Sarah Susanka’s Branding Lesson: Give Homeowners a Better Brief

Sarah Susanka’s Branding Lesson: Give Homeowners a Better Brief

A homeowner says they need more space. An architect hears a possible addition. A remodeler starts thinking about walls, permits, and the budget.

But what does 'more space' mean in this house?

Somewhere quiet to work? A kitchen where two people can cook without performing a small traffic negotiation? A place for an aging parent to stay?

The answer changes the project. It can also change how a professional becomes known.

Architect Sarah Susanka’s Not So Big approach offers a useful lesson for residential architects, interior designers, and remodelers: build your reputation around a question that helps clients make a better decision before they buy.

A design philosophy earns its place in your brand when a homeowner can use it to explain what they want.

What Susanka makes easier to understand

Susanka’s official house-plan site connects her Not So Big principles to specific designs. It describes an audience seeking architectural quality without commissioning a fully custom home and includes both her own plans and a collection she curates from other architects.

The useful branding move is the connection between an idea and an available way to act on it. A visitor can explore what the philosophy means in a home, rather than being left with an attractive slogan.

For this article, we reviewed three public pages on November 5, 2026: that overview, the original house-plan listing, and Susanka’s essay explaining architecturally designed plans. This is a small qualitative review of public positioning, not a study of her sales or client acquisition.

One detail is particularly instructive. The Original Not So Big House listing totals 2,440 square feet of conditioned space: 700 on the lower floor, 940 on the main floor, and 800 upstairs. Its stated total excludes garages, porches, bonus rooms, and decks.

So 'Not So Big' should not be read as a tiny-house size category. The listing emphasizes everyday-use spaces and describes a screened porch planned for possible conversion into a main-level bedroom.

Our observation: the memorable phrase gives clients a lens, while the actual design explains its meaning and limits. That is more useful than leaving every buyer to interpret 'thoughtful design' alone.

Give your clients a question they can answer

Your firm probably has a design philosophy already. It may appear in project meetings more clearly than it does on your website.

Listen for the question you keep asking when a client’s initial request would send the project in the wrong direction.

For a residential architect, it might be:

• Which room feels crowded, and at what time of day?

• Who needs privacy, and who needs to remain connected?

• What would make this home work for the next stage of your life?

For a remodeler, the question could concern the disruption the household can tolerate or whether changing a layout will solve the problem better than replacing finishes.

For an interior designer, it might involve the possessions the client actually uses, the way guests move through a room, or the lighting needed for a specific activity.

These questions provide raw material for positioning. They reveal where your judgment helps.

If your current description still tries to cover every project you could possibly accept, What Should You Be Known For? How to Choose Your Personal Brand Positioning can help you choose a clear starting point.

You do not need a clever trademark on Monday morning. You need a useful question that sounds like your actual practice.

Turn one project into a better starting brief

Choose one completed project you have permission to discuss. Find the gap between the client’s first request and the need the team eventually identified.

Keep it small. One decision is enough.

Here is a hypothetical example, not a Susanka project or a reported client result.

A family asks a residential architect for a larger kitchen. During the initial conversation, the architect learns that the daily problem occurs between breakfast and school departure. Bags, lunch preparation, and two adults’ work routines converge in the same narrow area.

The architect investigates circulation, storage, and adjacent space before recommending an addition. The eventual design might still need more floor area. The important point is that the investigation comes first.

A useful public explanation would identify the original request, the routine behind it, the options considered, and the trade-off in the selected approach.

It would not claim that everyone can avoid an addition or that a smaller project always costs less. Those are promises the example cannot support.

The resulting brief could begin:

'Before our first meeting, describe the most frustrating 20 minutes in your home. Tell us who is there, what each person is trying to do, and where the activity breaks down.'

That gives a potential client something practical to do. It also shows what the professional pays attention to.

For a fuller project story, use How to Turn Client Results Into a Personal Brand Case Study. Keep the difference between an observed result and your interpretation clear.

Make the limits part of your expertise

A useful philosophy can become a bad sales pitch when it gets stretched into a universal answer.

Susanka’s essay on architecturally designed plans warns that even modest floor-plan changes can affect other aspects of a design. It also advises selecting the site before choosing the plan.

That boundary matters. A memorable approach does not remove the need for site-specific professional judgment.

Your version should name what has to be checked before you can recommend anything: existing conditions, local requirements, budget, accessibility needs, household priorities, or specialist input.

A homeowner can understand 'We start by examining daily routines' without being promised 'We can make every house work without an addition.'

Be equally careful with project materials. Floor plans can reveal private spaces, access points, and security-sensitive details. Permission to photograph a finished room does not automatically cover publishing the full plan, the client’s name, or their family circumstances.

Use approved material, credit collaborators, and remove details that should remain private. How to Build a Personal Brand When Your Work Is Confidential offers a practical way to separate useful expertise from information entrusted to you.

Save this: The YPBP Better Brief Card

Use this short card to turn a design principle into a client-facing resource.

Client: Who faces this particular problem?

First request: What do they usually ask you to build, change, or select?

Better question: What do you need to understand before recommending that solution?

Evidence: Which approved project, drawing, or documented observation makes your reasoning concrete?

Trade-off: What did the chosen approach require, limit, or leave unresolved?

Next step: What should the client bring to the first conversation?

A hypothetical completed card for a residential architect might say:

'For households considering an addition, start with the daily activity that no longer fits. Bring a simple sketch and a description of when the difficulty occurs. We will use that to frame the initial conversation, then establish what further investigation is needed before comparing options.'

The card is a communication aid, not a substitute for professional assessment. Its job is to improve the starting conversation.

Put the idea somewhere clients will actually use it

Start with one place: the inquiry page, the email that confirms an initial consultation, or a short guide linked beside a relevant project.

Give it a plain title such as 'What to Bring Before We Discuss an Addition.' Include the useful question, one approved example, and the limits of the initial conversation.

You can later connect it to a talk, a longer guide, or other resources. 9 Examples That Build Authority Beyond Social Media explores formats that can give expertise a lasting home.

Susanka’s site also connects her designs to her book series. If you eventually have enough tested material for a book, Isla Lake is a resource for developing a nonfiction publishing project. That is a later possibility, not a requirement for making your next client conversation better.

For now, test your brief with a colleague who was not on the project. Can they identify who it helps, what the client should bring, and what remains undecided? If not, revise those parts before adding more material.

The first useful result is modest: a clearer inquiry and a better-informed conversation. Track whether those improve. Do not treat a few appreciative comments as proof that the idea produces more business.

FAQ

Do I need a named philosophy like Not So Big?

No. Begin with a principle you already apply and can explain through real work. A name may become useful later. A catchy phrase without a practical consequence adds very little.

Will focusing on one question limit the projects I attract?

It can make your emphasis more specific. Choose a question that supports the work you want, and state your broader scope accurately. You can feature one useful entry point without pretending it describes every service.

What if I cannot share a client project?

Use a clearly labeled hypothetical example or your own demonstration drawing. Do not copy protected plans or disguise a real client’s identifiable situation as fiction. Get appropriate permission before using project materials.

What should I do first?

Pick one approved project and write down the original request, the better question, and the remaining trade-off. Turn those notes into a short preparation guide for the kind of client you want to help next.

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