Good design, in almost any aspect of life, is one of those unusual things which is both hard to quantify and easy to spot when we see it.
A well-designed room just feels right when you enter it and a well-designed car makes the process of driving a joy. But what does a well-designed audio-visual system look like? That’s a tougher question to answer.
At KPMS Ltd, we not only supply AV equipment, but we design incredible audio-visual systems too with our audio-visual design service. But what goes into audio-visual design, and what are the elements of amazing AV design you should seek out in any audio-visual design company?
What Goes into Audio-Visual Design?
More than merely selecting components, superior audio-visual design can be split into two basic elements: specifying and designing.
Specifying is the art of knowing which components are suitable, how they interact (or don’t) and what’s required to deliver an amazing AV experience for a particular client. No two companies demands are the same, so a carefully considered approach is best employed here. Specifying is both art and science and good specifying is the culmination of hundreds of hours of field work.
The second element, designing, is where technical ability comes in to play. Equipment layouts are designed, wiring documents are drawn up and system schematics are carefully crafted to ensure that future repair and replacement is as painless as possible.
Together, these elements ensure that your audio-visual design is functional and effective, but what exactly makes great AV design for you, the customer?
Five Elements of Quality AV Design
Not sure what great AV design looks like? Here are what we think are the five elements of quality AV design:
- Function first
Beautiful technology can impress at first, but if it doesn’t function beautifully then there’s simply no point. Function means working every time, requiring as few buttons to do what you want and simplicity so that everyone can make use of it.
- Adaptability and Futureproofing
Your needs change over time and technology consistently moves forward. Excellent AV design enables the expansion of your set up with carefully considered technology that has the capacity to grow. It extends the lifespan of AV design and can save you a bundle down the line.
- Low Maintenance Design
All electronic devices are prone to failure at some point in their lifespan, but there are some components which are serial offenders. Good AV design mitigates the risk and informs customers which elements are likely to fail first and how to easily replace them so that maintenance downtime is as low and affordable as possible.
- Seamlessness
Truly great AV design should appear completely seamless in day-to-day use. When you’re giving that big pitch, you don’t want to be spending five minutes futzing with controllers and switches to get everything working as it should. Instead, each element should respond to each other element and reduce the amount of friction between you and your goals.
- Precision
Finally, quality AV design is about the little details that get left behind in lesser installations. We’re talking about wires hidden in walls and in your ceiling, screens positioned so that entire rooms can hear them and speakers positioned to offer neutral audio that’s clear for everyone.
With these five elements in place, you can be certain of a superior experience for both clients and employees, with quality that should last for years and years to come.
