Contents
Introduction
Featuring projects in the LI’s case studies library is a benefit for LI-registered practices. Doing so is a great way to showcase your work to potential clients, fellow professionals, the general public, and potential employees.
The goal of our case study directory is to showcase the profession at its very best, and as such, we aspire to a high editorial and presentational standard. The guidelines below provide some useful information that will help you get your submission approved more quickly and get the most from your case study page.
General guidelines
What can I upload?
You can upload any landscape-focussed project that showcases your or your firm’s work. Impact assessments, local, strategic or management plans, conservation or improvement schemes, temporary landscapes, policy and research work, communications and presentations, stewardship, science, and developments of any size are all suitable. A good point of reference is the list of categories in the annual LI Awards. Projects undertaken by or for the private or public sector are all acceptable.
Best practice
Credit all parties involved
Case studies not only show the excellent work of landscape professionals, but also the great potential of collaborative, cross-discipline working. We ask that you acknowledge all individuals and organisations that contributed to the project, and how, in the ‘Project team’ section.
Avoid negative language
Please do not defame, slander or otherwise be overly critical of other projects, competitors, clients, team members, or any other scheme, organisation or individual. Problems encountered during a project are part of that project’s story, but please be evaluative in your narration and indicate, where appropriate, how such problems were overcome.
Include as many details as possible
As well as potential clients and collaborators, fellow professionals will visit your case study section. The many fields in the case studies upload form reflect the diversity of the audience who will read the study. Many of these fields are optional, but completing them will make your case study more robust and appealing to as broad an audience as possible.
Format, layout and images
Use high-quality images
When you create your case study, you will be able to upload up to 5 images, including one featured image, in JPG format. Please ensure that any images you upload are at least 1000 pixels wide and 300 dpi resolution.
Please be aware that to upload an image to the case study library, you must either be the copyright holder of the image or have the copyright holder’s permission to use it.
Style and tone
Your case study is your opportunity to tell the story of your project: its beginnings, hurdles and setbacks encountered during its implementation, and its outcomes. As discussed in ‘best practice’ above, try to describe challenges analytically, with due emphasis on how you resolved them.
Backstory should provide context to the scheme itself, and should not be the focus of the content.
In a broad sense, we encourage you to give an objective rather than subjective description of your project. Where it is used, subjective language should describe aims, not outcomes.
Language should be editorial rather than promotional. Avoid superlatives, hyperbole, ‘sales’ language, and being overly emotive. The quality of your scheme – and outcomes, if measured – will speak for themselves.
Testimonials are acceptable when used judiciously. However, they should not outweigh the objective content of your case study.
Use technical language appropriately
Many of the visitors to the website are landscape professionals; however, be aware that your case study will likely have a lay audience as well. The main content section should be written accessibly enough for non-specialised readers (which may include potential clients and collaborators, as well as general-interest readers). The technical fields further down allow for the inclusion of detailed and technical information.
Observe LI style guidance
Abbreviations and acronyms
The first instance of an acronym should be preceded by the full name or phrase: sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). (Note the lack of capitals on the full name; only proper names should be capitalised.) The abbreviation need not be given if the name or phrase is given only once.
Capitals
Use for proper nouns, names of architecture/art movements (Brutalism, Post-Modernism etc.), brand names, historical events (the Second World War), historical periods (the Renaissance), and official titles only when used in conjunction with the titleholder’s name (Chief Executive Daniel Cook; the chief executive).
Note that ‘landscape architect’, ‘landscape architecture’, ‘landscape professional’ etc. are not capitalised.
