Gilad Ritz and Jean-Paul Ghougassian are the directors of Ritz & Ghougassian, a 6-person architecture and interiors studio from Melbourne, best-known for their restrained and considered approach to hospitality, retail, and residential spaces.

In this episode, Jean-Paul, Gilad and I discussed:

• How the studio deals with the marketing challenges of working on a limited number of projects each year with long gaps between finished work.
• How the studio has found that a traditional approach to business development involving email outreach, networking, referral and repeat business has been more beneficial than social media when it comes to attracting quality clients.
• Why experience has taught the studio that it’s best to throw caution to the wind when deciding on how much to spend on capturing work through photography, film and renders.
• How the studio has identified interior design expertise as a key point of difference that helps them to stand out from other small architectural practices in the eyes of potential clients.
• How the studio used a quality over quantity mentality to carefully plan how they would invest their marketing budget in the early days of their studio rather than spreading it too thin trying to do too much at once.

If you’d like to learn more about Ritz & Ghougassian, you can visit ritzghougassian.com. You can also follow the studio on Instagram @ritzghougassian. 

Office Talk is hosted by Dave Sharp, M.Arch—an architectural marketing expert and the director of Office D.SHARP, a practice providing specialised consultancy, marketing and PR services tailored to meet the particular needs of architects. Working as a sole practitioner, Dave employs a collaborative, conversational approach to his work, fostering long-standing relationships that yield tangible results for clients.

Visit officedavesharp.com to learn more.

This episode was supported by ArchiPro. ArchiPro showcases the best and latest in the architecture and building industry, and connects people with trusted trade professionals and products to suit their needs. Visit ArchiPro.com.au to learn more.