If you’re looking to hire a landscape designer in Reno, there are certain skills, traits, and characteristics that you should expect to find in anyone who works in this field. Reno landscaping companies that offer services such as lawn maintenance often employ a landscape designer, sometimes referred to as a landscape architect. In either case, these licensed and frequently degreed individuals create eye-catching yet functional outdoor landscapes for homeowners and businesses. When seeking out a lawn maintenance company in Reno, you should consider those who have a landscape designer on their staff and look for some of these qualities in such individuals.
Great Communicator
A great designer is first and foremost adept at the science and art of verbal communication and can articulate ideas with the best of communicators. Likewise, a good designer must be able to read your reactions and adjust to your needs and desires, while always being concise and engaging in expressing their ideas. Having so-called thick skin is a prerequisite, given that you may not always like their ideas and at times may be very critical of them. Yet a great designer knows when to bite their tongue and when to persuade you to change your mind. However important it is to speak well, though, it’s just as important that they are good listeners and are able to give you full attention when you are trying to convey your thoughts and ideas. Additionally, good communication also entails the ability to effectively convey ideas in writing since, in the end, you will expect to have everything laid out in a contract.
Knows Limitations
Any good designer, or for that matter anyone skilled in their field, is well aware of their own personal limitations. The field of landscape design covers a wide range of knowledge and if your designer puts on the pretense that they know everything, you should probably seek another designer. The best landscape designers know their limitations and are comfortable in assessing their strengths and recognizing their weaknesses. In doing so, you will find that are never hesitant to defer to others for advice and support in areas that don’t play to their strengths. Remember that a landscape designer is both artist and engineer and is constantly reconciling the creative demands of the artist against the pragmatic demands of the engineer. This balancing act demands good judgment and decision making, especially when it comes to considering the costs versus the benefits of their actions and recommendations.
Critical Thinker
You will find that all landscape designers are passionate about plants and have an extensive knowledge of the hard materials used to create a beautiful garden, as well as the complex relationship that there is between the two. This requires an innate ability—critical thinking—to figure out ways to satisfy your demands while solving the problems of integrating your soft scape (plants and trees) to your hardscape (brick and mortar). This is why a great landscape designer is also a great problem solver, all the while being an excellent problem finder or someone who can recognize where there is opportunity and potential in a design despite all the obstacles. They will not only be able to identify your problems but also provide options to overcome them and implement the right solutions for your landscape by using sound logic and reasoning in identifying strengths and weaknesses of those solutions.