'Who has that photo of the brick screen?'
A client meeting tomorrow. The project architect wants to show the client a few precedents: a brick screen wall, a zinc-roofed extension, and the kitchen from one of your own completed projects. They know the images exist. One is in an old stage 2 presentation, one is on a colleague's Pinterest board, and the kitchen photos are in the photography folder of a project from four years ago, or maybe on the director's phone.
An hour later they have two of the three, and a message out to colleagues asking about the third. Meanwhile, the practice's own completed work, the best precedent it has, is barely used because nobody can find the photos.
Why images get lost
Images arrive from everywhere: site visits, professional photography, magazine scans, manufacturer brochures, study trips, online boards. They are saved where they were used, usually a project folder, and named by the camera. Folder search only finds file names. Nobody has time to tag images by hand, so the practice's visual memory is effectively unsearchable.
- Images are saved in project folders with camera file names.
- Personal boards and phones hold images the practice cannot see.
- Completed project photography is filed and forgotten.
- Nobody tags images, because it takes too long.
- Image rights and sources are not recorded.
What an unsearchable archive costs
Time spent hunting before every presentation. Weaker client presentations when the right image cannot be found. The practice's own portfolio used less than it should be in bids and on the website. And occasionally, an image used without knowing where it came from or whether it can be reused.
A searchable practice image library
- We collect images from agreed folders: project photography, presentations, site photos and a shared precedent folder staff can save to from their browser or phone.
- Each image is tagged using image recognition for building type, materials, elements such as roofs, stairs and windows, interior or exterior, and setting.
- Project images are linked to the project, so completed work can be found by project name, type or location.
- Your team reviews tags in batches and corrects them, and the practice's own vocabulary, such as your terms for details or finishes, is added.
- The source and usage rights of each image are recorded where known, with images of unknown source marked as internal reference only.
- Anyone can search in plain words, such as 'zinc roof extension' or 'brick screen', and filter by project, material or source.
- Images can be collected into a board and exported straight into a presentation template.
What a search returns
| Search | Returns | Filter by |
|---|---|---|
| Zinc roof extension | Precedents and your own projects | Source, project, rights |
| Brick screen | Site photos and precedents | Material, element |
| Our kitchens | Completed project photography | Project, year |
A practice that can find its own work
Preparing a client presentation starts with a search, not a hunt. The practice's completed projects become easy to show, in meetings, bids and on the website. Staff contribute precedents to a shared library rather than private boards. And image rights are recorded, so you know what can be published and what is for internal reference only.
Is this how images work in your practice?
- Finding a precedent image means asking colleagues.
- Completed project photography is rarely reused.
- Staff keep precedents on personal boards.
- You do not know where many of your images came from.