20th December 2022 | IN DESIGN ADVICE | BY SBID ShareTweetPinterestLinkedIn A job in interior design can be very rewarding and give you a creative way to do what you love. The business is big and getting bigger. But people who want to work in interior design do need a certain set of skills to be successful. If you want to know how to become an interior designer, you can get the tools and experience you need with support from SBID. For a successful career in interior design, you’ll need the following skills, whether you have them already or have to work hard to get them: A Creative Mind & A Focus On Detail First of all, you’ll have to be a very creative person – from design considerations to creative problem-solving. You will have to design spaces for many different kinds of clients. Even though it can be helpful to have a point of view, you’ll also need to be flexible and be able to propose creative solutions. To design cohesive spaces that go together and meet your client’s needs, you’ll need to pay attention to both the small details and the big picture at the same time. Identifying A Trend As trends may come and go, you will need to keep up with them. Understanding the current landscape and knowing the difference between short and long term trends will help you stay relevant and in demand if you can spot and predict trends. Plus, if you can spot bad trends and work to futureproof your designs, your job will be useful for many years to come. Knowledge of Environmental Practices Clients are more and more likely to ask for more conscious designs or eco-friendly features. They will depend on you to make the best decision for them, so having knowledge of environmental practices and integrating them into interiors is not only key to their satisfaction, but also in ensuring designs are more sustainable. Superior Communication As an interior designer, you’ll need to be able to explain your vision clearly to clients as well as listen carefully to their feedback to optimise your designs according to the brief and their preferences. You’ll also have to work with third party contractors, tradesmen, suppliers, architects or other construction and fit out specialists who will be responsible for putting your designs into action. It’s therefore important you can effectively communicate to ensure the design process and project procurement runs smoothly! Ability To Draw And Use Digital Software If you’ve ever thought about how to become an interior designer, you could well think you’d have to draw everything by hand. Whilst this is a useful skill, most interior designers use computer programmes to create visualisations of their work these days. Having the ability to use both techniques to convey design ideas will make you more useful to your clients and help them better understand your intentions for the space. But because of how popular home design shows are on TV, clients particularly want to see 2D and 3D images of designs in person. Organisation To finish projects on time and on budget (and keep your client’s happy), a good interior designer needs to be highly organised. Project procurement presents a whole host of logistical considerations when it comes to scheduling orders, production, deliveries and on-site works. When tasks take too long or unexpected issues crop up, costs can rise above what was promised. When this happens, it’s unlikely that a client will want to hire you again, so it’s important to stay as organised as possible to minimise the chance of delays and factor in the impact of any potential problems along the way. Designers have to plan everything down to the last day and dollar spent. Even though delays and costs you didn’t plan for will likely happen, you’ll need to be ready to deal with them promptly, and ahead of time. Are you still thinking about becoming an interior designer? At The Society of British and International Interior Design, we offer CPD training programmes to help you get off to a solid start in your career. If you want to learn more on how to become an interior designer, visit our website or get in touch with us today.