The Cycle that Builds A Project Board You Love!
- Feb 12
- 3 min read
By: Mardi Dover, CPLD
How to harness the momentum that comes from client clarity.
Do you believe that landing your favorite type of project is mostly an accident? Your job board is no accident but the result of choices you’ve made about what projects you highlight and how you describe your work. Here's a little glimpse into a detail from a favorite project and how it relates to my own marketing strategy.
My ideal clients
My ideal clients (which will be different than your ideal clients) are looking for landscape designers to help them navigate the full design process from conception, to installation, to the final details like furniture, art, ornament and containers. In my marketing (and, by the way, EVERYTHING you do is marketing), I deliberately speak directly to people who value a thoughtful design process, craftsmanship, and art. This helps me attract the type of projects I love, and here is an example of how this plays out in my design practice...
Craggy Park Townhouse Project: The Custom Railing
This small courtyard project is a good example of how I am clear about who my work is for and how that sets the stage for enjoyable and profitable projects and opportunities for successfully expanding my marketing reach. This project included many lovely details: commissioned artwork, museum quality outdoor ceramic pieces, a mosaic embedded in the stonework, and this custom wrought iron hand railing.
From the very beginning, this client saw the railing not as a safety requirement but as an opportunity for storytelling. Together, we explored how this garden element could express her roots and sense of belonging and place, and how it would visually "grow" from the steps. We collaborated closely with Linda Metcalf, a talented local metal artist. Linda listened, sketched, refined, and paid close attention to details like how the hand would move along the rail in daily use.
The result was a beautiful, functional railing that elevates the everyday experience of this patio. This kind of layered, meaningful work only happens for me because I market to potential clients who care about details like this.
How this impacts my marketing and current project board
After this project was complete, the story did not end with the installation. I use projects like this, along with the sketches and photographs, to help future clients understand what is possible when design, craftsmanship, and collaboration come together.
Sharing images and stories from projects like Craggy Gardens, allow potential clients to see the depth of thinking behind the work, the relationships with artisans, and the care taken at every stage of the process.
Rather than selling a finished look, I am sharing a way of working. For the right clients, those who are drawn to meaningful details and value trusted partnerships, this kind of storytelling becomes an invitation to create something equally personal in their own landscape.
🌿 Your ideal client should be the filter for EVERY marketing choice.
Every marketing decision you make should be shaped by your ideal client.
What you post.
What you don’t post.
The projects you showcase.
What stories you tell.
The language you use.
Even the platforms you show up on.
This is important: if your ideal client isn’t clearly defined, your marketing starts doing too much work and tries to attract everyone, which ends up resonating with very few.
Because effective marketing is not about volume. It's about alignment. And it works best when it mirrors the way you actually want to work.
Want my proven template for Social Media Content designed just for landscape designers? https://www.mardidover.com/content-calendar
Looking to nail down your ideal landscape design client?
More of the Story Behind the Craggy Garden Project
A further glimpse into this Craggy Park Townhouse project detail: the design board and final shop drawings. And click here for more information about this project: https://www.gardensbymardi.com/craggy-park-garden
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