Writing for Design Professionals:

A Guide to Writing Successful Proposals, Letters, Brochures, Portfolios, Reports, Presentations, and Job Applications

Second Edition

Stephen Kliment

Foreword by Hugh Hardy

Praise for Writing for Design Professionals, 1st edition:

“Design professionals who believe all they have to do is draw inevitably find themselves drawing unemployment. Kliment, a consultant, journalist and architect, serves as a role model as well as an instructor, giving corporate designers as well as freelancers advice on writing for impact, marketing, including websites and proposals, project writing and writing in design school, writing resumés and cover letters, and writing for the media on-line and in the academe. He supplies chapters on international style and assessment, including examples, writing by the product manufacturer, and on making the most of the skills designers have in the first place, including integrating graphics. The list of resources is particularly helpful for those seeking extra guidance, and Kliment wisely adds a chapter on making a career out of writing.”
—Reference & Research Book News

“[T]akes a much-needed skewer to jargon.”
—Interiors

“[E]asy to read, practical advice.”
—Blacklines

“[A] no-nonsense, step-by-step primer on communication and, when you see it, you will say, 'Of course! Why didn't someone write this book years ago?'. . . [A] generous number of exmaples, and some of them are pretty funny . . . [G]oes beyond types of written communication in his later chapters and provides some broader-picture discussion topics, including writing as a career, on your feet (speaking in public), and going online. . . . Whether you're a seasoned professional or architecture student, I'll wager you'll enjoy and learn from Writing for Design Professionals.”
—AIArchitect

“Kliment offers guidance that's accessible, logical, and easy to follow.”
—Architectural Record

“[A] commonsense guide to clarity. . . . Kliment offers practical information about the business of communication: structuring and distributing press releases; organizing award submittals and grant proposals; writing as a career. . . . Who should buy this book? The easy, if unrealistic answer, is 'everybody.' . . . Writing for Design Professionals will be especially valuable to small firms and, in particular, young firms whose principals are still making the transition between academic language and the patois of the business world.”
—ArchitectureBoston

“[S]ound advice about the many sorts of writing designers need to master.”
—Interior Design

“[T]ips, guidelines, and examples make this book the equivalent of Cliffs Notes for the working designer. Especially helpful are sections on resumes, public speaking, and avoiding the linguistic pretension that Kliment calls 'Designer Babble.'”
—Critique

“An incredibly useful guide.”
—RIBA Journal

"[O]ne of the most comprehensive, specific guides you could want.”

—California Bookwatch

Overview

How well do you write? Written and oral communication play a vital role in advancing the careers of design professionals (and students), yet few design schools offer training, and few resources exist to help designers improve their writing skills.

Now in its second edition—updated and expanded to address such issues as email etiquette and Web-based marketing, communication, and job searches—the best-selling Writing for Design Professionals is the standard guide for mastering the complexities of effective writing in professional practice.

Stephen A. Kliment explains the principles of clear writing, from the formal “Dear Ms. Jones: I recently visited Polk Street Elementary School, and I agree the facility urgently needs to be modernized to make way for the progressive teaching techniques you have planned for your school district. . . . I believe that my firm, Izumi Associates, can make this happen” to the punchy remarks of the late William Caudill, “Say ‘frog,’ we’ll jump.” Dozens of sample letters, proposals, brochures, reports, book reviews, oral presentations, staff communications, and more—all drawn from the world of practice, and in both print and electronic formats—guide readers through the ins and outs of composing the end-products of writing.

Writing for Design Professionals is organized for easy reference, and includes the following topics:

• marketing: Web sites, correspondence, brochures and portfolios, proposals, newsletters, and other promotional tools

• project writing

• writing in school

• job applications and Web-based job boards

• writing in academe

• writing for the media

• writing as a career

• public speaking

plus: how to avoid jargon and gender-specific language, tailor your writing to your audience, enhance your writing with appropriate graphics, write to international clients, write as a product manufacturer, and measure the impact of what you write. Resources include lists of design media.

Like a trustworthy desk-side consultant, Writing for Design Professionals, Second Edition, should be next to the computer of every architect, planner, interior designer, engineer, and student who wishes to present a polished, professional image through effective written communication.

About the Author

Stephen A. Kliment, FAIA, former editor in chief of Architectural Record, writes, lectures, teaches, and serves as a consultant on communications. He is a registered architect and a former member of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Caudill Rowlett Scott, where he directed the firm’s marketing communications. His articles have appeared in Architecture, Residential Architect, Architectural Digest, and the New York Times. He has taught communications at Washington University in St. Louis, at Harvard University, and at City College of the City University of New York, where he is an adjunct professor of architecture.

ISBN 10: 0-393-73185-5

ISBN 13: 978-0-393-73185-9
August 2006, cloth, 256 pages, 27 color and 10 b&w illustrations, 46 samples