In architecture school, you’re unofficially told that to do well, you have to do everything. And not just do it but to do it perfectly, dramatically, and all at once. Like you’re in some design Olympics no one signed up for.
You know the feeling.
You’re expected to develop a flawless concept, draw an innovative floor plan, detail a complex structure, and wrap it all in a show-stopping render, all before the jury date. It is no wonder most design semesters feel like a blur. Or worse, a burnout.
But I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to go through hell to prove you’re an architect.
Over time, I started working differently. I began structuring my semesters around focusI stopped trying to impress everyone. I stopped trying to “do it all.” Instead, I started working with focus.
One star element per review. That’s it. I did the basics for the rest, kept it clean, and stopped running myself into the ground. That small shift gave me more clarity than any productivity trick ever did.
If you’re tired of feeling like you’re chasing a hundred things and still falling short, this is for you.
When you chase everything, you are sure of nothing.
Every review does not need your entire project to be perfect. That is not how real design works, and it is certainly not how learning works.
Instead, each review can be an opportunity to grow one part of your project deeply, while allowing the rest to simply function.
You want to show site strategy? Do that.
You want to test materiality? Do that.
Want to show off a god-level section? Cool. Do that.
In between, the rest of your drawings exist to support that idea. They do not need to compete with it.
This approach helped me stay rooted. It gave me something to hold on to in each phase of the semester, so I never felt like the weeks were wasted, even when things were slow or uncertain.
Have only one Hero Element Per Sheet. Rest are there for moral support.
Every sheet you pin up tells a story even before you speak. Stop throwing up every drawing you’ve ever made on a single sheet.
So I started placing one hero element on each sheet. A diagram, a render, or a sketch. Something that could carry the weight of the sheet’s intent. Everything else was quiet support. This took the pressure off making everything look stunning and instead let one visual breathe and shine.
These sheets became not just deliverables but conversation tools. I had something to point to, to start with, and to explain from. The conversation flowed more naturally when I was not busy explaining every tiny detail all at once.
Do Reverse Engineering. Pitch first, Presentation next.
Do not blindly follow your requirements.
Try reverse engineering to find what is required.
Write your speech first, then decide what comes where on your sheet accordingly. Don’t be that student who makes sheets and then decides what they’re going to say.
Let’s say you’re designing a coffee shop.
Start with: why is this coffee shop special? What’s the vibe, the USP?
Then: bring people into that space with a plan, a section, maybe a sketch of the experience.
Finally: zoom in and show a hero detail that pushes your concept to the edge.
Your sheet might look like:
- A render that tells you this is a coffee shop
- Concepts that explain why it’s different
- Plans that show how it plays out
- One detailed zoom-in to show how far you stretched the idea
When you build this way, you know what is essential and what can be done at the last minute.
If the juror were your bestie, what would you show off first?
There is a strange pressure in design school to impress jurors.
Jurors are not gods. They are people. And they are there to see how you think. They want to know what you have explored and what you are still figuring out. The best reviews I had were the ones where I spoke with the same energy I would use to explain a new trick in a game to a friend. I was excited, thoughtful, and honest.
Not everything needs to be resolved. But what matters is that you are intentional, and that the work invites conversation.
(Side note: I’m working on a template to help summarise any project in a way that’s clear and interesting. Will share soon.)
Why Your Jury’s Squinting (And How to Fix It)
There are a thousand sheet layout templates out there. But some of the most important things are not in any of them like text size.
Here’s what I learned the hard way:
- Headings: 36 to 40 pt
- Body text: never below 12 to 14 pt
- Not-so-important text like figure descriptions: at least 10 pt
No matter what you’re labelling or dimensioning, you better stick to this size guide. In reviews, you do not want anyone squinting. If your work is good, let it be seen clearly and comfortably.
Final Thought
If there is one thing I want you to take from this, it is this.
You don’t have to do everything. You just have to do the right thing at the right time.
Pick one thing.
Do it beautifully.
Let everything else orbit around it.
Written by Jayashree
An Architecture graduate and Founder at Gravity Designs Co., where I help architecture and construction firms build brands that speak clearly, look sharp, and know exactly who they are.Outside of Gravity, I create tools, systems, and templates for architecture students who are ready to work smarter and not just harder.
