One of the many wonderful elements to illustration is definitely color.  One service we often provide for architects is showing the many options of color palettes for the design.  The challenge often lies in having all the different parties agree, with stakeholders ranging from architects, developer, city council, marketing/advertiser, etc.

In addition, what looks good on a color board or even color fan may not look good as an illustration.   This is largely due to the need for the rendering to “pop” and have a punch.  In the real world, the colors need to blend and be more subtle.

Of course, there is the perennial problem of making sure we are all looking and talking about the same colors.  Monitors and printers are often not calibrated or synchronized.   In addition to that, color samples from the manufacturer’s website sometimes also appear wildly different than tangible color chips.    Colors scanned also suffer data or quality loss.

Overall, color changes may require many iterations but at the end, we always end up with a satisfied customer.  Below are two project, one commerical and the other residential, showing the many (sometimes subtle) color choices.

In 2007, just as the single-family builder are experiencing the a slow down, the factory-built sector is swamped by the same factors.  Fortunately for us, we have been working with one of the leaders in that industry, Clayton Homes.   Builder magazine May 2008 (National Association of Home Builders) ranked Clayton Homes first for 2007 Manufactured House Builders and second for Modular/Whole-House Panel Builders.    Our relationship started a few years ago, when Clayton Homes wanted a new look for their marketing in the Internet and print.  Although they had photorealistic renderings in the past, they wanted something that would help them differentiate from other builders.  We had shared with them our different styles and after some deliberations, they chose our Enhanced Photoreal Style - which offers warmth but still holds details.  Another reason Clayton Homes chose us was because, regardless of rendering styles, we can handle high volume and were always able to meet their deadline.

Congratulations to our client Imagine Homes, who has recently been selected as The Single-Family Production Home of the Year in the 2008 National Association of Homebuilders Green Building Awards.  Imagine Homes builds all its homes to meet Energy Star and Build San Antonio Green certification without dramatically increasing its home prices.   For them, they are able to do this for only about 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent extra in comparison to a standard code home.  Check out all their interactive features, listen to an interview with Imagine Homes President John Friesenhahn on Texas Public Radio, and look them up when you are in San Antonio!

Although most of our projects are for marketing purpose with designs finalized, we sometimes get to help architects and developers visualize and communicate their designs to investors and city planners.  This typically starts with some massing study with wire frames and models, then sketches with entourage, and lastly the inclusion of color, texture, and material.

This project in Scottsdale involved showing the city planners that there would be ample green space for this redevelopment area.   Here are some examples of the concept views provided by the Dallas architectural firms Three and Talley Associates and then our final renderings.

SearStone, schedule to be completed in 2009, is going to be a vibrant new senior community in Cary, NC.  We started working on this project 6 years ago with the developer on just the site plan but the marketing process has really taken off in the past 6 months.  Working with multiple architectural firms, the design process has gone back and forth with the final design reverting back to the founder Bill Sears’ original vision of the green mansard roof with the flared eaves.

Here are some images from concept stage to final design that we worked on over the last 9 months:

Over the past couple of weeks, we had been busy with this project of creating renderings and floor plans for 55 houses for the Home Builders Association of Fayatteville 2008 Parade of Homes.  These homes range from condo units and town homes to starter homes and large luxury homes.  Although we had only two weeks to complete the entire project to meet the deadline, we actually were able to complete the whole thing two days ahead of schedule.

We typically prefer CAD files as they are the cleanest and offers the most flexibility.  But with this project, we primarily worked from photocopies of plans.  In addition, we accepted large D size (24 x 36) print, which we scanned ourselves.   To avoid the risk of “garbage in, garbage out”, we had to clean up many files and sometimes start from scratch.  Here are some examples:

Before:

After:

Effective communication is a key to success. Increasingly, graphics help you tell your story better. That’s where we come in. Our job has always been about visualization. Historically, this entailed architectural illustrations of 2D elevations and then 3D perspectives. Lately, we’ve taken this static medium and literally “turned it upside down”.

Our new 360 tools (360 interior and 360 exterior) not only help you communicate your project from every angle, but it lets your audience explore your designs in their own way and at their own pace. The more they are engaged, the more likely that they get your message, and the more likely that they want to hear more. And that’s a true measure of effective communication.

One of the biggest obstacles that developers face is getting investors, the government, and buyers to visualize their developments. Poor communication could kill a project at the financing, approval, or sales stages. Architectural renderings can help communicate your ideas. It can provide views that one can’t easily see, show phases of development, and offer a virtual myriad of design options. Not only does it get all parties on the same page, but it can be a great reference tool to engage all stakeholders in design and partnerships.

Our renderings have helped turn a flooded rock quarry in Michigan to an upscale golf and lakeside community aptly named “Waterstone”; it has helped Durham, NC city officials and buyers visualize the restoration of a centuries old tabacco warehouses into upscale downtown lofts; and it has helped pre-sale timeshare condos in Orlando before the units were even built. That’s the ultimate benefit to developers: to sell units, site unseen!

Sometimes you’re ready to market a property, but the property isn’t ready to be marketed. Construction, the season, or poor landscaping can hamper the photo. Other times, you may want to show what an ugly building could look like with different colors, textures, or landscaping. Here’s where photo-editing could save the day.

With your guidance or design plans, we can dress-up the building with our huge library of plants, skies, and building materials. We can even computer model some un-built or renovated architectural features. Photo-editing is a great way to spruce-up your property for its glamour shot or it can be an excellent design tool for existing-home makeovers.

We have been around long enough to see trends in the real estate marketing. In the old days, the illustrations were predominantly front elevation pen and ink drawings. Perspective drawings were difficult, time-consuming, and hard to revise.

As color printing became more affordable and websites became a must-have - color illustrations became the standard. Computers aided the process in creating perspective drawings with wire-frame models.

Today, advertisers are not only using more perspective renderings in printed media, but they are partnering with visual content providers like us to raise a new standard; particularly on the Internet with animations and web interactive marketing tools. The ultimate goal of these tools is to increase sales through keeping visitors interested in your homes (staying longer at your website), differentiating your homes from your competitors, and empowering your clients with information to make the best decisions.

For example, floor plans don’t have to be 2D and static. With interactive 2D floor plan tool, your visitor can select an available unit and configure all the options she wishes. Furthermore, she can print her own customized brochure.

Another tool to help your visitor see the floor plan better is the interactive 3D floor plan tool. The visitor can rotate the floor in 3D to better understand the layout.

Again, this area will continue to evolve. So be sure to come back regularly and check-out what new tools are available for you.