When we are dreaming about becoming an interior designer, the most common thought that comes to our mind is the idea of playing with colours, fabrics and different home decoration materials. While part of this idea is definitely true, but not all of interior designing is just playing with fabrics and colours. There is a lot more than meets the eye and therefore in this post, we will share with you 10 things you need to know, to become a good interior designer.
The Difference Between Interior Decorator and Interior Designers
When starting out, a lot of people get confused about the titles Interior Decorator and Interior Designer. While both these terms, sound almost similar to each other, there is a striking amount of difference between both of them. So, let us break them down.
An interior decorator is a professional who has an idea and passion for playing with colours, fabrics and knows how to decorate a house inside and out. This professional doesn't necessarily require to have a professional degree to excel in this career. All they need is a sound knowledge of the materials being used and good enough marketing skills to print themselves a card and market their business to potential clients.
On the other hand, in order to become an interior designer, one has to go through an intensive 3-year graduate course in the art of interior designing. In order to work in the interior designing field, one has to have an accredited degree either in the graduate or bachelor level. While there are lots of colleges in India, which offer a course in Interior Designing, making a good choice about your institution is a vital first step in your career.
Have a Knack for Design
There is a common saying in the world of business, that if you lack the knack in a particular field, no matter how much you are educated, you can never truly shine. And the same goes for being a good interior designer. If you want to stand out in the crowd and let your ideas shine, you need to develop a knack for spotting and analyzing good designs early on in life.
What we mean to say by having a knack in interior designing is this; develop an innate flair for colour, textiles, fabrics, architecture and layout. These are the five fundamental areas of any interior designing project and developing a knack for these will help you truly shine.
Having a good knack in design from early on in life is a good sign that interior designing is the right career path for you. Another great sign can be the desire of decorating your own room with new styles and textures whenever possible.
It's Not all Fun
As mentioned in the earlier introduction paragraph, Interior Designing is not all about having fun with colours, fabrics, textiles and furniture. While they collectively make up a significant part of your job, there is more work in this, than meets your eye. And the sooner you realise this, the sooner will you be in your path of becoming a great designer.
In order for you to become a good or even a great interior designer, you need to be a master of all trades. Starting from choosing the best furniture, to working with different materials, crafting ideas and people management, every skill you learn and pick up along your journey will help you become better.
Your graduation degree will teach you most or the majority of these skills, and thus education is so highly valued in the interior designing field.
Another advantage of mastering all the above-mentioned aspects is the ability to work in a team of people. Starting from government agencies and homeowners, all the way to builders and architects. And believe us that is a skill every interior designer needs at some point in time.
Don't Chase the Money
A lot of students and aspiring interior designers come into this field, thinking of the vast amount of money they can earn in a short period of time. While this statement might come true later in their career when they have gathered a sufficient amount of expertise, a recent survey has revealed that beginner interior designers get paid between 30,000 to 40,000 INR in the beginning of their career. As the year's progress and the designers have gathered a sufficient amount of experience, they tend to earn somewhere between 8,00,000 to 30,000,000 INR per year.
While this information can sound demotivating to some, the only reason as to why we mentioned it is this. In your early days, don't chase the money. Focus on building your knowledge and acquire a lot of experience by working on a vast amount of projects. With time the money will come and thus always make it a point to chase success and not the money.
A Person of the Crowd
Ask any interior designer working in the industry and one of the first things that he or she will tell you is this; you need to be a people's person in order to make it big.
While this point might sound unassuming and quite obvious, the depth of the matter goes far beyond this simple statement.
In your day to day job as an interior designer, you need to meet, interact and coordinate your ideas and vision with a lot of different people from all walks of life. Starting from homeowners, homemakers, real estate agents and even the government, you need to know how to manage a lot of people at once in order to succeed in this industry.
Thus developing the skill of being a people's person will be more helpful than you realize.
Develop a Portfolio
Take any job in the Fine Art or Art & Crafts industry and you will know that these professions demand that you have a portfolio ready.
The phrase, a picture speaks a thousand words screams the best in this industry. You can sit and talk to your clients about colours, fabrics and textures all day long, but unless and until you have a solid portfolio to showcase, your success will be far from your goal.
If you have just graduated from school and are new to the industry, try to find yourself a few good clients and work for them at a reduced rate. Do great work and showcase your skills by making a portfolio. Remember this, everyone starts at the bottom with nothing. But if you work hard and can market yourself properly, you will reach the top sooner than everyone else.
Know the Competition
One aspect of interior designing that a lot of people tend to underestimate is the amount of fierce competition that is there in the field. There are literally thousands of students just like you, who want to land the same job as you.
The biggest factor which will contribute to your success in this industry is getting noticed by the right people. But in order to get noticed, first, you need to have a stunning education from a well-reputed organization and second, you need to have a portfolio.
The sooner you get these two, the faster will you be able to climb the ladder.
Make a Network
Unlike most other industries where jobs and offers are posted on portals and advertisements, the designing industry in general runs on a referral basis. You need to be referred by someone to someone, in order to get a job and thus you need to have a strong network.
If you have just graduated and have no clue about making a strong network, then the first thing you should do is join professional social networks like LinkedIn. Most professionals are active on this platform and thus, this is a good place to start. Another social media that works really well for interior designers is Instagram. Sign up on the platform and search and connect with as many interior designers you can. Message and reach out to them. Don't immediately start asking for jobs or gigs, rather build a rapport with them. You might not realise the potential of knowing a lot of people in this industry, but believe us, your effort of making a strong network will pay off sooner than you expect.
Know the Laws
Depending on your current geographical location, one of the most important aspects you need to master is to remember all the local laws and regulations of that particular area. These regulations are most commonly set by the government agencies and the sooner you know them, the more will it be helpful for you.
The reason behind us saying this is simple; most of the time your clients will not know about the local regulations in place and will let their imagination flow. Thus it is your job as a designer to inform them about what can be done and what not.
As per the research, JD Institute of Fashion Technology is the leading and most popular Interior designing colleges throughout India. For more details please contact the respective centres by clicking the above link: https://www.jdinstitute.com/centres/
Conclusion:
Lastly, you need to remember that your client is the king and the decision maker in this business. Of course, your ideas and vision will flourish and will be approved, but it is they who will have the final say, thus always take your customers preferences as your priority.
Thus here are the 10 things you need to become a good interior designer.
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