As my career goal is to become a registered architect, I’ve been working on developing my design style. The trend in architectural renderings has been towards realism, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a good trend. The primary goal should be clear communication through visual means; we want to help clients envision what the finished design will look like, and realism (to the extent that you can’t tell whether or not it’s a photo or rendering) doesn’t always do that. In fact, there are many examples of clients being dissatisfied because the end building product did not look like what was portrayed in the rendering. I think traditional methods, such as water-color renderings and hand-sketches, can sometimes be a better method, and communicate design intent to clients without selling an end result that may not happen.
I don’t think that I’m anywhere near finished with developing my style. I see it as a fluid process that continues to evolve. I see computer programs as another artist’s tool. I think architecture could change lives if architects were to become more accessible to everyone. That seems like a topic for another post.