Arts versus commerce in the designer landscape

Can Landscape Designers get by on a raw talent for design and horticulture? Or do they need business acumen as well? - asks garden designer,Elspeth Briscoe.

Having made a brave career change from being in senior management at eBay and Skype, to becoming a landscape designer (now 18 months ago ) - I thought it would be useful to share some of experiences and most significant things I’ve learnt in a series of postings.

When I first started studying for my post grad diploma at Oxford College of Garden Design, I really thought I was entering another world of creativity and practicality; it seemed relatively alien to me coming from an office based, internet background.

However, having come out the other side of my studies, where there are some dauntingly talented designers being born out of Oxford’s post grad course (Alice Bowe & Charlotte Rowe to name a couple) it's becoming apparent that it's only those who can harness both artistic talent AND business acumen who win the contracts and go on to great things.

The bottom line is that it’s not easy becoming a top landscape designer, whatever your background. Those students from business backgrounds have had a steep learning curve on the design and horticulture side. Whereas those from a practical horticultural or pure arts background have had an equally steep learning curve on honing their business skills.

I was lucky enough to have a little amount of both sides having also done a pre-foundation at St Martin’s art college – but quickly realised that there is just nothing like real practical experience - and the mountain to climb for me has been the practical side, and detailed horticultural knowledge.

What's interesting is that the instinctive, raw talented designers, most often come from arts backgrounds. I’m still not sure whether an artistic eye for design is something you can learn or teach. Arguably it's harder to teach artistic flair, than it is business skills. So you are off to a good footing if you have the arts skills as a basis.

But it is common, amongst those with pure arts or horticultural backgrounds to have not experienced having to sell, or do business development - especially for their own businesses. To go even further, it is often counter-intuitive to an 'artist' or designer to have to sell themselves.

It’s also not entrenched in the British culture to talk about your own talents and successes; we are as a national more bashful, cynical and self effacing than some of our international cousins in landscape design – which doesn’t help us when selling.

As design graduates emerging in a tough economic climate, therefore we’re finding that setting up businesses and the skills that go with it - are as challenging and important as our excellence in design skills.

As we interact with clients, it’s became obvious to us (even those with business backgrounds) that closing a sale is fundamental to success. It’s just no good being a top designer, without business acumen to go with it.

As a result of this essential balance between raw design skills and business acumen - that with input and feedback from the students - the college has begun producing some interactive learning videos to help fledgling designers hone their sales skills on their paths to stardom.

It struck us that although at the beginning the learnings in these videos may seem like ‘no brainers’, even with a pretty solid business background I have found these invaluable when pitching to clients.

Especially hearing anecdotes from the big designers like John Brookes, the importance of web sites as marketing, and how to set your budgets – is a grounding reminder.

I think the some of the most significant things I’ve learnt are that artistic flair needs to be balanced with a keen business head, and practical experience must go hand in hand with theory. We need all of it.

As Leonardo Da Vinci said: “He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.”

Elspeth Briscoe (BA Hons, PGDIP (dist) Landscape Design).

Elspeth will be lecturing at Oxford College of Garden Design on December 3rd on ‘Building Your Web Presence’.

This is usually an exclusive masterclass open to post grad diploma students only, but there are a few places left on a first come first served basis. If you are interested please contact info@elspethbriscoe.co.uk.

For more on Oxford College of Garden Design you can follow its the blog.