Clients and Networking in Interior Design
Found a great article ("Interior Design About Drawing Up the Right Match") on the business of interior design this weekend. Through quotes from a designer who has 40 years in the industry, an ASID PR rep, and the owner of a souther Florida artisans guild, you get a good overview of -- not just the technical skills -- but the interpersonal skills it takes to have a successful career.
One thing that came up (that you probably won't cover in depth in an interior design program at school) was the importance of networking:
“But there's more to interior design than the credentials... 'In the beginning you start networking,' [Cole] said. 'This town is very tough, it must have been 10 years' before she was well established -- most people choose a designer at least in part by word of mouth.”
I wonder if professional networking sites like LinkedIn would be useful to interior designers looking for clients, and vice versa.
Another key was the necessary synergy between a client and designer on a given project:
“But at the heart of the business, customers and designers agree, is a personal relationship based on compatible taste and personality. 'Just to say, Mary Smith, she's the top designer in our area, all the rich and famous use her, that's all well and good but if she likes chrome and black and you like Tommy Bahama, it's not a match and not necessarily always a happy experience for the owner,' [Ashton] said. If customer and designer aren't getting along... the result can be hellish.”
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