Love Interior Design? Determine if it’s the Career for You

Guest Blogger #292, Entry #825, December 9, 2011

Creating interior spaces that are not only intuitively functional but also eminently beautiful is about more than engineering and art; these spaces need that indefinable element that helps to enrich the lives of the people that live and work in them.  And this is the reason that many people turn to the challenging and rewarding career of an interior designer.  However, before you start handing out flyers to advertise your services, there are a few things you’ll need to consider carefully in order to ensure that your professional goals meet with success.

Are you cut out for a career in interior design?

Image via: Dagdig House

Education

A flair for decorating is certainly a bonus, but if you’re going to work in interior design you need background knowledge of historical styles (French country, neoclassical, contemporary, etc.) and the well-known designers that popularized certain looks (Frank Lloyd Wright, for example).  And it couldn’t hurt to pair it with a business degree (since you likely want to work for yourself at some point rather than slaving away in a secondary capacity at a design firm).  It’s not that you can’t be a self-made, self-taught success, but you may obtain the knowledge, skills, and most importantly, contacts you need more expediently with a standard education.

Are you ready for the education needed for Interior Design?

Image via: Bogoraya

Inspiration

Let’s face it: you cannot work in a creative field if you don’t harbor some spark of creativity within yourself.  You may be able to get away with regurgitating the work of others for a while, but eventually you’re going to end up with a client that wants something unique.  What will you do then?  So before you get into a creative industry, think about whether or not you really have that inspirational drive that will allow you to be competitive.  If not, you may want to consider a different career path.

Ability to work with clients

Great, you’re an artist!  Unfortunately, you have to work for a broad range of clients if you want to make a living at it.  While some will see your genius and give you free reign to create their interior spaces as you see fit, most will want a lot more control over the final outcome of their home design.  There is a certain amount of skill involved in making the customer feel like the direction you want to go was his/her own idea.  And you won’t be able to save everyone from bad taste and decisions that you perceive as poor.  But if you want to stay in business, you’ll just have to resign yourself to the fact that you’ll have to give people what they want in return for their business.

Building your brand

It’s not enough to be good at what you do: people have to know who you are, and this requires you to build a brand.  You’ll not only have to maintain your integrity in design and in dealings with clients; you’ll also need to find ways to get your name to the public and ensure that they associate your brand with quality and reliability.  Luckily, there are many ways to spread your name and improve your brand image thanks to the internet.

Building your image and brand will be important

Image via: Iroka

Marketing

While you could certainly hire a field marketing agency to promote your business, you may not have the cash on hand when you’re starting out.  So look for less expensive ways to advertise.  Beat the pavement to meet local business owners and trade services for promotion, join industry forums to receive advice and even referrals, and start a business website so that you can engage in ad sharing, blogging, SEO, and all of the practices that are going to grow your brand and bring in new clients.

Evan Fischer is a contributing writer for The Regan Group, offering an innovative approach to marketing your business and building your brand.

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