How Architecture Firms Approach Social Media
Every successful architecture firm today has a social media presence that speaks to its brand identity and helps promote not only projects but also thought leadership and design thinking. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as regional ones like WeChat and Line, bridge the gap between architects and the general public by affording insights into a firm’s design process, studio culture, and out-of-office activities.
Here, we break down how five firms approach their social media to grow their audience and build their brand:
Lina Ghotmeh Architecture’s Instagram follows a clear 3-post format on projects for a visually consistent grid. Each post is captioned with a pithy statement such as “The Art of Belonging” or “Rooted in Climate”, followed by an under-100-word description of the image, plus photo credits, project credits, and hashtags. The text is descriptive of place, culture, and history – themes that the firm is known to prioritize in their architecture. Their posting frequency is 6-9 per month.
The firm’s LinkedIn, on the other hand, is solely dedicated to timely content such as announcements regarding lectures, hiring, and project openings.
John Pawson’s Instagram is a mood board that reflects the firm’s minimalistic aesthetic and interest in quality craftsmanship through moments-in-time shots of objects and spaces. Their caption-less posts are a mix of interiors, objects, buildings, and landscape – all poetic and distinctly identifiable for their play of light and shadow. Their posting frequency is 9 per month. The firm does not have a presence on LinkedIn.
Snøhetta’s Instagram is a curated mix of projects, team photos, and lecture snippets – content that reinforces the firm’s presence across geographies and disciplines. Their captions are generally 2-3 paragraphs long, sharing information on the project’s history, concept, and collaborations. Their posting frequency is 20 per month.
They post equally frequently on LinkedIn with largely the same content, but with the addition of lecture announcements, construction updates, and press articles.
Mariam Issoufou Architects’ Instagram is both project- and profile-focused – sharing content that speaks to the firm’s localized building approach and interest in “excavating the past”, as well as the founder’s academic thinking. Most of their captions include press quotes or excerpts from Issoufou’s lectures. Their posting frequency is 6-9 per month.
Their LinkedIn is dedicated to timely content – mostly press articles, award jury announcements, and project openings.
Martin Hopp Architects’ Instagram devises a distinct graphic language to package academic and informative content in a visually impactful way, with captions prompting users to visit the website to read the complete article. It follows a clear 12-post series on one topic, such as “Adaptive reuse and renovation” or “Biophilic design”. Their posting frequency is 12 per month.
Their LinkedIn mirrors the same content, along with occasional lecture announcements and conference participation.
How Future-Future Can Help
Future–Future advises on how firms communicate their identity, position themselves to identify new project opportunities, cultivate new markets, and win new work. Our communications and PR efforts work in tandem with the firm's commercial objectives, delivered as part of an integrated service offering. We collaborate with architects to develop comprehensive business strategies that support successful succession planning and long-term practice growth, ensuring continuity while embracing new opportunities.
Our social media recommendations include:
Create a steady post cadence to drive engagement and grow the audience.
Using evergreen content like past projects and thematic posts are essential to posting consistently.
Timely content like award wins, lecture announcements, and project updates should be posted when available.
Maintain a 3-post grid on Instagram for visual clarity, and post 2-3 times per week.
Recycle the IG content into longform articles for LinkedIn and Facebook, and post once a week.
Link all content on social media back to more extensive treatment on the firm’s website (news page, publications page, project page, etc.) to drive SEO.
Whenever possible, credit anyone who contributed to the work on display in a post including the photographer, to bolster engagement and expand reach.
Use all available tools (hashtags, location tags, user tags, collaborations) to reach new audiences.
Where attractive visual content is not readily available, leverage graphic design/color templates. (eg: for announcements, podcast appearances).
Start the captions with a hook—a pithy statement—followed up with a sentence or two that develops the subject. Then, direct visitors to the website where they can learn more.
Develop content and schedule posting in advance using platforms like Sked.
