Questions for the Professionals- Atlanta Principal

Hey designers! I recently spoke with a Principal of an Atlanta Architecture, Planning & Interior Design firm to find out who influences his designs, his thoughts on LEED, and the kinds of computer programs they are using in their firm. Check out what he had to say!

Who or what are the biggest influences on your designs?

"... I have been influenced the most in my career by Richard Meier and Aldo Rossi. Both create very rational and highly innovative buildings that shape the environment they are in."

How important do you believe LEED certification is?

"LEED certification and the green initiative will continue to be a driving force of architectural design for the next generation and beyond. Building sustainability will become more important as America finds new ways to be less dependent on foreign and domestic oil."

What kinds of design software are you using in your company? (CAP, Photoshop, Sketch-up, Revit, etc.)

"Revit and Photoshop are the two primary design and presentation software packages that our company uses. More and more of our clients are requiring that their building be created using Revit software."

He was also kind enough to share a little job advice such as to "...keep the faith and persevere through the process" (in regards to the current economy), to check out websites like Archinect, and considering becoming a product rep. On a positive note he added that the industry is seeing improvements- slow, but improving. That is always encouraging to hear!

Thanks again to the Atlanta Principal for contributing such great information to us!

For all the "Questions for the Professionals" postings I will not be including the name of those designers or architects I speak with or their company's name to protect their privacy, unless they allow me to do so.

Rabbit Swings and Pop-Up Things

In an earlier post, I put up a link to a video that covered 2010 trends. Today I found some articles that are good examples of two of those trends: pop-up shops & nostalgia.
In a tweet I received from Gensler, it contained an article from The New York Times about pop-up businesses. In my opinion, I too see pop-up shops as a result of the recession. It is a way to get a business idea out in the world to see if the products/services offered will sell and to make some money in the process. With so many businesses closing, it seems to be a low-risk way of seeing how well business ideas will do without having to lease a shop. It is a great concept! I think it is also a good marketing strategy to see what sells in particular areas, who is buying from it, and what they are buying. I agree with the article that after the recession we will see less of these here-today-gone-tomorrow businesses, but that it will not be the end of it entirely.

Contract magazine had a link to a rabbit swing. This is definitely a product of the nostalgia trend. It is fun and kind of quirky, something you might find from a dream or a child's imagination, but to me it seems a little on the morbid side.

Job Search Engines

Career Builder is definitely NOT my favorite resume posting site. I received numerous phone calls and e-mails from insurance company agents and I'm pretty sure some loan companies got a hold of my info from there too. I like to use this phone number website called 800Notes where I can put in the number and see who owns it, which usually ends up as insurance or loans or a disconnected number. I noticed on 800Notes that a lot of the comments mentioned they had their resume posted on Career Builder, so I decided to remove mine from there to see what happens. Guess what, the calls and emails stopped! I still use Career Builder to search for job openings since it has easy to use search features, plus their email newsletter has lots of helpful information for job seekers. I just will not be posting my resume again any time soon.

Another job engine I do not care for is HotJobs. Every time I look for job openings, I tend to find some seemingly shady, non-direct listings, and training programs. Yes, there are some listings that are legit, but I rarely find any listings I would comfortably send my info to. I have not posted my resume on HotJobs so I do not know what kind of responses will come from it and I am not interested in finding out.

There are job engines I love to use because I can set up e-mail alerts that get sent directly to my in-box, have easy to use resume builders, and provide helpful hints and tips. My favorite job search sites are definitely: Indeed, Get Interior Design Jobs, Juju, Interior Design JobZone, Coroflot, and Monster. One great thing about Monster is it has handy little communities you can join to find out more about your profession, network, and see what is going on in the business world. My favorite is Art Bistro- geared towards design/illustration/art professions.

Definitely try all kinds of job search engines because not all listings will be on every one. Be sure to always check the official websites of places you want to work too, because many times they have job postings that are not listed elsewhere online. Just because those sites did not work out for me, does not mean it will not work out for you.

Here are some links you can use:
http://www.indeed.com
http://www.coroflot.com (Design professions)
http://800notes.com (Phone # comments)
http://www.job-search-engine.com (JuJu)
http://www.monster.com

Design Job Advice

Here is some advice I complied from professionals I spoke to in the design field:

Move to the location you would like to begin my career in. I have heard this before and I admit I did consider it before graduating from college, but with the economy being unpredictable it would be too risky for me since I do not have enough funds to cover me until I find something. Currently here in MI where I live, it is tough to even find a part-time job. If the economy was in a better state I believe I would have done it. That is may situation, but may not be yours. I believe it is good advice if you can support yourself! It could be a fun and interesting experience. Who knows what will turn up or who you will meet?

Speaking of adventures, why not have an adventure? If you are currently one of the millions of Americans unemployed, this is the perfect opportunity to go somewhere or try something new. I am actually taking this opportunity to build a better relationship with my family, improve my 3D design skills, cover some topics I need to refresh my brain with, and get healthy. I am also getting ready to support my community by getting involved with volunteering. Maybe you can start a new hobby, write a book, start an emu farm, grow a garden, travel, or anything else you have wanted to do, but never really had the time to.

Other things they told me were: Network as much as possible- go to events, volunteer, etc., just try to get your name out there. Work on getting LEED certification. It can be costly, but very worth it. Try to find work anywhere you can even if it’s the job nobody else wants because those who are employed and show consistent employment are more desirable candidates. It also eliminates questions raised by potential employers as to why you haven’t been working and possibly why other employers did not want to hire you. (Of course in this economy I imagine they may be a little more flexible on that subject considering the situation.)

Finally, explore possibilities. Yes, I went to school for interior design and you probably did too, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that is what you or I will do with our lives. For example, my dad is a contract manager for a fairly well-known company, but he went to school to be a pilot and for business. He also worked in retail for 5 yrs as a manager until he decided to do contract managing and got a job with an aviation company. Remember it is ok to be open-minded about your future. Don’t tie yourself down to just one thing.

I hope this information helps or gives you something to think about!
Good luck!

Trends of '10

I wanted to share this with everyone since following trends in society can help designers understand their clients and the ever changing demands of consumers. Also because I thought it was kind of interesting. Peacocking? Nostalgia? Greenpliances? Mobile bars? Hmm...

It is wise to keep ourselves informed of what is popular and what people are wanting and buying. That way we aware of it and can think of various ways to incorporate it into our own designs and stay on top of the game.
Be careful though, because as we all know trends are trends, and some trends won't last.

If I remember correctly, I got this link from someone who posted it in a LinkedIn group I joined. Here you go! Six whole minutes of trendiness:

http://www.fastmediamagazine.com/archives/6656

Greetings!

This is the first blog I have actually published and I am excited to get it up and running!

I am currently working on asking designers from all over the U.S. questions, adivce, and tips for all of us looking for work in the interior design industry- of course this is for designers who already have jobs, or others who just want to read about interior design too! Hopefully I'll have something for everyone!

I'll create posts as I gather information. I'll also ask you all questions or views on topics and trends as I put them up.

Please let's keep it clean and fun!