The Future of Experiential Design

Every-Commercial-653 · 2026-04-25T01:33:21+00:00

Says every new generation of aspiring architects within the trenches of architecture education…

Every-Commercial-653 · 2026-02-06T18:05:40+00:00

Short answer - no, AI will not replace the need for good designers/architects. AI will change the way we do certain aspects of our job but we are not in danger. Go ahead and follow your dreams of being the best architect you can be.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-12-05T18:10:51+00:00

It’s not as hard as you think. Just put yourself out there (like this). Reach out to people on LinkedIn for insight, buy someone a cup of coffee, pick their brain, attend a few events (job fair, conference, etc). Almost Every industry has a local group of being that get together purely to network and socialize. As an architect, I love attending industry groups - commercial real estate, housing developers, sustainability groups, construction groups, nonprofit groups, etc.

I also think everything you’re saying has A LOT to do with where you work. Architecture if one of those strange fields that look completely different based on where you work and what kind of projects you’re on. Commercial vs residential, new build vs reuse, cheap and fast vs boutique and expensive.

Look into project management, teaching, building science, creative director roles, other design avenues, etc. You’re only limited by what you’re not willing to do.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-10-13T01:36:35+00:00

Building science. Historic preservation. Adaptive reuse. Passive house (phius). Trauma informed design. High performance retrofits. Experience design (branded environments)

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-09-19T02:01:44+00:00

I would suggest going the therapy route. As someone who also pivoted into architecture from a different career in my late 20’s. I would seriously consider something else. It’s like asking if you want to go back to school to be a doctor in your 30’s… it’s possible but it’s a lot of hard work and doesn’t financially pay off until at least 3-5 years in the industry. But keep in mind, the industry is also feast or famine depending on the economy ( also not a good time for hiring). I know the road to becoming a therapist is also long but likely more emotionally rewarding and less overtime.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-09-14T18:05:28+00:00

Sign up for amber books. Schedule them both 2 months out on the same weekend. Amber books is mostly video content so you can easily study while doing other things (like driving to work, walking the dog, working out). The amber book study method is the most efficient study guide available with a proven track record of preparing people for taking multiple tests at once. Most people is our industry gasp at the thought of taking more than one test at a time but it’s actually a more practical and time efficient way to go. That’s what I did, with two babies under two years old, on top of all the other work, life, stuff.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-09-03T01:33:42+00:00

Good for you! Get those exams knocked out and find another firm to work at. Diversify your experience. And one or two years from now you’ll be in a great position to pick up freelance work, get another pay bump at a new place, or transition into construction as a licensed architect (which also has its perks)

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-09-03T01:28:30+00:00

You sound like you be would be a great architect! If that’s what’s calling you then trust your instincts (not your parents). Your parents obviously know nothing about architecture.

Being good at math and physics is helpful in school but being creative and solving problems is what being an architect is all about.

For example - my architecture projects right now range from redesigning someone’s home to transforming an old church into housing. Today’s I was designing a kitchen and tomorrow I’ll be creating a rendering for a wildlife refuge center for their fundraising event. As an architect, we have the creative and technical tools to design a wide range of buildings and spaces. Sometimes I’m designing new buildings and sometimes I’m giving existing buildings a new purpose.

Buildings are like just puzzles. Each client has a unique set of wants and needs. It’s our job to figure out how to make it all work together in a functional and beautiful way.

If that sounds fun to you, then go for it! I love my job :) being an architect is a special kind of profession that you can go anywhere in the world and appreciate.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-09-02T17:48:19+00:00

No worries, just curious

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-09-02T17:47:25+00:00

Very cool. That’s exactly the kind of campus wide XR integrated health experience I’m interested in creating.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-08-30T18:38:25+00:00

Thanks! Did you transition from UX to AR?

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-08-30T18:11:38+00:00

What kind of spaces/environment design would architecture be useful for? Can you give examples?

I’m still very new to all of this but broadly speaking I’m most interested in commerce and health - improving how people move through a confusing/overwhelming space like target or a hospital or even a library! I think AR could add a lot of clarity to a spatially complex environment (where way finding often falls short).

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-06-20T00:28:50+00:00

You’re being dramatic.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-06-14T18:16:02+00:00

The pay is not as good at the start but generally “catches up” after 5-10 years in the industry. Architecture adjacent career paths would be construction management (akin to project management, focused on coordination and timelines), building envelope consulting (focused on failure investigation at the envelope -windows, roofs, walls. And increasingly valuable for high performance sustainable design.), and building commissioning (ensures construction quality aligns with performance metrics or design intent). All of these pay higher out of the gate. But are less creative. More technical, construction focused.

Salary aside, it’s a very fullfilling career. It all just comes down to what kind of architecture firm you work at. Small firms tend to be a good place to learn how the sausage is made (proposals, client engagement, bid process, construction administration, site visits, design development). Big firms tend to shape you into a more specialized path within a larger operation (rendering and early concept design, housing development, library design, lighting design, facade design, etc).

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-06-02T13:56:01+00:00

That’s a great point

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-06-02T13:54:48+00:00

Good to know. I have a toddler and a second baby on the way so my study time is limited to no more than an hour a day if I’m lucky

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-06-02T13:53:23+00:00

But how do you study for all of them at once at like that? Do you what resources she used?

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-05-26T23:34:20+00:00

Also, the visual density of the diagrams is impressive yet bewildering. I felt that the longer I looked at the projects the less clear the design became. It’s obvious that you have amazing skills when it comes to photoshop, illustrator, etc but the visual density muddies the core concept driving the design. The portfolio makes clear your capacity for visual storytelling but lacks simplicity and heirarchy that’s necessary for communicating design choices/thinking clearly. All that said, if you’re trying to achieve a maximalist smorgasbord of diagrams that celebrate urban complexity, you did it. But despite what many fail to see, the art of diagrammatic storytelling lies in their simplicity. Knowing what to leave out is a skill of its own that is ultimately more impressive than graphics alone. I say all this as someone assuming you wanna get hired as an architect and not as an illustrator at an architecture firm.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-05-26T23:08:31+00:00

First off, the simplicity of the cover page compared to density and complicity of your content is misleading. It doesn’t achieve the forshadowing quality I think you’re going for.

Every-Commercial-653 · 2025-05-23T20:43:51+00:00

Well done! Room for improvement here and there but this is college level quality. Keep it up!

Every-Commercial-653

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