It’s not an easy task, especially if you are doing it for the first time. In this article, I will reveal the secret of how to make sure the visualization office will suit your needs. How to choose wisely? Just follow five important rules.

1. Determine the purpose

Do you need images for a competition, a tender, or for an investor such as a municipality or developer? Are they going to be exterior, interior or aerial visualizations? Will it be a residential, commercial, public or landscape project? Is it a single site, building or master plan?

2. Evaluate the portfolio

See if the company you want to work with has experience with these types of projects and see what the results have been. It’s best to review their website and social media channels, such as on Instagram or LinkedIn. This will give you an initial idea of their aesthetics. Take note if their visual communication is clear and if it speaks to you. This is the first step to determining if the company is committed to quality.

Remember that graphics and overall impression are not everything. Find out if their team is capable and experienced enough to take on your tasks. A solo CG artist is not always enough to portray a building or facility in the right way. It is important that visualization studios have architects and photographers who add value and understand the industry.

3. Define your role

The standard production time for visualizations is two weeks. Do you want to decide for yourself and know exactly how the visualizations should look like? Do you have a clear vision of the frame and mood in your head, or would you rather rely on an outsourcing company and expect suggestions from them? Or maybe both? This is important because not all companies provide consulting services, so it’s a good idea to ask about this at the meeting. You will avoid disappointment later on.

4. Ask about the process

– What does the process look like? Are there any reviews and how many? How is communication done? What are their capabilities and timelines for completion?

– Pay attention to whether they are proposing an action plan. This means they are taking the initiative to lead the project and have control over the process.

– Make sure you have a designated person to work with. Remember that you may be asked to do the same. This is a great way to facilitate communication.

– Find out what the deadline is for submitting the final 3D model? This is insanely important, especially if you are working on a project until the last minute.

5. Check the contract

Ask for the contract so you can see the details of the collaboration. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You need to be aware if there are any additional fees in case of project changes or other unforeseen situations.

Summary

As you can see, there are many things you need to keep in mind to avoid failure and disappointment when working with a visualization company.

I encourage you not to make hasty decisions. Take your time and collaborate with the right studio with whom you can present your project in the most beneficial way.

Thank you for reading this article. If you think of any questions or have any doubts I invite you to contact me directly. I will be happy to meet you on video so I can tell you more.

Filip Kurasz

Advisor, CGI Art Director, Architect
co-owner of ELEMENT VISUALIZATIONS

He believes that creating memorable visualizations is a process whose success consists of many factors. During his career, he has acquired design, photography and graphic design competences and in 2015 he combined them by opening a company that creates visualizations for architects, developers and product companies. Together with his team, he helps companies around the world increasing their recognition in the media, competitions and tenders.

Our process

A good and, above all, effective visualization is one that takes into account the needs of the client but is attractive to the recipient. This is where the whole process begins. A process in which both parties are involved and which, by definition, requires time.

“Coffee” call

Every acquaintance begins with a meeting, which in fact determines the success of potential cooperation. It allows us to avoid any unexpected situations at a later stage, and what is the most difficult in my profession, allows me to remain objective. As a rule, we do not want to impose anything on anyone. We need to know what concerns and expectations our customer has, and what benefits our product is supposed to give him. It is also important to know about the customer’s previous experience, which is valuable information on what to pay attention to in order to make them feel comfortable. Comfort and a sense of security are also important for us, because they have a significant impact on our work and its effects.

The basis of my work is sincerity. From the very beginning, I will ask questions so as to catch potential difficulties we may encounter, but also opportunities to do something extraordinary. If something is a risky idea from the very beginning and it may affect the quality of our work, I will communicate it right away. The moment we decide to work together, it’s like we’re playing on the same team. We want you to be happy with the visuals and want to be proud of them as much as we do. To achieve this, we need to work together to create a visualization that will evoke a specific response from the viewer.

It will attract the viewer’s gaze, making him or her pause.

It has a clear message and the recipient instinctively understands what we want to show.  Preferably a value that is important to him/her.

It is easy to memorize, in other words simple. By limiting the number of elements in the picture we can not only control the recipient’s perception, but also make it easier for him to recreate the image in his head.

Each of these points is equally important and has a significant impact on the quality, or as I prefer to call it, the effectiveness of the visualization. Projects need to be thoroughly understood. The first issue is to determine what type of project we are dealing with. Is it a competition visual or a marketing one and what key values of the project are to be visible? We also identify who the target audience of the visualization is, which at a later stage makes it easier to determine the frames, atmosphere and narrative for each image. 

Briefing meeting

It must take place before we start working on the images. During this meeting, we discuss the project agenda, give potential remarks on the model and analyze all the visuals one by one. At this stage, we always ask the same question:

Name one main idea or value that you want to show in this image?

This vital information accompanies us later until the end of the project.

During this meeting we also look at the references for the project, which we divide into four categories:

1. References for the lighting and color scheme of each visualization.
2. References for the materials used in the project.
3. References for the greenery.
4. References for furniture and other elements you wish to display.

We are able to produce a 3D model of the building on request. This issue must be raised at the inquiry stage. In most cases, however, it is the client who is responsible for making the model and delivering it on time. The client is expected to send the 3D model of the building no later than on the day the project starts. We encourage you to send a working model beforehand to verify its accuracy. This is important mainly because of the texturing. The use of certain materials in the project needs to be taken into account at the modeling stage.

We know how important time is for designers and that is why in our process we always consider the possibility of a one-time model update. Its deadline is included in the project agenda.

Timeframe

The standard production time for visualizations is two weeks and can be extended or shortened depending on the project. During that time we will meet three times for 30-60 minute videoconferences, discussing the consecutive phases of creating images.

First revision

The first revision is where we present the initial sketch of the visualization. We present views both those originally agreed with the client as well as those that we think have potential. We look at different lighting scenarios, paying attention to how the materials used in the project look.

Second revision

At this stage all the building materials are finalized. The greenery and other elements of the scene such as furniture, cars and 3D people also appear in the visualization.

Rendering

Third revision

During the last meeting final visualization is presented. Image is already after pre-processing and adding elements in Photoshop. We discuss the color scheme of the image, the placement of people, and adding optional details.

Final release

Rendered views are provided at 5000 x 3500 pixels (300 dpi at A3) in JPG format.

Thank you for reading this article. If you think of any questions or have any doubts I invite you to contact me directly. I will be happy to meet you on video so I can tell you more.