Are you an architecture student with a digital portfolio? Or an emerging professional seeking a client base? Or a designer with a growing architectural firm? If so, defining your brand and marketing your talents can be difficult. Fortunately, a free website review from Global Site Plans can help you build stronger industry distinction. Not quite convinced? Here [...]
All businesses aim to make a lasting impression. Engineering firms are no exception, although a creative business card is rare in this field. This is a business card for the Canadian firm, Helix. As you can see, it seems very strange at first glance. For one, it is transparent blue. In addition, though, there seems [...]
In my last post, I suggested a few of my favorite general planning and architecture blogs. However, this only skims of the surface of the general design community. Now that you’ve gotten yourself acquainted with the basics, it’s time to dig deeper into the more specific, niche-oriented blogs. As any planner will tell you, cities [...]
As the semester winds down for design schools and budding planners and architects work their way through final reviews and exams, winter break arrives with nothing do to but eat, sleep, and read for pleasure. One thing I like to do during the “off-season” (so to speak) is catch up on some of my favorite [...]
Designing a website to use as advertisement to expand an urban planning sole-proprietorship or architecture company is a beneficial investment; however, simply having a customized website design and optimizing it for search engines cannot be expected to continually rank well. If left undeveloped, you may lose the business your website initially produced; therefore, website maintenance is [...]
We know that you love reading new articles on The Grid right here on our site, but did you know that you can also keep up with your favorite stories and writers “off the grid” on your favorite social networks? The Grid now goes wherever you go, with multiple social media streams to keep you informed [...]
As of October 31, 2011, we are living in a world of 7 billion people. The working population is around half of that. So, theoretically there are somewhere around 3.5 billion people looking for employment. These people all must compete with one another. In the wake of the recent economic meltdown, they have to compete [...]
This designer has a very impressive portfolio of work; the projects reveal sensitivity to sustainability, scale, texture, and function. At present, I feel the FiELD9: architecture website does not do justice to the talents and passions of the designer. The “brand” FiELD9 is unique and innovative, and these suggestions are intended to support the needs [...]
Two weeks ago, I discussed the various ways that urban planners and firms use social media to reach out and interact with public audiences (i.e. Facebook and Twitter). While using these platforms is a good way of creating a base and engaging with users, knowing how to use these methods correctly and in the right [...]
From the beginning of its practice, planning has always been a discipline of engagement. Without engaging and interacting with city residents and constituents, planners would be lost with regards to making effective decisions and city plans. Now, with technology virtually omnipresent and more of these residents having access to data and city information, it’s imperative [...]
While many influential architecture firms, like Bjarke Ingels Group, are attempting to bridge the gap between avant-garde and practical, nearly one hundred years ago, the retro-futuristic Lingotto Fiat Factory in Turin, Italy set the precedent with its combination of innovative form with sensible organization. The Lingotto Fiat Factory is regarded as the first built example of [...]
Global Site Plans is offering a 6-month to 1-year internship opportunity for contributing bloggers for topics related to business, marketing, design (website, graphic, and print), internet marketing, and content strategy. If you are a student with a passion and talent for writing about any of the aforementioned topics, then Global Site Plans wants you as a contributing blogger. We [...]
“Smart” is a Cyber Buzz Word Hawking & Einstein would have trouble keeping up with this term’s branding umbrella. “Smart” is a swirling universe of interlocking cyberstrings: system, network, knowledge, power, self-regulation, transparency, efficiency, sustainability, individuality, comprehensiveness, inclusivity. Smart cities draw on all of these. “Smart” is Open The cat is out of the bag [...]
In Europe, cities are dense and compact, public transportation is plentiful and convenient, and gasoline prices are high. In the United States, cities sprawl, public transit is, on average, difficult to come by, and gas is cheap. Digression: Whoa! Since when is $4 per gallon cheap, you say? Sure, it’s the price of gold compared [...]
As technology becomes increasingly mobile, city residents are constantly in demand for information on the go. But aside from their desire to Facebook and tweet anywhere, anytime, users are looking for ways to improve their commute, quicken their pace, and reach their destination faster. Public agencies and private developers have responded to the call, creating [...]
Do you tweet and use Facebook every day, all day? Is building social community so ingrained you just can’t stop? We seek a highly a motivated individual with experience and fanatical passion for blogging, micro-blogging and community participation leadership. If you are a student with a passion for social media, have top-notch writing and communication [...]
Environmental concerns are spurring many cities to implement urban plans to make their streets more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. While it is getting increasingly easier to navigate cities without a car, it’s still hard to imagine living in the prototypical suburb without using your vehicle for almost everything. However, in Germany, an experimental suburban model [...]
We’re happy to announce the first of many website critiques regarding design, functionality, and usability. If you would like to include your company or agency in the pool of candidates for a website critique, please add your information here. Our first website review is for the City of Compton Community Redevelopment Agency in Compton, California. [...]
Twitter is a terrific micro-blogging platform that allows users to send 140 character messages to each other and the world. This form of social media allows for vast amounts of information to be sent in short bursts, but can also be a disaster for a user that may be new to the site. Even the [...]
Three weeks ago, the American Planning Association (APA) held its annual conference in Boston. Over 5,000 urban planning professionals and students shared their ideas, exchanged business cards, and learned about emerging trends in the profession. This year, social media, particularly Twitter, played a big role in keeping conference attendees connected and aware of lectures, activities, [...]
