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The internet has become a high-volume warehouse of brands. But we’re still here for it, and pretty much nobody is going to leave.
While the industry is saturated with picture-perfect project reveals and glossy magazine shots, the opportunity to deliver the most engaging design content comes from authenticity; embracing imperfection, process, and most of all, your personality.
What comes after ‘Material Selection Days’, ‘Site Visit Diaries’, etc?
Read ahead only if you’re the kind who likes to stand out because this one’s for those open and willing to leap ahead. (Let’s face it, even though we love a project reveal, it’s not enough.)
Here are five ideas that will help you build a genuine connection with your audience while showcasing your expertise and approach.
Design Dilemmas: The Unresolved Stories
No designer hasn’t faced any obstacles in execution.
We can call this one an obituary for the projects that didn’t go as planned, and that’s exactly what makes it compelling.
Share the challenge you couldn’t solve, the material that failed you miserably, or the layout that turned out ‘off’ despite expectations. Let people into the mess of design.
The vulnerability shows humility and invites conversations in ways that polished success stories never can.
Document that bathroom where the tile pattern looked perfect in the final_123.dwg, but ended up like visual chaos in reality. Share the open-plan workplace where acoustics became a nightmare that you’re still trying to solve.
The key lies in framing these as learnings and not failures. Ask your audience for their inputs (people love giving opinions anyway), share what you’ve tried, and treat each unresolved challenge as a ‘case study’ that other designers can learn from. This approach positions you as thoughtful and honest while creating opportunities for meaningful professional dialogue.
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Mood vs. Reality
The perfect right swipe.
Create carousel posts that narrate the complete story of the evolution of one of your undertakings.
Slide one: Showcase your original moodboard with all its aspirational beauty.
Slide two: Reveal the actual completed space.
Slide three: Explain what changed and why, budget constraints, structural discoveries, or simply better ideas that came to you during the process.
The gap between inspiration and inspiration is fascinating for every type of audience. They want to understand how that moody, candle-lit cafe pin from Pinterest became a family dining room.
Show how the Japandi moodboard evolved into something even more warm and livable when you understand how the family actually uses their spaces and what their daily routines are.
This content type educates viewers about the design process while managing expectations for your own potential clients. It demonstrates that good designers don’t copy from their clients’ vision boards but translate the concepts into bespoke solutions that work for them in real volumes.
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What the Client Rejected
Of course, you give your clients options, and maybe, just maybe, they end up even overlooking the one you’d choose. Well, let’s give that rejected option some justice.
Transform your unused design concepts into engaging content by showcasing the roads not taken (or the dead ends). Share the design options that never saw the light of day, along with your reasoning for proposing them and even the client’s perspective on why they chose differently.
You can even make it interactive by letting followers vote which option they would have selected, or if you’d enjoy adding a touch of mystery, ask them which concept the client chose before revealing the answer.
This approach shows your creative range without wasting the efforts you put into developing multiple options.
Include that dramatic proposal, which was ‘too much’, the safe option, which felt ‘too boring’, and the creative option, which was ‘almost perfect but still not quite right’. This content demonstrates your ability to generate diverse solutions while respecting client preferences, showing both creativity and professionalism.
Design in Use: One Year Later
Revisit completed projects after they’ve been lived in for at least a year. Capture how the space has aged, evolved, and been adapted by the users. Document the unexpected, the furniture rearrangements clients have made, and the ways in which real life has shaped your design.
Interview the occupants about what’s working better than expected and what they’d change. Show how that pristine white kitchen now holds an aging patina of daily cooking, or how the flexible living space has been reconfigured for remote work.
This follow-up type of content demonstrates your commitment to long-term success rather than just initial impact or gratification. It also provides valuable feedback that can inform your future design decisions while showing potential clients that you care about lasting satisfaction.
Client Prompts Turned Designs
“I want this room to feel like a hug.”
Begin your post with the evocative line from your client consultation. Then document your translation process, showing how abstract emotions become concrete design decisions.
Breakdown how ‘feels like a hug’ influenced your choice of curved furniture, made you layer cushions, and add intimate lighting schemes.
This content type demonstrates your ability to listen deeply to clients while showcasing the thinking required to translate feelings into physical spaces. It also helps potential clients understand how to communicate their own needs more effectively.
Also Read – Unseen, Unheard, Uncredited: A Woman Architect’s Journey Through the Gaps in Architectural History
Making These Ideas Work for Your Practice
The power of such unconventional content lies in authenticity. Choose approaches that align with your personality and design philosophy, then develop them consistently. Your audience will begin to understand your unique perspective, setting you apart in a crowded field of exceptional but similar and templated content.
In a world oversaturated with flawless final reveals, the designers who dare to show their messy, honest, and deeply human process will be the ones who build lasting relationships and thriving practices.