An Interior Designer’s Guide to Success: 12 Important Aspects
How to become a successful interior designer has no easy answer. It requires a lot of work and dedication, along with some marketing skills. If you have a passion, you can overcome all the challenges and follow your dreams with ease.
You must first understand what does an interior designer does? An interior decorator’s primary role is to design a model for houses and workspaces and then create it after sanctioning the client’s plan. Some designers may prefer to work with residential spaces, while others are specialized in creating commercial designs. Training and seeking professional experience could be helpful to reach many opportunities.
Interior design requires accreditation to exercise it because it is not just about decorating and it includes criteria such as; innovation, ergonomics, flow design, public benefits, functionality, sustainability, creative approach and excellent use of space.
1. You need a gift for design
As in any profession, the instinct to carry out tasks belonging to your sector is essential. In the case of interior designers, the gift must be reflected in color, the arrangements, the textiles, the management of the space, the harmony, and the architecture to perform successfully.
2. Take your marketing efforts a step ahead
Professional designers try to build great and unique opportunities in different ways of marketing and engagement in order to present their original projects and ideas all around the globe. Entering competitions and displaying design work allow designers to seek deserved recognition. The talented and professional designers, agencies and brands all around the world compete in A’ Design Award & Competition is organized by A’ Design Award & Competition SRL, registered to Como Chamber of Commerce in Como, Italy.
The A’ Design Award & Competition is an annual event that admits submission from all over the World. Design projects that were proposed and/or completed within the last 10 years are eligible to be nominated.
The A’ Design Award & Competition features design works in different categories such as architecture, digital and electronic, computer graphics and 3D model design, interior space and exhibition, engineering and technical design, toy and hobby product design and more. For more information about categories, please visit.
3. Understand that it is a job
Externally, designing interiors seem fun and even relaxing. In the professional world of this field, it is essential to know design history, building structures, construction, ergonomics, psychology, space, and computer-created drawing.
Importantly, designers work with builders, architects, entrepreneurs, agencies and homeowners. Therefore, it requires academic training to motivate designers worldwide to design excellent design projects which benefit society.
4. You need wide knowledge
Learning different field of designing is a must for a designer who optimizes the space of construction, as well as being aware of local laws are also necessary, especially when you have to make sure that your design project does not interfere with established legislation.
5. Design for the client
It is a no-brainer way, but it involves abandoning your taste to materialize another person’s vision. Your skills will be glimpsed in the result, but the main thing is to capture and project the essence of the client leaving yours aside. The function you fulfill there is not to reinforce your style.
6. Failures are inevitable and the sooner you understand, the better
Everyone’s home is like a sacred temple that is carefully cared for; that’s why interior designers coexist with the unfeasible requests that customers request. Talking with them, explaining why you cannot attend an instruction, and receiving the wrath of those affected in their dream of having a house with certain characteristics, is part of the profession.
You have to balance the real possibilities with the client’s wishes and your ability as a professional to achieve a pleasant result for the people who pay for your work. Dependence on the public implies the incorporation of competences in social relations.
7. You can work virtually
Technological innovations allow interior designers to work remotely anywhere in the world. There are exclusive portals and tools for professionals in this field, which will help you to create and design your projects anywhere in the world.
If you decide to go this route, keep in mind that you will run your own business, so you must become familiar with billing, marketing and administration issues. Take courses that allow you to improve your skills and creativity in these fields.
8. Set your schedules
Unless you work for a company or provide comprehensive services alongside other professionals, you can put together your schedule to adjust the tasks you perform for each client. It is possible that being your boss, you spend some sleepless nights thinking about the color of a single tile, but the advantage is you create all of your project.
9. Stay updated with emerging trends
You need to stand out because the competition in this field is high and constant. Staying up to date on your knowledge through courses is the main way of improvement in the job market. Communicate with other designers to stay on top of trends and find a mentor who can guide you in your career.
10. A promising portfolio
This profession requires visual evidence that you can present to your clients. The best way to do, it is to create a portfolio with the compilation of the work you have done so far and, based on them, explain what modifications you could carry out to transform it according to the client’s request.
In case you have recently graduated and are not in a position to create a portfolio, it is convenient that you work as intern to increase your skills and knowledge, then in the future you have enough elements to design excellent and original projects.
11. You enjoy what you do
Beyond the adventures that you could experience concerning the client’s demands, the administration and the times, among other situations that cause inconveniences, it is a job that generates great satisfaction with the final product. Also, you develop your creativity while making other people happy by designing their home or company.