Today there are more tools for communication than ever before, yet very little in the way of reflection on how these are being used and even less on what exactly is being conveyed. This issue ofAD looks at how architecture is communicated from a cultural perspective. Do the identities of practices or their business-driven branding and promotional efforts resonate with the critical acclaim many architects seek? Has slick image-led media coverage sold the profession short? How is it possible to convey the less visual and haptic qualities of architecture? Can architects be more creative in their communication efforts, making these joyous on their own terms as Le Corbusier did so memorably? Is there really a need to succumb to the world of corporate marketing processes and managerial business jargon?

The issue explores notions of editing and curating work in an age of data deluge, and discusses social media as a genuinely alternative space for communication rather than for just repurposing and regurgitating information relayed.The Identity of the Architect encourages the promotion of practices as an integral extension of the very culture they hope to engender through their work.

Contributors: Stephen Bayley, Caroline Cole, Adam Nathaniel Furman, Gabor Gallov, Jonathan Glancey, Justine Harvey, Owen Hopkins, Crispin Kelly, Jay Merrick, Robin Monotti, Juhani Pallasmaa, Vicky Richardson, Jenny Sabin, and Austin Williams.

Featured architects: Ian Ritchie, BIG, MVRDV, IF_DO and Zaha Hadid Architects

Laura Iloniemihasworked with architects for over twenty years, advising them on how to lead and support their promotional efforts. Her clients are largely London based, but she has also worked with practices in Europe and the US. Her approach is curatorial, informed by her education in architectural theory and museology. She has collaborated on a number of exhibitions, books and symposia including the V&As Sustaining Identity series. She has worked with celebrated practices, such as Cecil Balmond's Advanced Geometry Unit at Arup, Sauerbruch Hutton and Donald Insall Associates. She has spoken internationally and contributed to a number of magazines on the topic of architectural communications and PR.

Introduction Creating Worlds: How Identities Are Lost and Found

Ch 2 Rise, Fall and Reinvention: The Architect's Shifting Identity

Ch 3 Design for Sensory Reality: From Visuality to Existential Experience

Ch 4 Slippery When Wet: The Corporate Language of Architecture

Ch 5 A Hybrid Practice Model: Expert Differentiation

Ch 6 The Man in the Concrete Mask: The Metamorphosis of Charles-Édouard Jeanneret

Ch 7 Worldcraft: Building Worlds One Project at a Time

Ch 8 Observations on Drawing: The Art of Architecture

Ch 9 The Personal is Universal: On Aldo Rossi's Autobiography

Ch 10 Working with Architects: From Process to Identity

Ch 11 Exhibiting Architecture: Between the Profession and the Public

Ch 12 Test Bed: Communication Through Product Design

Ch 13 The Social Media Monster: Dangers and Thrills Only Partially Glimpsed

Ch 14 China's Global Introspection: Managing Critical Thinking

Ch 15 New Architecture of the South Pacific: How the Maori Worldview is Changing New Zealand's Built Environment

Ch 16 Figure Heads: Leadership and Succession in Architectural Practice

Ch 17 'They've Lost It' A Balancing Act: MVRDV and the Language of Marketing

Ch 18 The Image of Architects: From the Explicit to the Inexplicit

Ch 19 Holding On to Our Principles: Why Manifestoes Matter

Ch 20 The Public Role of the Architect: Architecture is the Medium What is the Message?

Ch 21 Counterpoint The Selfie of an Architect