HOW TO WIN FRIENDS + INFLUENCE PEOPLE WITH

GENERAL CUSTERS

One of my favourite trade magazines is AAAMSA's "Architect and Specificator" ( http://www.promech.co.za ) - the aluminium industry's mouthpiece in South Africa. I think that they find aluminium a very boring subject because they write mostly about everybody else's business. What is different about Architect & Specificator is that their writers don't hesitate to call a spade a spade: they have that cub reporter buzz about them and frequently print the point of view of idiots and genii alike. The latest issue is a true gem. 

Managing Editor Susan Custers kicks off with a uniquely personal critique of VOLVO South Africa, blasting the company for poor service and suspect ethics. This happens right next to a full page full colour advert for Subaru cars.

Turn the page and find Something Rotten : " It seems appropriate that the stench of corruption pervading the construction industry is coming from the suppliers of Precast Concrete toilets". The two page expose of corruption in the toilet industry concludes by saying "One has to wonder why no-one has taken any action, and whether there is something rotten, not just in the industry but in the government departments themselves."   (I love this magazine. Hands up all those who knew there was a precast concrete toilet industry in South Africa. Hands up all those who care ... )

With Volvo and the government safely in the toilet the editors then give Autodesk's AutoCAD a good kick in the arse ; "I only use my AutoCad 2005 to open up drawings that I then work on in version 2000. Plenty of people have moved to Caddie and DataCad because they are far less expensive. DataCad is also a lot more user-friendly by all accounts". (Nicole Farman)

But my favourite by far is the interview with marketing consultant Luis Falcao of Paper Planes Strategic Marketing, a one time architectural assistant who claims that the South African architectural profession (he calls it an industry) is in dire straights. This is a great three page "Feature" affair with five large colour portraits of a spruced up Luis in different postures with sidebar quotes like "I have no time for prima donnas and bullshit". 

The conclusion is somewhat enigmatic; says Luis "No-one wants to study architecture anymore, because most architects recommend they don't. In a country with 40 million people there should be more architects, but because the work isn't protected there are too many. And there are much better ways to make much more money. What does this say for the face of our cities and towns?" 

I'm sure he knows what he means but the rest of us are left wondering about the strategic value of pissing off architects ...