Whether homeowners, startup entrepreneurs, or corporate investors, most are not architects. That is not to say that they care less about design; it is to say that they perceive and comprehend spaces differently. As architects, our job is not simply to create meaningful designs, but to successfully explain design to clients and help them connect with those designs.

Here’s how to better your architecture communication and make your design story resonate with non-architects.

1. Begin with the Problem, Not the Plan

Before discussing floor plans and elevations, ground the discussion in the way of your design.

Ask yourself: What problem does this design address?

Perhaps it’s fixing the flow of a small family house or designing a feeling of openness and serenity for a hectic startup office. Talk about those needs initially.

Example

“You said the kitchen seemed to be disconnected from the rest of the house. We opened up that wall in this design to make it more connected to the dining and living spaces. Now, it happens to be in the heart of the home.”

When customers realise that your design is a direct reflection of their concerns, they become engaged in the process, even if they don’t understand the architectural technicalities.

2. Use architectural storytelling: Tell a Story, Not Pitch a Product

Human beings don’t connect with blueprints; they connect with stories.

Set your design as a narrative: What is the path of someone walking through the space? How do light, material, and form respond at various times of day? In what way does the space accommodate how they wish to live, work, or feel?

Example:

“Picture yourself getting up and stepping onto this terrace, where you’ll get morning sun and garden views. That’s why we placed the bedroom here and employed full-height glass doors.”

By taking them on an experience, you cause them to envision themselves in the design—and that is powerful.

3. Shed the Jargon

Using phrases such as “we’ve massed to the north to engage the public edge” might be clever—but it too often results in bewildered looks.

Instead:

• Substitute jargon with simple words.
• Or, if you absolutely have to use a word, define it using an example or analogy.

Jargon-free example:

“We’ve put the busier front facing the street, with the quieter areas such as bedrooms set behind that.”

Think of yourself as someone translating design concepts to suit the language of everyday experience.

4. Use Visuals That Speak Their Language

Your clients may not interpret technical drawings the way you do. Use visuals and design explanation methods that are easier to understand:

• 3D renders to show form and atmosphere
• Physical or digital models to communicate mass and scale
• Before-and-after diagrams to highlight the transformation
• Mood boards to express materiality and feeling

Also, explain how to read a drawing.

“This is a floor plan—it’s like a bird’s-eye view of your space as if we’re looking down from above and slicing through the walls at about window height.”

Even better: include furniture in drawings. A rectangle on paper means nothing, but a couch, a dining table, or a bed makes the scale relatable.

5. Be Open to “Uninformed” Questions

Non-architect clients will pose questions that feel naive, irrelevant, or even infuriating. Don’t dismiss them. Instead, listen to them as a clue into what your client values.

A request such as “Can I have a skylight in the bathroom?” might be showing a wish for privacy and daylight. Your task is to take that wish and turn it into a possible design solution—even if the response is not a yes or no.

Be patient, and rephrase your answer positively:

“That’s a good idea—we enjoy utilising natural light in private areas. A skylight may work, or we can try clerestory windows to get a similar effect without having to change the roof structure much.”

6. Present Choices as Benefits, Not Features

You may be thrilled about cross-ventilation, modular joinery, or rainwater harvesting. But to a client, these are features. What they are interested in is the benefits.

Instead of:

“Such an arrangement promotes cross-ventilation.”

Try:

“With this arrangement, you’ll have natural breezes all day long—so you won’t have to keep the fan running.”

Connecting each design choice to something concrete in their life: greater comfort, increased light, simpler upkeep, or cost savings over time, improves design clarity for clients.

7. Make It Clear What’s Flexible (and What’s Not)

Clients will usually think that all of this is negotiable in the design. Some things can be, but some things cannot (such as structural walls, setbacks, or code requirements). Be upfront about this right away.

Rather than a hard “no,” provide context:

“We wish we could have a balcony here, but you need a 1.5-meter setback from the line. But we can add a little onto the indoor space or do a bay window to get some more light.”

Provide alternatives, not merely explanations.

8. Develop Milestone Conversations

Don’t wait until the design is “finished” to take your client through it. Engage them in the process through milestone reviews:

• Concept stage: large ideas, schematic roughness, mood direction
• Schematic stage: preliminary plans, massing, orientation
• Design development: detail refinement, material concepts
• Final design: ready for documentation

Each phase must be a two-way conversation, not a monologue.

This keeps clients up to speed, minimises last-minute surprises, and makes them feel like a partner, not a spectator.

9. Adopt Technology Wisely

Augmented reality tours, 3D panoramas, interactive PDFs—these can be wonderful tools. However, avoid overwhelming your customer with flashy presentations. Employ technology where it clarifies, not where it confuses.

Try your graphics on a non-designer friend before showing them to your client. If they “get it,” your client likely will as well.

Final Thoughts

Breaking down your design to a non-architect is not about dumbing down your vision—it’s making it translatable. When your clients get the thought, intention, and feeling behind your decisions, they’ll feel more confident in you and appreciate the process, while you will also get a chance to improve your architectural client relations.

So, communicate in their language, tell anecdotes, be honest, and most importantly, treat communication as part of your design process, not an afterthought.