Activity

“… I can down play the “owning my own business part” and act as though I simply designed and installed landscape projects to get by while the market was slow (which, in fact, is the truth).”

I think that if you do that you’ll be OK. It is going to be such a shake up to the norm in hiring policy when this all shakes out. Depending how it goes,…[Read more]

Zay Gezunt..? hm! who’s that? Yeah, A.E. Bye died a bit ago, he did some terrific gardens, one for George Soros out in Long Island..I like them…some people say it is ‘the beauty of the golf course..” He was really into naturalistic stuff, just using what was there and enhancing – we met him at a gorgeous garden on some rocky outcropping in…[Read more]

If you wouldn’t mind explaining where you come from, Russell, then maybe I can get a better perspective on your answer. For your perspective, I’m in my early thirties, have a family and ambition to succeed that has more to do with working on the type of projects that have the potential to leave the world a little better when I’m done. Idealistic?…[Read more]

Is he related to Zay Gezunt?

I did my portfolio in Photoshop. I saved them to 150 pix/inch, in case they zoom into the pages. I then saved them as Jpegs. On computer it’s rather clear since our monitors display 72 dpi. Each of my files come out to around 750kb. I’m pretty sure I’m doing the wrong way since I shouldn’t even be doing page layouts in Photoshop at first place,…[Read more]

John, I agree that there is only so much one can say about the situation, and at some point it becomes counter productive. I guess the point I was trying to make was that the overall Vibe on the Land8 lounge forum to me isn’t a true representation of the state of our profession today, and I find that fustrating at times. Overall, it’s a great site…[Read more]

A general question:

I’ve seen it said on a number of threads that a digital portfolio would ideally be e-mail attachable (5 MB or less). What method have you found to be the best for keeping the resolution of images crisp while keeping ultimate PDF sizes low. Is it easier to do so by creating the whole package in InDesign as opposed to combining…[Read more]

Jay,

It’s true, there is a crisis and the most recent unemployment numbers don’t offer much encouragement. I took a few minutes to peruse the forum you linked to and I have to say it’s not a place I would care to spend a whole lot of time. I imagine that a great number of people posting there are unemployed and looking for a place to vent. That…[Read more]

I can’t say that I’m familiar with Ed Bye’s work. I’ll have to do some research. Didn’t find much right off the bat with a Google search…Sounds interesting.

I’ve definitely got my copy of Design with Nature by McHarg. Great book. Standard issue…

I guess there are a number of ways to skin a cat. I’m still trying to find my way in this…[Read more]

Since you are very interested in getting hired by someone else at some point, another thing that you might want to get advice about is whether you are helping or hurting that possibility by doing your own thing at this point. I’m not going to claim that I know that answer, but does it make sense for another firm to hire someone who clearly is on a…[Read more]

There is a similar discussion going on in another forum in this thread link:

http://www.indeed.com/forum/job/landscape-architect/landscape-architect-job-opportunities-growing-declining/t4555

To be honest, as much as I love land8, I’m surprised there isn’t more discussion here / more threads on the unbelievable crises that has hit our…[Read more]

Truth be told, I’ve been applying for every entry level position that comes across the ASLA job board. Most of my family and my wife’s family live in Seattle and I have taken resumes and small portfolio’s around to firms on several occasions. I have a fear of being lost in this pause in the economy and started my business simply to pay the bills…[Read more]

It is a great marketing tool in the type of market that is Moscow/Pullman. Your trucks with your name on them get seen over and over again. When I had my company, there was me, my brother and two other guys. We only had three trucks, but several people made comments like “wow, that’s a big company, I see you guys everywhere” when they met me…[Read more]

My honest opinion, as a guy who worked as a laborer for others in my youth, an owner of a small design/build/maintenance company in my twenties, as a designer/site supervisor for a few others (including Moscow Landscaping/Crossroads Nursery), a landscape architect for a few companies, … if you want to work in a market and at a level that you are…[Read more]

Thanks for replying, Andrew.

The realities of the market around here are much as you describe. Not a great base for high end anything. At the high end I may get $1500 from the design side of a project, so my bread and butter is the installation. I’ve thought of lawn care and starting a nursery, but, as you said yourself, the market is fairly…[Read more]

I know your market because I used to work in it. You are very isolated in that your geographical region does not support much more than residential or very light commercial until you get to Spokane/Cd’A which is a hundred mile haul for design/build and a market that is very well served from within those communities. Additional expense of travel…[Read more]

Thomas, I had to laugh when I read your post..as it relates to my experience – Mr. Ed Bye is one of my favorite deisgners, and if you have seen his illustrative plans – they are art..Very beautiful, very unusual plan style..So when we took Ed Bye’s studio, at Penn, we were all like, “Mr. Bye, we can’t wait to see your perspectives!! “and he was…[Read more]

One of my favorite designers is James Burnett. Not only is he a great designer but he’s a real, genuine, nice, guy. A combination not often found in the design world.

Looking at his work makes me think that he “gets it”. http://www.ojb.com/projects/

His plans are very clean and clear. They are not simple by any means but they are very readable.…[Read more]