Architectural Presentation Course | The Perfect Presentation

A course by Radu Fulgheci, Senior Architect at world-renowned practice BDP.
This course teaches how to craft high-quality architectural presentation boards that clearly communicate design ideas. Ideal for students and professionals alike, it covers layout principles, storytelling techniques, visual hierarchy, colour theory, and integrating drawings with precision. Using Adobe InDesign as the main tool, you’ll follow a step-by-step process from initial narrative development to final export. The focus is on clarity, cohesion, and professional presentation standards. Whether for academic review, client meetings, or portfolio building, this course equips you with the visual communication skills needed to make your work stand out.

Skill level

Beginner

Duration

Approx. 4 hrs

Certificate

On completion

Closed Captions

English

About this course

Master the art of architectural communication with this comprehensive architectural presentation course. Whether you’re a student preparing for crits or a professional developing client-facing materials, this course guides you through the complete process of presenting architecture projects with clarity, precision, and visual impact.

Learn how to design effective architectural presentation boards that do more than just display your work—they tell a compelling story. You’ll explore essential skills such as organising design information, creating visual hierarchy, choosing the right colour palette, and integrating drawings, diagrams, and imagery in a cohesive layout. The course also delves into graphic composition, typography, and how to use visual storytelling to guide your audience through your design thinking.

Using Adobe InDesign as the primary platform, you’ll follow a practical, step-by-step workflow for producing professional boards from scratch. Whether you’re working from a blank canvas or using an architectural presentation template, you’ll learn how to adapt layouts to different audiences—be it clients, tutors, or competition juries.

By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to present your architecture projects at a professional standard, and how to prepare and export your boards for both print and digital use. The skills taught in this course are applicable to a wide range of architectural and design disciplines, helping you build a strong, visually engaging portfolio that sets your work apart.

If you’re looking to elevate your architectural presentations and stand out in both academic and professional contexts, this course is the perfect foundation. It’s not just about making your work look good—it’s about making it understood.

Skills you'll gain

Why ArchAdemia?

Syllabus

Lesson 1 – Understanding Presentation Boards (33:35). This lesson explores the fundamental role of presentation boards in architectural and design practice. Far beyond simply displaying your work, boards act as the primary communication tool between you and your audience—be it a client, jury, or competition panel. You’ll learn how to use various media to convey your design process clearly and persuasively, ensuring your ideas stand on their own even without verbal explanation. At the heart of a great board lies structure, clarity, and the ability to tell a compelling story.

Lesson 2 – Narrative Structure (11:50). Crafting a strong narrative is key to impactful presentation boards. In this session, you’ll explore three strategies for structuring your story, each tailored to different audiences—whether you’re engaging clients, juries, or tutors. The lesson emphasises clarity, audience awareness, and adapting your visuals and tone to communicate effectively. By aligning your narrative with the viewer’s expectations, you’ll ensure your boards are not only visually strong but also easy to follow and persuasive.

Lesson 3 – Storytelling and Storyboarding (30:11). Good storytelling brings a design to life. This lesson explores how to build a narrative using images, drawings, and concise text—guiding the viewer through your project’s journey. You’ll learn to storyboard your ideas, structure your presentation with intent, and highlight the ‘why’ behind your design. With practical tips on creating flow and emphasis, you’ll transform your boards into compelling visual stories that resonate beyond the page.

Lesson 4 – Organising Design Information (10:03). Clarity begins with curation. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to sift through your design material and select what truly matters for your presentation boards. Discover how to balance detail with digestibility, tailoring your content to different audiences and objectives. From conceptual sketches to context analysis, the focus is on building a structured narrative that communicates your design clearly—without overwhelming your viewer.

Lesson 5 – Principles of Layout Design (21:02). A well-crafted layout is the backbone of effective presentation boards. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to arrange content with visual balance, clarity, and flow. Key principles like format selection, board size, hierarchy, and spacing are covered—each helping guide the viewer smoothly through your narrative. Avoiding clutter and confusion, you’ll gain the tools to design boards that look professional and communicate your ideas with impact.

Lesson 6 – Visual Hierarchy and Graphic Composition (27:17). A strong layout needs structure—but great boards demand hierarchy. This lesson explores how to guide your viewer’s eye using visual hierarchy and graphic composition. You’ll learn how to emphasise key information through size, contrast, positioning, and colour. With these tools, you can direct attention purposefully and avoid overwhelming your audience, ensuring your message is communicated with clarity and intent.

Lesson 7 – Colour, Texture, and Visual Style (18:41). Colour and texture can transform a good board into a memorable one. This lesson shows you how to use visual style to add mood, depth, and personality to your presentations. You’ll learn how to choose a fitting palette, apply it with consistency, and avoid visual clutter. Whether your design is calm and minimal or bold and expressive, the right use of colour and texture helps bring your concept to life.

Lesson 8 – Integrating Drawings and Images (26:00). This lesson guides you through combining technical drawings, diagrams, renderings, and photos into a cohesive presentation board. You’ll learn how to curate your content thoughtfully, prioritise key visuals, and maintain visual harmony. The aim is to support your narrative without overcrowding the board—ensuring your ideas are communicated clearly and professionally.

Lesson 9 – Creating Professional Presentation Boards (59:22). This is where it all comes together. In this lesson, you’ll follow a complete walkthrough of building a professional presentation board using Adobe InDesign. From layout planning to visual refinement, you’ll see how to apply everything you’ve learned—narrative, hierarchy, composition, and integration. It’s a practical, step-by-step demonstration designed to help you confidently assemble a cohesive, polished set of boards for any project.

Lesson 10 – Exporting the Final Presentation and Portfolio Integration (12:28). Finishing strong is just as important as designing well. This lesson walks you through exporting your boards for final presentation—whether for print, digital use, or portfolio integration. You’ll learn how to refine alignment, spacing, and visual consistency, ensuring your work looks polished and professional. With practical tips for both client-facing and academic settings, this final step helps your boards leave a lasting impression.

The importance of top-notch presentations.

Presentation boards are a vital tool in architectural communication. They distil complex ideas into a clear, visual narrative that speaks to clients, juries, and collaborators alike. A well-crafted board does more than showcase drawings—it tells the story of a project, revealing intent, process, and resolution in one cohesive format. In academic settings, strong boards can make the difference between a pass and a distinction; in practice, they influence decisions and secure approvals. Ultimately, presentation boards are where design thinking meets visual clarity, making them an essential skill for every architect and designer to master.

Meet your tutor - Radu Fulgheci | Architect | BDP

Hi, I’m Radu. I’m an architect with over ten years of experience using many architectural design and modelling applications, for both professional and academic purposes. Working on challenging, high-profile projects, and international competitions, I’ve continually sought ways to optimise my workflow, from single to multiple applications, in order to achieve the best results in the shortest time. I believe in constant learning, so regardless of what knowledge level you may be, there is always something new that can help you improve. I want to teach you how to do the same.

Unlimited Content & Support with an ArchAdemia Membership.

Transform your career & join our community, offering unrestricted access to expert courses, tutorials, downloads, mentoring, weekly bonuses & more.

What our members say.

With 1500+ active members, we must be doing something right!
Faye Doyle
Faye DoylePractice Owner
I recently started my own practice and wanted to get some inspiration for how my fee letters and other documents should be set up. I got the Architects Tool Kit, and it was fantastic. The purchase process was quick & easy, and I had my products immediately via email.
Mike Donaghey
Mike DonagheyArchitecture Student
As an architecture student, I struggled getting grasp of some software such as Revit and Photoshop. I started using ArchAdemia for their extensive and cohesive courses and my I found my work excel to levels I did not think I could achieve.
Christopher Gatus
Christopher GatusFreelance Architect
If you’re an Architect or an Aspiring Architect, the ArchAdemia community is something that you want to be a part of. They offer in-depth courses about anything you need to learn about the field of Architecture. They teach based on their experiences in the real world and not the usual things we learn from Architecture school.
Ufuk Bahar
Ufuk BaharManaging Director
We have been really impressed with ArchAdemia. What makes this platform unique is the in-depth training videos designed for real life practice. We currently incorporate this platform for the training programme of our new colleagues which also removes the tedious process of assembling different training videos from different sources.
Tom Daniel
Tom DanielArchitectural Assistant
ArchAdemia is a great source of information! They have plenty of courses which I am sure I will use, but also the packs they have contain a variety of sketch up models, revit models and planning/ design and access reports, which are really helpful when you are looking at how to graphically lay out your work.
Rica Selva
Rica SelvaFreelance Architect
I have always enjoyed and benefitted from all the content they provide for they are very useful and explained in exceptional detail. Thes guys are very passionate about what they do, and it shows. Keep up the great work!

FAQs

We’re the only architectural educator that teaches all aspects of what an architect goes through each day, through architecture courses, one-off lessons, podcasts and mentoring. We have to know and deal with a lot; concept design, technical design, graphics, construction, dealing with clients & consultants etc. Our platform gives insight into all of these areas and more through a range of mediums such as; online classes, one-to-one coaching, podcasts and downloadable resources.

We have two forms of membership, monthly and annual. The annual membership is unlimited, including all course content, download packs and a greater allocation of live tutor support. The monthly plan is more stripped back, focusing on core course content, plus a modest allocation of live tutor support to help with content specific queries.

Annual memberships are £139 paid per year and monthly memberships £39 per month. Head over to our pricing page to find out exactly what’s included with each. FYI – both memberships auto-renew.

Our teaching style is relaxed and specific to the needs of an architect or similar construction industry designer. All of our premium courses are centred around an iconic piece of architecture, which provides a dual benefit of learning the software and diving deeper into exceptional pieces of design.

You can watch your lessons on a desktop, maybe with a split screen or you can consume our content via mobile utilising two options. The first option is simply viewing our mobile optimised website, where the second is to download the Kajabi app and use the credentials you made with us to login and view your lessons anytime and anywhere!

Joining us is easy, simply scroll to the top of our home page and start by hitting the button in the top banner. We also have a handful of other buttons positioned around our site. Head over to the pricing page to find a detailed breakdown of what’s included.

Once you’ve created your account you’ll be taken to the members area. There, you have easy access to your account information, where you’ll receive instructions on how to cancel if you wish to do so.

Scroll to Top