Tanisha Raffiuddin – Concept Culture

Tanisha helps built environment organisations strategically grow their brand and business by tapping into the power of storytelling.  

Join us for an open conversation about alternative careers in Architecture, the importance of online marketing as well as discussing the tools, tips and tricks of the trade within communications.

A trained architect, Tanisha has over a decade of combined experience in architectural practice, at AJ100 firms, as a contributor at The Architects’ Journal, and a communications consultant to sustainability organisations, including the Passivhaus Trust, Good Homes Alliance, and the Sustainable Development Foundation. She also assisted with the publication of London 2012 Sustainable Design: Delivering a Games Legacy.

Tanisha’s work sits at the intersection of architecture, sustainability, and communications. Concept Culture was founded out of a desire to combine her passion for architecture and storytelling with her expertise in creating engaging brands and visual content, as featured on the Business of Architecture podcast.  

Tanisha regularly speaks at industry events, including the London Festival of Architecture and Festival of Place. She is also a committee member of Women in Architecture UK, a Creative member of the London Collective, and Associate at Futurecity.

Transcript

Stephen Drew: Hello, everyone. I am screening live from Waterloo. I have a guest down the road in BI sea. Next time we’ll meet in person, but we’re half virtual half in the real world. I’m joined you by a fantastic colleague from the built environment. We were very interesting history, which I’m sure she’ll explain better than me, but it involves working in Architecture, finding.

what they’re passionate about and pursuing that career. So still in the built environment, but doing something different. So I have the fantastic guest Tanisha, refi. How are you today?

Tanisha: I’m really great. Stephen, thank you all the better for chatting with you this afternoon.

Stephen Drew: Wow. There you go. So we met last year in the midst of fur.

When I set up the Architecture, Social and knew of one of the. Founding members. I think you were like number 28, which is pretty cool. Cuz now there’s over 4,000, but we had an interesting chat because you have a very interested experience. You have very interesting career you’re in Architecture and for the benefit of anyone that hasn’t met you already Tanisha can you tell us a bit about your career and

Tanisha: yourself?

Yourself? Thanks, Stephen. Interesting is the right word. it? in Architecture. That is that is one way of putting it. I’ve now come to learn that I can call it a squiggly career. And for those of you who are not familiar with what a squiggly career is, I would urge you to look them up. So exactly like Stephen said I’ve had an interesting career.

I studied Architecture. I did a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and then I was interested in sustainability. So I pursued a master’s in sustainability at makin univers. And just as luck would have it, I graduated in the last recession. So what people now call the great recession of 2008, 2009,

Stephen Drew: same here.

Awful. Wasn’t

Tanisha: it? Yeah. Awful. And, and the other thing in to point out is that I I was a foreign student at the time, so I was not only competing in the open market. , other lo more local students, and this is also a pre Brexit, so European candidates as well. It was a very dark place to be fighting for very limited jobs.

And on the back foot as the as the forum candidate. And like I said it, wasn’t a very fun place to be. And I. Probably similar to where a lot of younger students and Architect are finding themselves now, in the pandemic. So I had to pivot very quickly. And then the way I did it was I found this internship at the architects journal purely on Twitter.

One day I was scrolling on Twitter and I found the internship, a call out for an internship, and they were looking for someone to write about sustainability. They had launched. Sustainability blog. And I was like, this is absolutely down my straight up, just on my masters. I’m fresh, do this. And I answered the call.

I had an interview with the editor and I began to to work with her and that editor is Hatti Hartman and she’s still sustainability editor at York six journal as she’s phenomenal, follow her work as well. And that led me down to the path that I, I. where I am right now. So if I look back now, that’s 11 years ago everything stems from that internship that I took at the Architect journal, because through that internship, then I learned about writing, marketing, communicating, and publishing and how, magazines are compiled how to yeah.

Create. and how to create good content, high quality content. And, the AJ is one of the most respected journals in, in, in the UK and probably around the world as well. So it was a really good place for me to be at the start of my career, cuz I was meeting architects at all levels and they.

Cuz, I, they were interested in talking to you because you were at the AJ. So I built a very strong network. And through that network, then I found my next gig, which was at the sustainable development foundation. And they were looking for somebody to run their marketing and communications as well.

So yeah, there’s more, more writing, more communicating in this time, more specifically on about sustainability. The built environment. And one of the programs that I started working with is the pacif first trust. And it just started Z and I helped launch it and promote it. And I Drew all their social channels.

They were not on social media and I was like, guys, you need to be on social media. We don’t know anything about it. Do you care about it? You do it.

Stephen Drew: Come on. OK.

Tanisha: Let’s here’s a world out then. And yeah, so that was my foray into social media. It social media has helped me a lot along the way.

And then learning the tools. It was very new back then learning how to be active on social media as a company and stuff like that. All very useful skills that I apply now, professionally and people actually pay me to do it.

Stephen Drew: Yeah. It takes a

Tanisha: lot of time, doesn’t it? Yeah, it does. It does. It does. And seeing the evolution of it as well over, over the years.

I think it was five years into that journey. And then I, I always had this nagging feeling like I studied Architecture and there was always this guilt that, but I studied Architecture. I did a masters, I spent all that time getting this degree and then I’ve not been able to use it.

That’s how I felt. And so that kind of prompted me to figure out how to get back into practice and. Fortunately at that time, the market was turning again. People were hiring again and through the passive house network one of the architects within that network said, why didn’t you come and work with us.

So that’s how I got my foot in the door into traditional practice. And then I makes sense worked at another smaller company. And I purely took on that job just to do. I gave was very basic. I took a pay cut to go down, do this do this role purely just to learn how to draw again and, do AutoCAD and all that sorts of things.

And and then I found myself in, into the last practice before I changed careers again. And. They weren’t so bothered about your CAD skills. They were like, we can train anybody. And they were using ArchiCAD and not many people, not many studios use ACAD. So they were like, yeah, you can come along, we’ll train you up anyway.

And that was, my closest, real experience to being part of a medium to large practice working on yeah. Live jobs from all robust stages from zero right up to tender construction, then going on. So through in that three or four years of time that I was with them, I learned a lot about the whole spectrum of actually being an Architect.

And after that journey. So let’s say, I guess I could allay my guilt and say, okay, I’ve done this now, but do I really enjoy it? And the answer was no right. And question. Yeah, do I really enjoy it? And the answer. And I think the reason why I felt, I found that the answer was no for me was because I had worked outside of practice before.

Yeah. And then life in practice, wasn’t all that it was cut out to be. It is improving. I’m hearing that it’s improving, but definitely the work culture, the long hours, everything that we know about the lousy paid there were all factors that pushed me. From practice to the point was like, I’ve burned out.

I can’t do this anymore. I took time off. I took six months off. I went traveling around the world. I did a whole round the world trip by myself to clear my head. And then I came back with immense clarity and I was like, you know what, I’m gonna, the, my perfect job doesn’t exist, where I can combine Architecture and communications together.

So I’m just gonna have to create. and and I went back to a lot of my mentors and my first bosses, and then I was like, look, you’ve worked with me. Tell me, what am I good at? What should I do? And a lot of them encouraged me and said, you’re ready to start on your own. Just started start a company, go on company’s house, register the company and.

Take it from there. And that was literally what I did. And I had a fantastic friend, somebody who I met in Melbourne, on my travels. And then she had moved to London and she was looking for work and she’s also a content creator. And she was up for helping me out.

And so together we came up with the name and the branding and build a very basic website Thought about what services we could offer and it’s just taken off from there.

Stephen Drew: Good for you. And that company that you’re talking about name now, are we talking about, we are talking about concept culture,

right?

Tanisha: Yes. Yes. That is exactly. That is how that is the story of concept culture. That’s it’s purely was my desire to create this job for me, where I. Still stay within the builtin environment, stay within Architecture, tell the stories about Architecture, but not actually having to do tender drawings and construction packages.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, I get it. I really get it. And that’s why I think what we spoke last year, I really resonated. There’s kind of two parts to that one was because in my background, I went into Architectural practice and equal. I found no labor or love, like some of my colleagues did about technical detail and it just didn’t do it for me.

I just, it just didn’t have the same drive yet. I didn’t feel like I’m a non driven person. I didn’t feel lazy. However, it just didn’t excite me. And I fell into states because I’m good at speaking with people. And I was like what do I do after arch? Now I quite enjoy it, but I remember that moment of actually speaking to my parents and they’re both quite supportive.

My mum’s a bit like really you’re gonna give up Architecture, you’re gonna go into sales. I don’t understand it. But my father actually, he was really supportive of the idea because years ago he was an engineer and he used to work in a factory many years ago and he hated the job and he was like a son.

I. I hated that job. I hated that job and having the strength to move away from it. And he then went into a job he loved, and then he was much, much more successful than staying on the tool machine. And so that’s where I really resonate with it. The ever bit, where was interesting glass gear is that when I set up the Architecture Social, and it was quite do students and being very specific to you do content creation.

You’re talking about writing, working with the journal at the AJ. The Architect journal. And I think some people have that passion in Architecture cause Architecture is quite wide. When you’re studying it, I personally didn’t enjoy writing the essays and dissertations it. Wasn’t my, it wasn’t what I enjoy.

But some people love it. And it makes a lot of sense that people really got into that have a passion for journalism. There’s a job in Architecture, but I think it’s fair to say that not many people know how. Do that transition and it’s really not clear is it cuz if you are deviating away to, from the part one part two part three, there is no roadmap really on how to go about that.

You have to learn it yourself. Is that how you felt when you did it?

Tanisha: 100%? Yes that’s that is so true. And and the O the other thing is, I think a lot of it is. You mentioned the word strength and I think strength is a very important quality to have when you’re transitioning from a subject.

Every, that you’ve studied Architecture it’s an actual thing. It’s a formal degree. Yeah. And you move branching into journalism, which is also a formal subject. And, people study journalism and a lot of my colleagues at the AJ had more journalistic and right literature back.

but the AJ also had writers and contributors who had Architecture backgrounds as well. So I took some comfort in that, that I didn’t feel like a fraud in this space. Yeah. Because I hadn’t done a a journalism JB, whereas some others had, but what that makes you do is that work really hard.

And then you have to learn everything almost as you go. And a lot of this is learning by. . Yeah. And writing is no exception. So the more you write, the better you, you get at it, the more content you create, the better you get at it. So practice. And, but having said that writing is a skill and some are born with it and some are not.

So I’m not here saying that, oh, just if you start writing, you’ll get better. There is an inherent skill. And some will be better writers than. But if you feel like you have that skill or someone has told you, oh, you’re a good writer, or, one of your uni tutors or somebody, or one of your friends say you’re really good at writing.

And that’s what happened a lot to me. And I didn’t realize it, that people were telling me that you’re really good at writing. And then if you enhance that skill and practice, then you will be able to elevate yourself. Interesting.

Stephen Drew: Yeah. Very interesting. So I, in part of my job now is that I have to write a lot.

But it’s very different than it’s very different, right? For the Architecture journal than a job description, because a job description is what it’s taken me years to master, and it’s a very different form, but it has a lot closer to do with social media. As in the over time, you learn how to grab people’s attention, how to draw them into an idea.

You have to keep it short. And this is job descriptions that it’s to the point, but you need to make it relatable. Cuz I think online and you tell me this because you’re the you’re, this is what you do. But my understanding is everyone’s busy, right? So much information out there. And the art form is really how to reach out and make it relatable so that someone clicks on your art piece in a noisy world.

On that point just before we move on it, I would love to know what you think of the stuff I do in the Architecture Social. Have I got something or have I not got something? You could tell me the truth?

Tanisha: Oh my God, that you put me on this spot

Stephen Drew: here, Stephen. I could probably do a proper copy rate in journalist, but

Tanisha: how am I?

I think that’s what I was gonna say as you were talking, so there’s a difference as well within. Within writing. So there’s writing that’s editorial and that’s writing that’s copywriting. Okay. Okay. So a lot of what we do at concept culture is copywriting, right? And the difference between writing editorial and copywriting is even you, when you’re writing copy, that is the exact, when you hear it, if you hear people writing, oh, this the copy is here.

The copy is there. Those are words that are predominantly used to. and to attract attention.

Stephen Drew: Yeah. That’s what I do copyright then.

Tanisha: Exactly. So when you see, oh, there’s a job, that’s a copywriter job that is essentially somebody who writes words to sell a product or a service or whatever. Ah, and there’s a psychological element to it.

So they’re writing to convince the reader or to persuade the reader. to buy the product, click on the link follow us on Instagram or whatever it is, whereas more of the, what the AJ does is editorial and then opinion, pieces thought leadership.

Stephen Drew: And that’s where I, that’s not my strength.

That’s a totally different gift. Yes. To get the narrative, to keep going the reader journey fact

Tanisha: checking fact checking. Yes. Interviews. Yes. So that’s more technical aspect to writing. I, depending on where your skillset lies, if you’re more a investigative journalist sort of thing, then you probably enjoy the editorial side of things.

Yes. But if you enjoy being on social media and creating content for social media, then you’re more of a copywriter.

Stephen Drew: Very interesting. And then deviating slightly, but you enjoy this. So one of the tools that I actually use at the moment on the Architecture Social, and I’ve paid a lot of money to use it every month and some months I use it a lot and some months I.

but I actually used a copyright tool called Jarvis, which is an artificial intelligence tool. You’re laughing cuz you know exactly where I’m on about I use it all the time it’s because sometimes I find it really good, especially when I got right as black, as blank. Where am I on about is block right as block.

Exactly. And it can be really helpful. And I find that sometimes it can be super great and the other times it goes off in a tangent. So I still. It’s a great time saver, but it’s a tool, isn’t it? And I’m not gonna say it’s gonna replace people. Cause I really don’t see that happening. It’s a bit like when people go oh, LinkedIn’s gonna replace recruitment.

And it’s not really. It’s a tool, but what’s your experience of all these quirky tools to Tanisha them?

Tanisha: I personally haven’t used Jarvis. I don’t need to , but

Stephen Drew: I have heard, you can have a go on my, you can have a go on my one. It’s not a problem. Okay.

Tanisha: And and but I do know that, the smaller businesses they do use it a lot.

I know people who use it. Yeah. And there are other, these copywriter tools that help you create content quickly. And I think they’re useful then from a time saving perspective. , it’s not easy to create content on a regular basis. You do it for Architect social. Oh, I do it professionally.

And inspiration. Doesn’t hit you every day. So sometimes, and exactly for the days when you have writers block and creative block, it is useful to have a tool or some other source of inspiration. Definitely use it to, to help you for sure. But it is not a shortcut for hiring somebody.

I think you would get more value by. Of the right copywriter,

Stephen Drew: correct? Copyright. Yeah. It struggles with the narrative and you need to really fact check it, but where it can be good is just how to phrase words and stuff. So it’s a really good tool for me sometimes and like how to get that sentence out.

You’re like, oh, that’s good. And the other thing I found out was good was with S E O. And that actually brings me onto another part of the chat, because there’s so many facets in your job. And I’m just insert in my opinion here now, but when the, with the Architecture Social, and I’m sure you, you have a lot of clients as well, who are, maybe small at the moment, but building yourselves up, it’s actually a full-time job as well.

That’s what your job is doing. The social media, getting the message out there and coordinating all this stuff. So I try really hard to make sure that I use certain. Because otherwise I get sacked into the rabbit hole and my time gets lost. So I tell you my tools of the trade. You can reveal me.

So I use the Jarvis, but it’s expensive. And I’m thinking, oh, do I need it or not? The other thing I use, which I think it’s a lot easier is buffer. So I get one piece of content and I put it all out on the social media channels because my day was that yes, I want to engage, but social media is really.

Building an audience. And I think that’s slightly different than the Architecture Social forum. Cuz I see the Architecture, Social forum is a place where people can talk and that’s a community. Now the advantage I got is that it’s a channel built app, but the other tools are more on how you manage the social media because you can get sucked into Instagram.

You can get sucked into Twitter. They’re all very different, but I use that tool to manage all that. I also use Grammarly. That I’m not, I need it. And what else do I do? I love the quick look on my Google. I use bit Lee, but that’s just to shorten the links cuz you know, every character’s and I use a tool called keyword surfer for EO.

And that just tells you if I’m saying the right things, when I’m building the Architecture, Social dot com, but that’s. How do I survive the CRI? Am I doing right?

Tanisha: That’s very impressive. That’s very impressive. It sounds like you’re very organized and you’re on it. And, oh, I dunno by that. I do not.

If you’re a small business or, small practice or even you growing your personal brand, are you absolutely advised using a content scheduling tool? Like buffer. or plan only or who to be. There are many on the market. Yeah, you have to test them all to see what works best for you and what’s work within your budget.

Cuz some of them are paid paid tools and that’s the key step to any sort of content creation and content. And that sits under the wider content marketing, which is a part of your wider marketing strategy is about being organized. Oh, having a content calendar. and having content, pillars and themes, everything that aligns with your message.

And then, if you’re like yourself, like you have events or you’re running a podcast, then you know, you will plan content around promoting the co podcast before it’s released and then promoting it after it’s released that calendar will help you stay organized and tools like. Or Hootsuite will help you stay organized.

And you mentioned Bitly. Bitly is not new , but no, it’s very helpful to shorten URLs for Twitter. And also that helps you track traffic as well. Cuz it measures the traffic sources and then SEOs keyword surfer. There’s also hot jar. And then HubSpot, there are a lot of these it’s SCM rush. There are a lot of these companies that have free tools.

There’s an element of free tool as. You can, key in your website and tell you how healthy your website is. SEO is the whole podcast

Stephen Drew: in itself. It’s it’s so deep, isn’t it? And then we’ll have another one on it. But I think I joke that sometimes and you get it, cuz a lot of what I do is a website and it’s so important to learn because it is the difference between being seen or not.

But you are right. There are so many levels. The algorithm is constantly changing. There are principles there, which. But you are right. I tell you what though. My goal is once I get my business making enough turnover, I plan to move away from doing the social media because I it’s very exhaustive doing everything.

And I imagine part of your role and your part of your business is to take that. So at some point you’d be like Steve hand over the buffer. Let’s go hand over. Do you, is that what your role is? And when you go and meet companies, then do you try and say, look, I will take care of this part of it. And we will work out your journey.

We will work out your meaning. I would love to know a bit about, a little bit about concept culture.

Tanisha: That’s absolutely it, the top of my sales pitch there soon. Thank you.

Stephen Drew: yeah, take it away. I’ll be like, I’ll be like, here’s the accounts go, please.

Tanisha: well, essentially a lot of the times a lot of the work that we have is through my own, the network that I have, but there’s very often a client will come to us from Google.

They have found us on Google and that’s always a win because then this is one thing I. Clients and make your website work for you. Your website can bring you leads even when you are sleeping. That is the job of the SEO. Every other time I will get somebody who books a call directly from the website.

We have a link to book a call with us, a consultation call, free consultation call and I’ll get somebody. And like they found and asked. And the first question asked, how did you find us? And it’ll be from Google. So that’s how I. That RSA strategy is working. Yes. So essentially what for example, they would a company would come to me and they would say, ask they would have a problem at that point.

If they’ve come, they booked the call, they have identified that they have a problem. So let’s say that they’re okay. Let’s give, let’s create a hypothetical scenario. They’re 10 years in the game. Okay. They’re a practice that they’re 10 years in the. And predominantly the work has only been one word of mouth and they now want to branch in and work in a different sector or a different attract a different audience.

And they want to grow, they want to they want to celebrate their success that they’ve been around for 10 years, 10 years is it’s no joke, for being in practice it’s a journey. And and they say we don’t know the first thing about creating an online presence.

How can you help us? And that point, that’s when I would ask them. So what have you done in the past? Do have you do you have a brand story? What, tell me about your brand that’s and I have this, a little questionnaire that I take them through and I ask a lot of questions and diagnose where they sit are they comfortable with their brand story?

Are they, and are they comfortable about the messages that they’re saying? Are they sure that these are the messages? They have clarity of what we stand for as a. Does everybody in the team know what we stand for as a practice and then depending on where they are on that journey, then I will craft a bespoke plan for them.

So I was like, okay, let’s take you through the branding exercise. First, let’s build this brand strategy for you. Let’s carve out the messages first, understand who you are, why you exist and how you help your. And then we go onto tactics, which is then where digital marketing will, then we’ll talk about digital marketing and that will depend on the resources available to them.

If they have in-house support or then whether they want us to create the content as well, and then we’ll create this both plan, what this content plan looks like. So depending on how many channels they wanna be active on and if they want a blog, because a blog is the best way to boost your SEO, I would say, yeah, a hundred percent.

To booster the SES. If there’s anyone who tells you a blog, blogging is dead. That is not true.

Stephen Drew: That’s so rubbish. Isn’t it? It’s what and just to answer that, I completely agree. But then I think in that scenario, it’s about challenging what people think a blog is because it’s not about just taking like an Instagram picture or whatever blog can be your fourth piece of substance, but in my definition, and you can substantiate this as the expert, but.

All those keywords, all those things that you talk about. If you have a cohesive narrative piece on the blog that people read for a certain amount of period of time, Google then starts realizing that people are spending good time on that content. So then it starts to see you identify you as an expert in a niche.

And that’s powerful cuz that’s when the rankings start going up, is that accurate loosely

Tanisha: a hundred percent. And also. It takes place over time. Yes. So that’s the other thing to note even if you start, if you bring in an IEO expert to help you out yeah. You need to give them time. So it’ll be at least three, four months before you will start ranking for the terms that you want to rank on.

Yeah. Yeah. And then six months, and then one year, one year down the line, you’ll see better results. And I think the reason why I totally a hundred percent emphasize on writing blogs. Writing newsletters to direct people to to the blogs is because Google ranks keywords based on articles, or you, a homepage will rarely rank number one.

So it’s, what is the value of that content? So if you’re writing blogs regularly and good quality blogs, and then you’re writing newsletters to promote those. Or you’re or you’re active on social media. You’re constantly driving people to read those blogs. Then Google starts realizing, oh, this these guys are doing good quality content and we need to promote this.

So all the webs, all those keywords are, building this. It’s literally building a web of signals to tell Google okay, these guys are creating good content. We need to rank them higher.

Stephen Drew: Yeah. I look, I think it’s, I think it’s so fascinating. And just for. Because we’re cover a lot of grants here.

So where even you are a student or are a business professional, I think, and I’ve got a comment from my own experience, but I, even, when I was a part, when I was the only part, when had a website at the time and you had some people add WICS, but I actually learned WordPress and WordPress can be as simple or as complicated as you make it, because it can get very interesting in the back end.

And a lot of the Architecture Social is actually built on WordPress, but it was. Learning the website when I was in part one that got me to where I am now, or that kind of passion, or that interest in web design has become such a valuable skill that it really helps. And I would say even in recruitment, it always put me in a massive, unfair advantage because when you start talking about SEO and whenever you’re doing your own business, or even about how you build an online persona or professional.

Like CV portfolio, a website can be useful. Now. I always think that say now, if someone’s listening to student, yes, you wanna make the CV portfolio the most important document. However, and this is a bit retr. The C the website is not a replacement for them, but what it can be is like a really nice complimentary.

And it can be beautiful. And imagine if you start working on your website, when you’re a student and it could be like I had, I own Stephen Drew dot com and that was lucky. Cause I bought it at a time just before a baseball, Stephen Drew guy went rocketed up and see, so it’s good to get that domain. What I’m saying though, is learning of skills as a Stephen, the SEO started ranking from that and I started learning all these lessons.

So it’s really valuable to get into even. You’ve still do an Architecture or if you are, if you’re a journalist or whatever, I think it’s so good to learn. And you can just use word Presso. Like now’s like web flow, which looks really interesting. I would probably, if I was student, I would probably be looking at web flow.

I can’t really do what I want in the Architecture Social, because it has 60,000 pages, which is a bit insane. that’s what I would be looking at. Do you think building web websites is a good skill for everyone?

Tanisha: Definitely. If you are, if that’s what you want to do, I think, but understanding the basics of what goes into the making of a website is also is also good.

Good enough. Unless you. Want to transition into becoming a UX that’s user experience or a UI that’s user interference designer, then you’ll have to really learn the languages that’s HTML, Java, and the like, and I don’t, that’s why I hire developers so we have a team of developers and we use workflow a lot, actually.

So I’m glad you mentioned it. We’re advocating for it and it’s build Client’s website on web flow and then starting a new project this week, actually which is also going to be in web flow. And the reason we advocated is purely for the benefit of the client, because then you can edit it easily in house.

Stephen Drew: Yeah,

Tanisha: exactly. That, that it takes that sting out of editing it. Whereas WordPress, depending on how complex the. You will need some basic understanding of HDML.

Stephen Drew: Yes. yes. Yeah. You do. I do CSS and I’ve bits of bobs and it’s also with WordPress. You are on the strength of the theme. Yeah. Which, so a theme is something you installing the WordPress.

Whereas what I like about web flow, and to me, it makes sense architecturally, like if you’ve used Adobe and all this stuff, which probably most of the listeners, you. Their web flow. Yes. Is a learning curve, but it makes sense,

Tanisha: yep. And I think because web flow is part of, is an offshoot of the no code movement.

Yes. So all these developers who have moved on to no, like virtually, like if you don’t have any coding experience, you could just learn how to use web flow and exactly how you say so you can build prototypes in in a tool called Figma or Adobe X. Which is similar to InDesign creating layouts.

And so that’s the first step that when, when you’re doing web design, that we will create that visual prototype in either Figma or Adobe XD, depending on the developers preference. And then, and clients can then review designs as in how they’re being built and they can comment On those prototypes as to what they like or what they don’t like, oh move this content around and stuff like that.

So it makes the, from the client review perspective as well, it makes life much easier. So it’s not yeah. Going away and designing a website. And then after a couple of weeks saying, oh, here, this is what your website looks like. And you’ve had no say in the journey, but here you can be as much or as little involved.

As you like in, in, in the process and definitely a platform like workload, I think architects would love using it. I agree with you on that, because there’s no, no code involved. So I think if there’s an Architect are considering moving into UX UI design then workflow will be a great

Stephen Drew: platform.

Yeah, I agree. And just so you know, there. I say world exclusive. That sounds bigger than is, but you hear it year first. That’s actually, I’m actually building something in no code, which people can then use as a tool to navigate their job searches in. It’s basically a database. You’ve got a lot of practices in there and then people can log in.

So say hypothetically, you were looking for a job. So maybe in the past, when you were a student, so you can keep track of staff log where you want that’s one kind of building a no. And it plugs into databases. It plugs into stuff that I can handle. And I really like that because look, there’s always a place for a developer, but where I’m at right now in my business, I can’t justify the cost of a developer and it’s not familiar territory for me.

However, what’s interesting about no code is that you can design principles and concepts and then should. Go somewhere then I would imagine you could hand that to a developer. So to me it seems like a really smart, logical way to go about things. I’m look, I’ve seen bubble, I’ve seen all this stuff and it’s really fascinating to me.

What’s your thoughts on them? The no code stuff does to make sense what I

Tanisha: said. Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think a lot of even when we’re. Working with developers, cuz like I think one thing to mention is that cons culture is like we’re collective of creatives and everyone is the freelancer are self-employed and they have their own business.

And I, I create a team based on what the project needs or what the client needs. And a lot of the times I will have somebody who’s both a designer and a developer and sometimes I will have someone who’s only a web designer and sometimes I will have someone who’s only a web. Yeah. So in that case so what you’re describing is so you do the design yourself, and then when you’re happy with the design and you need the developer to actually make it go live.

And if you’re designing a website, you’re designing an app, definitely for apps, you will need a developers.

Stephen Drew: Yeah, my gosh, it’s a deep, it’s a deep bend, isn’t it? It’s that’s, what’s interesting about bubble. I’ve been looking at. Yeah, but also right now, I’m looking at a database with it’s called stack of problem is no codes.

There’s an element where you can’t like a bit like workflow, anything, the Architect in that you want to design everything, but there is that trade off between. It’s no code and there’s something you can do, but there’s not complete custom ability. But what I would love to know in terms of your experience a bit that’s daunting with me.

And I’m sure. And this is where the skill of what your job is as well. Sometimes I get a little bit phased by developers. So you mentioned you’ve built up this networking concept culture equally. I know for instance, someone that’s built a website similar to the social and instead of using a platform like mighty networks, which the form was in, went to developer, spent thousands of pounds in the technology.

It’s just WordPress, which has been around. and I think there is a potential danger. You can invest in a developer and they can squander your money or it doesn’t work, or you need to constantly put money into it. Is that a fair assumption I have? Or is that not the case that it can go, you can go in the wrong direction with developers.

Tanisha: I think that is definitely a, it definitely does happen and there are, yeah, there are bad developers out there and there are a lot of times I hear. And those have come to me as well, who have been bitten very badly. And then they just lose trust in the system. And then I have to work really hard to rebuild that, trust that trust because unfortunately, like any industry, there are good apples and bad apples.

Yeah. Yeah. So I think that’s where then coming to concept culture will help you because we take the sting out of that because essentially my role. The creative director and project manager is to do is to make sure that I’m the mediator between the client and the creative and in the sense that I also do quality control and to make sure that the creative or in this case, the developer is delivering to the client’s brief.

Yeah. So that’s another way companies can work with us is if they’re looking to build a website or they’re looking to commission photo, Or videography, and they have no idea how to write a creative brief, because it’s all about that creative brief, because the, yes, that is what stems from, and you take this brief to the creative and then they will give you a quote or a price and a set of deliverables and outputs and that’s work in itself.

And, if you have no experience dealing with professional creatives, then you could get stung. Yeah. To answer your

Stephen Drew: question it really does. And it’s quite interesting that even though what you do is a different sector to mine, or, and while, you are part of Architecture while you’re not building buildings, per se, what’s interesting is that as you said, briefing is so important exactly.

Like InDesign process. And if that brief isn’t quite right, unfortunately, teams that can be miscommunication, things can go off on a tangent and that’s. The kind of the cost is. And so I totally understand why, as you say, if you’ve got your network and then you get developers with trust, then you’re gonna keep ahold of them.

But equally, especially when we’re talking about collaboration around the world, that briefing needs to be so important. Otherwise even with the best intention to develop, could misunderstand what is happening and could go off in the wrong way, but that’s also. Like Architecture or sometimes visualizations are outsourced, they come back wrong and what’s happened.

There was a crappy brief from the Architect, the colors were wrong and, or the person makes assumptions and that’s because of communication. Yeah, I find that interesting, that whole part of the process. Do you have any tips to mitigate that? Is it just building. And building communication skills.

So what would you suggest?

Tanisha: I think a lot of the, what you’ve talked about, anything there’s similarities from running running jobs in Architecture in the crudes way, when you run a job, you’re the project manager as the Architect and you have all the various consultants that answer to you and you create the project timeline, you create the gun chart You make sure that everyone’s delivering on time and that’s exactly similar what I’m doing now.

Yeah, but it’s not, I’m not building a building, but I’m creating a creating content or creating a website or creating a video or creating a podcast. So the same rules apply. So regular communication. Good brief upfront and regular communication. Regular check-in. Where we do website. So we’ll have coordinately check-ins with our clients and say, this is where we are, comment now or, forever hold your piece kind of a thing and also getting it right.

There’s the point where, you know, even like in construction the draw, everything has to be perfect from the drawing group. And then only it goes to site the same logic applies in web design and development. So make sure that the web design is. And then the developer comes in and builds it and makes it functional, making, working links and then making it live.

So make sure that before that happens, that you’re happy with the design. Yeah. So constant communication regular communication, and be clear on, we are as on, on your aspirations and make sure that the designer or the develop. Gets it. And the other way to go about is if you have some visions in your head then you know, you create a mood board for them or ask them to do it for you and, and that’s where you have some ideas of what you want your website to, to look like.

So very cool. Yeah. So start with the right brief, have a proper program in place and regular.

Stephen Drew: Makes complete sense. I think in it’s these part conversations so interesting that while you don’t practice Architecture and learn practice Architecture, per se, that whole approach that we learn of how you look at things in the brief.

I think it never goes away. And that’s why sometimes when people talk to me about even, the fact that I don’t practice Architecture anymore, would. Would I not do my part one part two, again, if I could change things and no, I love it. There’s so much value to it. The way I look at the Architecture Social it’s just, it’s got that mindset that I always had in particular like Manchester school of Architecture.

There was Nick dun and Richard Brook, not suppose you’re listening, but shout to those who were amazing. And they had that kind of inquisitive look and into things really helped. With the way I look at design. So actually Tanisha I like to flip mix things up here. Let’s find it quite rude that not rude, but why is it always in the podcast that the host gets to ask the questions?

So I was wondering if you have one or two questions for me that you would like to ask me and you’ve had no preparation for this, but then you can ask me whatever is the first thing that comes to mind about.

Tanisha: well, actually I have listened to your previous podcast, so I know that you do this oh, damn.

Stephen Drew: You do have I’m in trouble.

Now these are gonna be no, seriously loaded.

Tanisha: I, and I think this is a very broad question, but on the one hand, I’d just like to, I’d love to know what’s next for the Architecture, Social, what are your plans like? And, I know you’re passionate about, and you. You want to grow at what the look like.

And I think my other question is now that you are on the Reba council yes. What do you plan to do with your time there? Good

Stephen Drew: questions. Both them. So let me tackle number one first and tackle number two to second. Okay. So we met the Architecture Social. That was when I was on furlough and the core of it what’s been interesting is that.

I’m happy for people to use this space in whatever, which way there seems to be a carbon theme, which people go to the Architect of social and it’s used for, and it gets it’s to do with my strength, which is employability, or learning how to get a job reviewing CV. There’s a little bit of fun and banter there, and that’s amazing, but that’s his common thread.

That’s his common theme. So when it started with CV portfolios, I guess the next evolution of it, the way I see it is that I’ve been spending a lot of time on the.com and that’s paid off because the forum there’s less people using it and that’s fine, but we’ve all got busy lives. And I think we’re all been on forums and we’re all a bit fed up a lockdown, but luckily all that time spending SEO and stuff, the traffic of the.com is a lot.

And it feels a lot to. So you could tell me this. So I think I get about organic traffic is about 60%, which is quite big. And it gets about 400 people a day. And that 200 of them are organically. So I’m quite pleased with that, considering that the website’s been going a year and I haven’t spent one pound to set the time on marketing, but as we know my time and your time is worth a lot.

So it’s probably thousands of pounds. If you look at it but that’s a nice part of it. Where’s it going now? The truth is it needs to bring in a revenue. Okay. To be self-sufficient we run businesses, you know what it’s like? And luckily I know recruitment from before, so there will be a level of doing ethical recruitment, but I think that fits in with the theme of employability, but then that also.

Fits in with the theme of keep bringing in a revenue, which will keep itself sufficient. And if that’s the governing factor, as in, I am not at Beckham to certain sponsors, then there’s a certain liberal theme I have of it that I can hopefully keep the name and the feel, the feel of the Architecture, Social in the kind of spirit it’s done by it.

Having said that I’m not. Autodesk sponsoring the Architecture, Social, or anything like that. I would be more than happy to speak to you, Autodesk. And I would more be more interested to hear from anyone in the marketing world, but that’s where my mind is at. And I think to, to the goal of why I think that if people still find value in it and get jobs from it in their own search or crew recruitment or whatever, then I think it has a value and a place.

And if people can learn, that’s the goal. That’s where I’m at right now, bringing the revenue in that’s the specific answer. Does

Tanisha: anyone know anyone at Autodesk? I think auto Autodesk should jump on this opportunity. yeah,

Stephen Drew: come on. Talk to, I need to go out there and reach out to them as well.

And as you, we know, finding the time to build a web, a company and promote company is it takes, yeah, it’s hard, but we’ll. Second question. You had Reba council. That is a good example of creating the Architecture, Social brought on new opportunities. And through the connections that I made meeting people like yourself from clubhouse.

And like for instance, Jason, and one of the people that put forward for him, there was an opportunity. And maybe in the past, I wouldn’t have gone for him, but actually part two, I don’t plan to get my part. And I thought, you know what, I’ll put my hat in the ring for this position, because it’s very interesting to know, like the people who stay as a part, two kindred spirits or I say Aly, whoever you’re a part, one part, two, whatever, or you move with Architecture.

It’s quite an interesting role there. And to be part of. Reba. And also the other bit, I thought would be good about tackling the position of being the representatives of part two is that you’re at that nice point of getting the part three or doing other stuff in the industry. And I feel like.

I’m at a point of authority where I’ve helped a lot of people transition into Architecture. And as people like OAL, it’s okay not to do Architecture. So I think, Hey I’ll run for the seat, but Reba is very different than what I’m used to. And it’s been a bit of a learning curve. And what I would say is that, and this is that there’s so many different people in Reba that you’re bright.

You really do have to pick your values and where you. Really make a difference because if you try to tackle everything, you just wouldn’t have any time. You better mind to do this as well as your full-time job. So I think where I’m focusing on Reba. So I’m part of the Reba futures group, which is where the students are involved.

And the other bit is that there is a Reba hub that Alan Jones was talking about and that’s like a community forum. So hopefully I can weigh in some of the lessons I learned on the Architecture, Social. To make that a little bit more interesting because it’s a very different beast. Me running my, for to having the Reba body and your different people in the country and different representations, it’s a whole different gig.

So I think I’ll focus on the education. I’ll focus on the hub and the other bank, which I haven’t let go and which I said, I won’t follow. And I am. Is that all the stuff? Unpaid over time. The salaries in, in, in Architecture is something that I was conscious of bringing up. And it’s something that I am following in the Reba council meetings.

The reality is though, it’s something that we constantly need to talk about. It’s not a case of you can flick a switch and it’s done, but at the same time, that’s the goal. So fingers crossed this end of this year. I’ve done something that comes out of it. If not, I’ll tell you why, but you gotta jump into these things and you never know which way they’re gonna go, but I figure you’ll get involved and I’ll be the first to say, when I was a student, I didn’t know what Reba did for me and I, it didn’t have a favorable opinion of that.

Now I’m getting involved a bit, you see the other side of the coin and you see all the hard work. At the same time though, there’s still a lot to go, so yeah, in the pits with it and we just we’ll see where it takes, but how did I do it? Did I answer those two openly as unfairly as possible? Or do you want me yeah, explain.

Tanisha: You’re not a politician yet. So you did answer the question directly. Yeah, I did.

Stephen Drew: I did. I did answer the question, basically. You didn’t, you

Tanisha: didn’t give a politician’s answer, which was great. So it sounds like you have an agenda and all. To you. Yeah. The Reba council is definitely will benefit from you and, your knowledge of how to create a community from scratch, how to engage with the younger generation.

All the content that you’re producing and, putting your own time and sweat into it. Like you said, like we both know. Energy intensive and time consuming, creating common is and creating common. That’s a value is even more energy intensive. I hope they listen to you and take your ideas on board.

wow.

Stephen Drew: That, that’s very sweet. If you say, and you’re right. I always try to answer the question and that was the way to answer. The short answer is make the Architectural social, make a profit and then Reba we’ll have to see because I’m just in it for the wire ride. We just don’t. But I’ll, I’m in there and I’ll let everyone know what’s going on.

Yeah. But enough about me even though I enjoyed that we are gonna round up the show before we do that. You have to stay on the line. Okay. But before we log off together, tell everyone where they can find you and tell everyone where they can find your business.

Tanisha: Amazing. Thank you so much, Stephen for this conversation.

And I know it’s been almost a year in the, in, in the making, but I think it’s better that we. a year later because now that you’ve grown and you have much more to talk about and share as well. And now you’re creating better content for your audience now that who they are and what they want.

So I think it’s worked out as for me yes, you can find a concept culture online at www.conceptculture.co that’s, co it’s not.com or.co UK. Those domains were too. Absolutely.

Stephen Drew: what

Tanisha: a it’s happened so many times, like people will write emails and they’ll put a.com and dot code, or you can say we can’t reach you.

I like, yes, because it’s dot com.

Stephen Drew: Do you know what, Tanisha though, one thing you’re gonna be very jealous because I sent out fluke really got the Architecture Social for 10 pound, whereas a social.com is 2000. Whoa. I got lucky. Okay. You know how hard it is? Hard it’s yeah.

Tanisha: Yeah. So that’s where you can find us.

And we’re on Instagram. We’re on Twitter. We’re on LinkedIn. We’re not as active as we can be most of the time we’re creating content for clients. But do give us a follow every now and then we do post content that’s related to branding and marketing your work be it from a personal.

To practice and even place branding how to tell the story about your project.

Stephen Drew: Amazing. Thank you so much. Tanisha, stay on the line. Okay. Because this podcast is gonna upload, but thank you to everyone in the audience. I’m gonna end this now. And if you wanna get in touch with Tanisha, you know how to do it and see you on the next steps.