of design exercises, the first thing I do [00:30:00] is I conduct like a little research questionnaire. Essentially, I try to find out as much as possible about either the business or the product that person is working on. And all of that. And I just tried to get, yeah, get those glimpses of their context.

It all comes back to context, really of context of a person and how I could relate that into the, into graphics. Recently I've done a, an visual identity on a website for a. In London and for Tracy and her background is she's she's got Irish heritage. So for instance, within her identity we are using the Irish Green as one of, one of the, one of the colors.

It's just about having those little moments that, refer back to the person. And similarly the logo Mark Tracy, by. She, we chose it and we customized it because it reminded her of her handwriting. [00:31:00] So it is just, yeah, those, I think those are two clues. I definitely do take into account when designing either visual identity or websites.

So I think they're important and they actually make the project

Stephen Drew: I like that. So it's like your Architectural approach, not even just for architects and, podiatry is quite far away, isn't it?

Adam Tarasewicz: Exactly. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: Very cool. There we go. So I think you answered that perfectly. I Bilal you do not want to learn from me on that cuz I have a terrible approach, Adam, if I put the website up and then when things don't work, I get messages coming in I can't access this.

And I'm like, oh, so you probably should do it. Your meticulous way of taking the information first, then launching something appropriate

Adam Tarasewicz: Baby steps, baby. Baby steps. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, don't do it like me with bullying, the China shop. So thanks Bill for the question. That's great. Sonder asks a question. Adam Sonder says, I did graphic design before I went into [00:32:00] Architecture.

Okay, cool. And it helps a lot in understanding layout, laying out a presentation. Yeah. What advice would you give in terms of marketing work? Okay,

Adam Tarasewicz: I also, I just love the fact that it's all the way around almost that, use graphics first and Architecture later.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, that is interesting, isn't it, mark? That this is an interesting question cuz like marketing to me is I have, I think everyone in Architecture by default. Does marketing, we offer, we market our own personal brand, but in an Architectural practice marketing, what would that entail in your experience, Adam?

Is it the website, is it planning submission, like design and access statements? Is it competition bins? So first of all, like what is marketing work and then do you have any insights on how to make it, I don't know, a bit more sexy or eye

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah I feel like I'm still learning how [00:33:00] to market my own work, to be honest. Because at the moment it's, yeah, it's very good to have a website because, as you said is in a way your business cards. And I, at the moment, it's very much. Talking to people, at least in my case. I went to the networking event couple weeks ago and I got chatting with A guy that works in planning consultancy and he just me without me even talking about graphics, he mentioned, oh, I started doing this poetry writing, poetry in lockdown.

And I put it on a sort of very, ad hoc website, but I'm still thinking how to do it. I'm, I was like, you just served it on a plate. I was like, oh, actually do graphics. I we that, and that was it. And equally When I went to a couple other events at lsa, like last month, I think again, I simply emailed some of the speakers that I found particularly interesting just to talk about, Hey, I also work within [00:34:00] creative industry.

This what I do. Would you be interested in collaborating in the common nuns? And both of them, both of the speakers replied. So I, I think especially if you. Yeah, smaller as in, so I say a solo freelancer. I think it does add to you that you reach out to people and you try to put face to a name, essentially.

Because obviously the bigger you are the name speaks for itself really. So yeah, that's, that. Those are my initial thoughts. I would say.

Stephen Drew: Yeah. Very cool. I agree. And like I, I think like a brand can change and evolve, like Architecture Social as a brand can change and evolve. But half of it is being out there and I think it's time and trust and all that stuff as well that I think it, it comes, but, I'm quite okay with it changing is what I'm saying.

You want to stick to your core values, but it's quite all right to have a little Facelift. Every now [00:35:00] and then, I'm always looking to optimize it, Sonder says wow. Okay. Now reach out. Amazing. Fancy. I don't, there you.

go. Oh, I've got one last question before then maybe we can talk about, I'll see.

Okay. For a little bit, and then you can ask me questions as well. So Bill Lau's, the data guy and Bill Ow says how'd you know if it's bad web design or bad product service that has been sold by the company? Is there any analytics to use to determine where the fault could probably lie?

Oh, I've got an, the quick answer to this and then

Adam Tarasewicz: Go for it.

Stephen Drew: in Adam as well. So there's, those are these tools behind the scenes, especially when it comes to web design called like Hot Jar. There's one that Microsoft does for free. I forget the name, but it, but basically if you could, as long as it's in the actual terms of the website and you put everything there, you're allowed to see how people behave on your website.

And Hot Jaws one tool where you can then can start seeing [00:36:00] where people click and not, and what's called an abandoned click. So on the Architecture Social, I haven't done it for a long while, but say now I've got an assignment. I'm thinking people aren't applying for jobs in this particular area. I can go in the back end, I can see how long people are on the page and when they leave.

And sometimes it's funny, there's like a, there's a category called anger clicks. When people click, and then they

Adam Tarasewicz: Oh

Stephen Drew: Yeah, it's called something like frustration or whatever. Luckily my quote for, that's very low, but that kind of data, I use Bilal to optimize the Architecture. So shall have you thought Adam, about this, or have you seen, have you had to adjust websites based on people's feedback or different devices or stuff like that?

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah I haven't had a chance to implement it on my website, on the website. I do for my clients, but I do remember I did have insights at how Benz since website worked, [00:37:00] and as you said, it is just very interesting to see how much time people actually spend on the website or what are the initial.

And pages or menus, they, they click. And what was really interesting to see was that when people enter the website, they say scroll for the first couple of seconds to see what the website, what the, sorry, not the website, what the practice is all about. The next thing they do, they go to people because they just want to see who works there.

Just to see essentially, partially probably the representation, but also how. The people are presented or are they presented? There's quite a few websites where, for instance, practices don't really include photos of the staff. It's just names, if any. Sometimes it's just the directors and the team is not really mentioned, and that says a lot about the practice because you can then almost get a sense that they might not be really.[00:38:00]

That hu human centered or they're not maybe as bothered about staff in general. Yeah. So that's where it is just, yeah, quite interesting to see that this sort of behaviors, they very much yeah, get a great sort of ideas into what you might change on the website. I do remember that after looking with with Rachel at the time, at Levitt, into the backend of the website and we were talking like, oh, maybe we should maybe market the bigger projects a bit more so people actually click and go into that rather than straight to people.

So yeah, you, there's a lot, there's a lot of work. You can do what you have the data and react accordingly depending on what you want to achieve really.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, said. And for anyone that's shocked about that, it's actually incredibly it's basically standard practice on websites that people look at this information, whether it's Google Analytics and so on and so forth. There are restrictions. So don't worry, I don't dunno where you are or what your [00:39:00] name is or anything, but I just know that a person went on and The, a person clicked off at certain periods of time.

But that information, it is a feedback loop, isn't it? And then you have to adjust and move on from that and change the design. The last point I wanna add onto it before I ask about Rrc, k a is I think graphic design, web design is an IT iterative process.

It's just the next version. It's, in my experience, it's never done. I think it's quite foolish to think a website's done it constantly needs update and blogs are so important that, keeping that engagement, like you say, with the community, I think that. You get and you, and also like we touched upon earlier, it's important to update and, change certain bits of the brand or

Adam Tarasewicz: Absolutely. It's a very much a life thing. Live within the digital realm in a way. But yeah, it's very, I just said very much ever changing and. I don't think it should be just constrained to the sort of solid and state that's just one and that's [00:40:00] done. So I think it's absolutely fine to, to tweak it and see what works better at the time.

Absolutely.

Stephen Drew: I agree. And if you are the website owner here that's thinking oh, I've got a five year old website, I really need to update it. Yes you do. I think it's super, super important and that you should do it and you could probably win a lot more work from up updating it and especially, I know it's really boring, but doing that SEO o.

Is a big deal now, Adam, before you answer any questions for me I'm gonna bring up R C K R C K A once again. Now I interviewed there as a part one, and Russell and Tim were very nice to me. What's it like now, though? 10 years later as a practice?

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah, so right now we are just above 20 odd people. So yeah, the practice did grow quite a bit. And yeah, I think the projects got quite big too, quite substantial. The one I'm currently working on is the one you've just brought up. Then [00:41:00] again, Smithfield. Yeah. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: oh. I'm like a mind reader. I'm doing

okay today on the clicks.

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah. Yeah, we're just doing some changes to the planning for this one, and it's, it is one of the biggest. Master plan projects in Birmingham and R C K A we are doing one of the plots plot four A one. Exactly. And there's been quite a few other architects involved within the master plan like Dira DM and David Kahn and other smaller practices from Birmingham, like Initiative Architecture.

Yeah it's been really interesting as a project and just seeing how things work and Yeah, work with, working with lends as well has been quite a journey as well.

Stephen Drew: Oh nice. And hey, I know you're updating the website. It looks pretty good. Before we move on though, can I just say I love this bold red going up. Oof. Very

sexy. Very cool stuff. There was a reason I applied there, but also Russell, since I'm not doing Architecture anymore, you made the right call.

Russell wrote me very nice [00:42:00] feedback, which was really helpful. So shout out to auntie k a and people should check out their work and they can see you on there as well, because you are on the page. You are number one. Your name does begin with

Adam Tarasewicz: It does help. The name helps. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: There you go. Brilliant. So I always like to kinda wind it down with a few questions cuz it's not that fair that I answer you all. I throw all the questions out. So before we kinda let everyone know where you are, do you have maybe one or two questions that you want to ping across to me?

Adam Tarasewicz: Yeah I think I would be quite interested to hear about your journey with, in terms of the graphics and how did you find. Setting up Architecture Social with the identity and the website and all of that.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, I mean I think there's a term for it, which is called like skill stacking. And I think that actually I. My, my interest in graphic design has always been useful. It's always been a great skill. [00:43:00] Okay. It doesn't directly go into recruitment, but running a business, it's so useful. It's so nice, that I can know a little bit about it.

And as architects, when we are in part one and part two, we are doing the Adobe. We're doing the Illustrator. InDesign. I love InDesign. I still use InDesign. If anyone doesn't use InDesign, I'm like, why are you not InDesign? I. I say that, in first year in uni I did everything on Photoshop and I quickly moved to InDesign.

But where I'm going with this is like all these fundamentals are super useful and actually studying graphic design has been useful. I do have those cringe moments where I look back and the Architecture Social, it's far from perfect. That being said, though, it got me by doing graphic design, it helped me enough and to go to the point we touched upon earlier.

I think that having some basic level of programming skills has been amazing and also it protects you from being taken the, I was gonna swear then, but I can't do [00:44:00] that on here. But, you don't wanna. You don't want to get abused by I think it helps if you know it to program a bit because you're not too overwhelmed.

You might go, oh my gosh, that's too much for me. But you can jump in and out on the cs i s and all this stuff and you can start to understand what a plugin is or whatever's needed so that you aren't like sold the dream for 20 grand, which is really basic. Cause that's the scary bit about web design is that it can be a bit like going.

Taking your car into an engineer and they're like, oh yeah, something's wrong with the futuna, whatever. And you're like, I have no idea. I hope I trust you. And so I think a little bit of skill, a little bit of knowledge in that world really is useful. And like you said, I think like stuff like cargo or Squarespace, if your small practice is really useful, understanding a little bit more of it when the business evolves, then it's quite nice.

That you can then tap into those skillsets. So it's been really important for me. The best thing I ever did was [00:45:00] do graphic design at college. So I am a big fan of him

And actually we all do it as well. If you've basically pinned up your work in Architecture, there is graphic design.

It's a communication. It's, it is a skill. You have to be able to translate your project on the paper and get it across. And actually the last thing I would argue is that everyone does graphic design on their CVM portfolio. When you're going in between jobs and it can make such a difference.

And there is an art form, like in graphic design communication that, hey, if you are applying to a practice, let's say now I want to apply to R C K A. Okay. I go on their website, I'm getting a feel of it. Okay. Like how. The website's here. What's the graphical languages? Look at this beautiful work.

Look at how the website's constructed. And if you're smart, you can tap in a little bit to that. And, when you're doing the portfolio, I [00:46:00] might have that white background and I might start, taking essences from the color combinations or whatever. And then suddenly you send through this CVM portfolio, which is your style, but also.

They, when the people open up this SE portfolio, they're like, wow, look at this application from Joe Blogs or Jane Doe. She looks amazing. She could be one of us. Look at this portfolio. And then you get in the interview. And that's why I think graphic design is one of the most important things, which isn't talked about

in Architecture.

Yeah.

Adam Tarasewicz: agree. And it is interesting, as she said, even from the very beginning, when you do the layouts, when you pin up the work, like you have to lay out and as my tutor used to say, don't be afraid of White Spice. You don't need to do everything full bleeds. You can make it smaller, which might be as impactful or maybe even more.

And Yeah, it is. [00:47:00] Yeah. I would also argue that you could definitely run a uni or like doing your own research, just take time with things like don't be impatient, obviously either said and done, but I think so sometimes those skills. To develop, they simply take time. I just, I remember first year of uni when I opened Photoshop for the first time, I closed it immediately cause it was just overwhelming seeing the plethora of different tools and things I could adjust.

But again, I didn't really know what I could. Do those tools are gonna enable you later down the line, but it just takes time to develop what you really want to do.

Stephen Drew: Yeah.

Adam Tarasewicz: yeah, absolutely.

Stephen Drew: I agree. The last bit I would add to it a little bit of inspiration for anyone know it that like I wasn't good at always graphic design and I'm still learning. And that's why they call it practice in Architecture, isn't it? Cause you never. You never, there's no top [00:48:00] level congratulations, you've won.

You are always practicing Architecture, and I think graphic design is a scale and it keeps evolving, but also I think it's such a supportive skill, and that's the key thing. Of course. I don't, with what you are doing, where you go and you specifically help people's business, you know that's a primary use of what you're doing.

But what I'm saying is if you're an Architect, it's still a very amazing support in secondary skill to your Architecture because it just strengthens everything. Don't get me wrong though. If you have a project, which is. A little bit of an ugly project or whatever. All the best graphic design in the world isn't gonna change from the project.

But

equally, you don't wanna have an amazing project with this kind of ugh, people go on the website, they can't find out where they're going or the colors or whatever, and all this stuff, it's a combination. So one relies on the other. There we go. So the last thing says, I give this advice.

The young [00:49:00] part wants to have InDesign. On their cvs, it's a must have. And then MUA must have done some emoji or something on YouTube that I have no idea how to show up yet.

Adam Tarasewicz: Most likely. Yeah.

Stephen Drew: yeah, so I'm hopeful. That's a good one. Not a bad one. Because, I don't wanna get in trouble on LinkedIn or whatever, but Brilliant.

This has been great. Adam, where can people contact you if they want to get in touch?

Adam Tarasewicz: On the I'm easily accessible either on Instagram, so it's Adam Tara Savage on my website as well. There's plenty info and contact details. Similarly with my email, Adam tara savage outlook com And yeah, always happy to chat with prospective clients, collaborators, and see what we can do together in terms of illustration, graphics layout design, and as well as web design, which is becoming the dominant strand of my [00:50:00] work.

Stephen Drew: It is very important in this world. Where, again, a business card is a, is is a website one and the same in this modern world. But thank you so much, Adam. I can't wait to see all the exciting projects and maybe you can come on here in the future and we can, pick this up again.

But until then, Everyone, thank you for joining in on Friday and do follow Adam's work. He's also on Instagram and Twitter. We're all out there, but thank you for tuning in. I'm gonna end the LiveRoom in a second. I have more content coming next week. I've just gotta schedule it and behind, as Adam knows, I'm feeling trying to, I need to get more organized.

I need to outsource. I need to get more competent freelancers. Maybe I need to get a bit of graphic design at some point, but more stuff coming soon. I'm gonna on the live stream, Adam, stay on the stage. Don't go anywhere just yet, but bye-bye everyone. And yes last thing. If you've got any suggestions for upcoming content or cool things that you would think you'd like to see [00:51:00] on the Architecture Social, Podcast drop me a message.

And last thing I put out something for freelancers last week talking about writing and journalism. If I haven't got back to you, I apologize, I got something like 200 messages. So I will send everyone a message very soon. Thank you all. Speak to you soon. Take

care.

Adam Tarasewicz: you.