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vado retro

the financial worth of an idea is zero. it is only when an idea is made into something that is becomes valuable. for example, that great idea you had about zombies, vampires or wizards is just that, an idea. until one acts on the idea in the form of a novel, screenplay, architectural design ie something that can be copyrighted you have nothing. this is another worthless nyt article that my girlfriend is sure to send me.

Jul 30, 13 2:56 pm  · 
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Architects charge for ideas: it's the phase called Schematic Design.  If we're lucky we can also get paid for the earlier phase, Programming.

If accountants can help build a culture of people who understand that customized creative solutions  - as opposed to one-size-fits-all solutions - are valuable, that can only *help* our profession.  Go forth, Young Accountants!

Jul 30, 13 3:11 pm  · 
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There just seems to be a real disconnect between the value of productive/transformative/intelligent ideas in our discipline and the way that we charge for them. That's why I think this article is provocative. It highlights the notion that sometimes an idea is worth far more than the "billable rate" of churning out another set of assumptions involved in typical project scheduling. It also makes me wonder if we would consider different ideas if weren't working by the hour. Vado, sorry to hear that your gf forces you to read The Times. 

Jul 30, 13 3:28 pm  · 
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vado retro

 you don't have to bill by the hour. you could arrange a lump sum contract with your client you just need to have a thorough understanding of your costs and what you need to make the architectural dirty word called profit. also, the people who have or think they have ideas are the clients. no one comes to a designer tabula rasa. they are loaded down with their magazines and books and pinterest boards of all the shit they've accumulated. and since they have their own ideas they aren't that crazy about paying you that much for theirs. really you're less of a designer and more a  closet organizer  who's purpose is  to convince the client to throw 90 percent of their bad ideas into the designer trash can of choice. 

the real issue with billable hours is the constant pressure on all businesses that bill hourly charge less to get the job in the first place. whether it be architects, lawyers or accountants. the demand by clients is to do more and charge less. and in fields like architecture, where in some areas one can't swing a dead cat without hitting a turtlenecked design professional, the challenge is greater because fees were too low to begin with.

vr- waging creative class warfare since 1998.

Jul 30, 13 5:30 pm  · 
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gruen
I would love to convince my clients to pay me more for less.
Jul 30, 13 7:36 pm  · 
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My fee for posting an idea to this thread is $2,500.

A good idea will cost $5,000.

Jul 30, 13 8:39 pm  · 
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gwharton

LOL at any architect who bills hourly in this day and age.

Jul 31, 13 12:25 pm  · 
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