http://www.designeresources.com The ultimate resource for interior designers en-us http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=32 What is your value? Over the last 2 articles we have discussed the value of interior designers...what the public perception is and the designers' perception of themselves as well as what value truly means. Now, let's get personal. What is your value? Well, you say, I charge $100 an hour or I charge $250 an hour, or I charge $40 an hour. Or, you charge nothing at all and add a percentage to your sales. Or, perhaps you say, I charge a fee. OK, that's fine. But, these are ways of charging for your services and have nothing to do with your value. Designers most often see themselves and their value as how much they can or do charge. Consequently, clients often see them in the same light. Then, what is your value? Of course, that depends largely on what you think of yourself and what you do. I have heard from some of you that you value what you do and your clients value you as well. I believe it. Now, ask yourself this question. Can I double my fees tomorrow and keep my c CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=31 Last month we explored the fact that designers do not value their work and thus the public does not value it either. This does not, of course, apply to all designers or the entire public. However, I think you will find that those designers who do value what they do make considerably more than those who do not. What is value and, more importantly, what is the public perception of it? There are many definitions of the word value. But to keep it simple, let's say that it is the quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable, highly prized or held dear or in high regard. Wickipedia defines the value of the individual as "growing his / her knowledge and skill sets to showcase benefits delivered in a transaction (e.g., getting paid for a job). Thus, the key to delivering high perceived value is making the public believe that what you are offering is beyond their expectation ie: helping them to solve a problem, offering a solution, giving results, and mak CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=30 It has always been an interesting phenomenon to me how few interior designers really value the services they perform. In many ways, I believe, this is one of the reasons that clients don't tend to value design services as much as they do from other professionals. From my point of view, what designers do is just short of miraculous. Talented designers can visualize a space, develop the program and a budget, design it with input from 1 to a dozen or more people, sell it, schedule it, order it or specify it with all the hundreds of details, and complete the project, for the most part, on time and in budget. Considering the fact that once a project is designed, it is really no longer totally under the designer's control but is subject to the vagaries of dozens of suppliers, artisans, contractors, sub-contractors, and delivery services, I find this to be an amazing ability. Most designers think this is just "doing their job". To have the public buy into the real value of design, d CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=29 For years, as designers, we have been concerned with bringing the outside in or, at least, trying to combine the two via large windows, plant-scapes, even waterfalls and water features. In the last couple years all that has changed. Instead, we are taking the inside outside. Clients, whether they are in the sunny South, the arid West or the cold North, want to be able to live outside the same way they live inside. They are relaxing, entertaining, cooking, and even bathing and sleeping out of doors. Designers are being bombarded with products from all sides as manufacturers rush to get on the bandwagon. You cannot even pick up an advertisement from Target or K-Mart or any other mass media without seeing the overwhelming interest in outdoor products. There are several reasons for this trend, which has reached mega proportions. 1) People are concerned for their well-being and spending time out of doors is healthy and reduces stress. Simply looking at greenery is instantly soothi CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=25 For several years now we have been gradually building a resource library for you, as designers, to use for research and to use in presentation boards for your clients. We have gathered over 4000 websites of manufacturers and resources. However, we know you are busy and may not have time to go through these wonderful new manufacturers as we add them each month. We wanted to help you get an overview of some of the things we have. So, we have decided to help you become familiar with the manufacturers in our library by giving you graphic information about 3 dozen or so of them every month. We will select products we feel are new and upcoming, different or just plain classic bones you should know about. Beginning this month we are showcasing outdoor fabrics, leathers, outdoor furniture, antique tile floors and limestone fireplaces, stainless toilets, resin art panels and many more products. These are just an overview of many different types of products. This will be the format goin CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=24 The codes industry has changed quite a bit over the last several years. First of all, the three model code organizations merged into the International Code Council (ICC). Now there is one set of codes, known as the International Codes (or I-Codes), that are the most recognized throughout the United States - with the most popular being the International Building Code. However, more recently the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) became more involved in the code making process. In addition to the classic Life Safety Code and the National Electric Code, as of 2003 the NFPA offers full set of codes, known as the C3-Codes. But how do these changes affect you as an interior designer? While the reorganization of the code industry was occurring, changes were also taking place in the code publications themselves. For example, the International Building Code now includes a chapter on accessibility that closely mirrors many of the requirements in the ADA Accessibility Guidelines. Othe CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=23 Ziggy, the cartoon character, is my favorite philosopher. He once profoundly announced "Even the little guy can cast a big shadow once he's found his place in the sun!" As a small business owner and entrepreneur, I had faced, along with thousands of others the dilemma of how to be competitive in the market place with bigger firms. The short and simple answer is always: marketing! But, small business owners, often wearing way too many hats and having few if any employees to share the load, find marketing efforts getting pushed to the back burner to make time for daily routines that keep us in business. There always seem to be limited dollars left in the budget for marketing campaigns, much less salary and a benefits package to hire an employee whose entire focus will be to get our names in front of potential clients. Even in areas where sun and warmth are the norm, casting a significant shadow in a very competitive marketplace can be difficult. So, how can you gain a com CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=22 Ask any student January till May what their most pressing issue is and you will probably hear "to get a job." I however, think the answer should be "to get the right job." If you look at life as a design problem, you don't just look for a solution, you look for the best solution. You study the program requirements, analyze data, examine options and hopefully expand boundaries when searching for the right solutions to a design problem. Why not apply the practices to your career. The Programming Stage: What do you want in a career and design driven life? What types of experiences are on your list? Do you want to travel? Are you more comfortable meeting with clients or behind the scenes influence? Contract, hospitality, residential or any other specialty of particular interest to you? Analyze Date: With your program in place, begin to match employer's locations and experiences that will best help you achieve your goal. Research web sites, publications and local professional asso CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=21 With all the talk about Interior Design legislation, many still do not understandwhat makes it so important or why we need it. Quite simply what we endeavorto accomplish is legal recognition of the Interior Design Profession throughlegislation so that the public may be better protected and served. The scopeof services offered by Interior Designers has a direct impact on the life safetyissues of a building’s interior and we have the right to be acknowledgedfor that contribution. The body of knowledge required as well as the experienceand testing of that learned knowledge to perform those services is what setsInterior Design apart from others. So, what makes achieving this goal so difficult? While many of us feel we have earned the “right” to be legally acknowledged as a profession, others feel we should be a subset of another discipline. I respect the right of those individuals to have their opinion. However, it is just that – an opinion and an opinio CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=19 Has the Internet changed the way you do business? Recently the Wall Street Journal posed that same question to us. They wanted to know what we thought the Internet had changed in the practice of Interior Design. They were doing an article, they told us, geared to the public about this question. Immediately I said that, in my opinion, it had not significantly changed the profession of design at all. Primarily it had not changed the way we practice because the majority of designers still do not use the Internet as a major resource and they do not buy over the Internet. Why do you suppose that is, they wanted to know? The simple answer is that "It's not all there". A number of years ago (1998 as a matter of fact), I was on a panel the topic of which was the Internet and technology and its effect on design. A designer in the audience asked when the panel thought that designers would use the Internet as a main resource. One of the panelists said, "When it is all there". I th CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=20 What do I mean by an electronic office? I mean taking advantage of all the electronic devices available to you now that can save you time and money to say nothing of making you look more professional. How far have you come with modernizing your office? It is the beginning of 2006. Computers have been around now for a generation and the World Wide Web has been with us since 1993 ... that's 13 years. In addition, cell phones with cameras, digital cameras, scanners, printers, and electronic faxing are making it so easy to record, document and share information. I remember that not too many years ago if I needed product or information not in my own extensive library (which required hundreds of expensive square feet and cost me an additional $20,000 a year for someone to keep updated), I made a trek to Atlanta to the showrooms at ADAC. That was a 2 and 1/2 hour drive one way. If I found something there for a client, it meant getting a tear sheet or taking a Polaroid (oh so modern) to CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=18 Achieving profitability is never easy. Even in the good times such as we have right now, realizing a profit from your efforts is not automatic. It's too easy to suddenly find that the profit planned on a small office remodeling project is gone when it took longer to design than your flat fee estimate. Perhaps the client continually asked for changes to the living room redesign requiring hours of extra shopping and specification writing. There are many ways that an expected profit can vanish. Good business practices also provide solid ways to maintain potential profits. Here are some strategies that you can use to help get a handle on your business practices and potentially enhance profitability. * Always have a signed contract before you begin. Sounds logical, but far too many interior designers are still working without a contract. In today's litigious society do not begin interior design work without a clearly written and detailed contract signed by the client. A clear scop CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=17 Ralph Nader once defined design as function, safety, durability and aesthetic. What that means is 3/4 of what interior designers do for their clients is invisible. Magazines only show the aesthetic of a project in a great photograph. But if we're good, the client and the public doesn't see the rest..the function, safety and durability. The ease with which a room functions, for example, isn't readily apparent unless it doesn't work. Often the client doesn't know what's wrong, but they don't feel comfortable in the space, or worse yet, don't really use the room. A client doesn't notice the durability of an element unless is begins to show wear and break down long before it should. Or that the front door to an office doesn't comply with the fire code because the size of glass insert is too large. So our success as designers is partially dependent on staying invisible. The challenge is to find ways to talk about the added value we bring to the project. A constant challenge for the desig CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=16 Principal, Peterson Arce Design Group "When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed...With a word she can get what she came for." -Robert Plant If you recognize the line above, you know that many people think Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" is the greatest rock song of all time! (Ooh, it makes me wonder). Personally, I don't think it's the best rock song, but the title is an apt metaphor for one of the most important activities interior designers and architects do...MARKETING. In the design world, Marketing IS the Stairway to Heaven. Stairway Step 1: Accept It When you think about it, marketing is one of those fundamental activities people engage in throughout their lives. It starts when you're a kid. You market yourself to your teachers to be a star student...to your coaches to get on the team and become a "starter"...to your Dean of Admissions to get accepted to your favorite university...to your first employer to get your f CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=15 Would you like to find a way to get your employees to be more productive? Would you like to save energy and dollars on your heating or air conditioning bills? Would you like to reduce your stress level? Would you to like to reduce your fatigue? Would you like to sell more products? There are some simple ways to do these things. Just utilize the POWER OF COLOR! The proper use of color can give designers great power in creating better environments. Color can help solve space problems, create an atmosphere or theme, influence temperature and can affect people's emotions. Color wavelengths can affect us physically: our heart and respiration rate, the autonomic nervous system and the secretion of hormones. There are several rules of color usage that can simplify any project. First, you need to do a survey analysis of the area to be designed. You need to analyze the room size and location based on light, temperature and traffic flow. Small room size can be expanded visually CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=14 I don't know about you, but as a child I was never a good artist and even with all the design courses on drafting, I still was not very good. I remember one of my clients telling me they could color better than I could, and they were probably correct. My design business changed drastically 3 years ago, with the introduction and purchase of DreamDraper. I am not a computer wiz and Joan Gaulden has always been my computer mentor. Ten years ago, I went to an ASID meeting that Joan gave on the Internet. I didn't know what it was or how to "log" on! Joan taught me the value of living and working in today's world of Computer Technology, and for that I am totally grateful. Between Joan's seminars and CompUSA, I learned PowerPoint and learned to love it. DreamDraper is built on PowerPoint and that was a big help to me. I don't sell my clients anymore, I show and tell and THEY BUY. I create my own from scratch, cut and paste furniture and accessories from the Internet or take a digital im CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=13 For most of us, making a living as design professionals is probably not something we come by out of sheer necessity. It's something we chose to do for what ever the reasons or circumstance. Yet despite attempts to do it with high standards or practice, we can drift away from the highest levels of professional performance. And when we do, it is often an issue related to ethics. We don't have to travel very far from our door step to find all sorts of individuals that we once trusted, organizations we donated time and money to or companies we supported by purchasing their products apparently committing acts that violate those public standards of loyalty, honesty and fairness. In the global picture, ethics is all about values and the choices we make. It is the reasons people give for acting in a certain way. It is about innocence and guilt, right and wrong and what it means to live a good or a bad life. It is about the dilemmas of life, death, sex, business, science, religion and m CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=12 With all the pomp and circumstance of graduation comes an equal amount of fear and anxiety. After the new graduate's initial high of "I'm free! I'm free!" comes the crash back down to terra firma and the unsettling realization: "Uh, oh - I've got to find a job." Business majors don't realize how easy they have it. A resume, some basic computer skills, a general understanding of accounting and an 8.5" x 11" leather notebook, and they're ready for their first interview. For interior design students, however, the expectation is higher and the load heavier... literally. Some portfolio cases are cumbersome enough to demand an immediate visit to the chiropractor. Figuratively speaking, however, there is most definitely a weighty burden on creative types when interviewing. So what's a brand new design graduate to do? Hopefully the myriad of design schools out there are - at the very least - offering Portfolios, Presentations & Interviewing 101, but students are hungry for real world CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=11 Everyday, we walk through crowds of people, greeting and smiling at them as we go. They appear 'normal,' yet statistics indicate that any one of them could be someone who is either cognitively challenged or is a caregiver of someone who is. Whether a child who is a near drowning victim, a teenager with Asperger Syndrome, an executive recovering from traumatic brain injury or an individual suffering from Alzheimer's disease, all need special consideration when planning and designing spaces. Understanding the different causes and resulting behaviors of brain injury or dis-ease, helps the design professional apply the researched best practices to create environments that will not cause agitation and will increase the quality of life of their clients. What are the main condi-tions causing cognitive dysfunction and the statistics associated with them? Let us examine some of them. Tommy is a four year old near drowning victim. Near drowning is considered to be an acquired brain injury CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=10 Poor Sheila. She sat at her desk and shook her head. Sheila wanted to retire to Italy with Tony. They had honeymooned in Venice, and spent twenty years dreaming of a Palladian villa for their "golden" years. They had fifteen more years before Sheila turned sixty-five. But, business had been really good lately, and they thought they might want to retire earlier. Sheila couldn't understand why she hadn't been able to sell her business. She only wanted $1.5 million for her thriving practice. It seemed so reasonable. But, no one seemed even mildly interested, after almost a year of discrete discussions. She had asked several friends and acquaintances what they thought was the reason...and, people either dodged the question, or shrugged their shoulders. Her accountant had told her it was unlikely she would be able to sell the business, but she didn't think he understood what a great reputation she had. She just had to get an informed and honest opinion. She knew Marty would be dire CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=9 What is our responsibility to our clients when specifying textiles and materials beyond the de-sign concept? Last year education-works introduced a new course called, "Fibers, Fabrics and the Whole Cloth". It is a 4 hour CEU that looks at textiles and materials in a whole new light. It was my privilege and pleasure to research and write the class. A part of the class concerned current fabric issues and part was devoted to New and Emerging Textiles. Believe me, it was an eye opening research experience. Coupled with the recent ASID National Conference in San Diego with an emphasis on Biomimickry, we thought you might be interested in what issues we must be concerned with regarding textiles and materials today and what solutions may be around the corner. A recent survey by Kansas State University showed that Interior designers must identify and analyze many variables when they select and specify textiles. Because we have infinite choices today, the specification of the proper textile CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=8 The long awaited changes to the ADA Guidelines have finally been completed. The Access Board published the new guidelines on July 23, 2004. However don't think that the wait is over. The Department of Justice still must adopt these standards before they become part of any building codes. That can be a lengthy process as well. The DOJ is currently accepting comments until May 31, 2005, which is the first step in the process. Studies of cost analysis and impact analysis on existing structures will need to take place before the new guidelines are adopted. So does this mean business as usual? Yes and no. Any designer that has used the existing guidelines will be thrilled with the new format and expanded explanation. The new look includes new diagrams, most in a larger format, as well as, charts that indicate the percentage of accessible spaces required for telephones, drinking fountains, hotel rooms, check out aisles, etc. for commercial buildings. Every section has been expanded to in CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=7 In our everyday practice of interior design our income simply comes from two sources; goods and services. It seems so simple but how does it become so cloudy? No matter how long I have practiced as a residential interior designer, discussions around this topic generate intense interest, debate and confusion. My goal with this article is to add clarity by addressing some strategies from my personal journey and share some tools that other designers provided me along the way. A number of years ago, a sage remarked that potential clients come to us because they are unable to create the `design concept'. They know or think they know what outcome is desired but lack this particular skill set. The buying part is secondary as the primary goal is the design. Thus, my first rule is to charge for your concept. Use an agreement to spell out scope of work to be completed in developing the concept. I like to define our language using the terms: Design designate placement, size, scale, style/sh CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=6 In lieu of the feature article this month, we wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about a new feature we are adding to designerEsources and we need your help to bring it about. We will return the feature article next month with an article on Fees and Compensation. We know you will look forward to it. Now, to the feature we want to add. A number of years ago at an ASID National Conference, I attended a panel discussion involving a number of past national presidents. The panel discussion was: "How To Use and Abuse ASID". It was a catchy title and one of the most highly attended events of that conference. It dealt with how to use your ASID membership to extend your knowledge, your personal network and to generally get more out of your membership. As each past president spoke, it was very apparent that they each felt their membership in ASID and intense involvement had given them much more than they had given to the Society. I have always believed that myself. From my 35 year CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=5 When creating a design for our clients, how many of us think about how well that design will work for the client 10 years from now or more? I am not talking specifically about the "decorative" aspects such as color, fabrics, window treatments, etc.. I am talking about specifications for appliances, plumbing fixtures, furniture, and the space planning itself --- both within each area and also in the layout of the entire home or office. Thinking in "Unlimited Design" terms, gives us an additional niche in the design world. It can create additional opportunities with existing clients --- which we know is a more productive marketing ploy than just concentrating on increasing your client base. These are people with whom you have already established a relationship. What a gift we can give our clients by creating spaces that "age" gracefully, that are unlimited by the possible physical limitations of the clients as they grow older. Or maybe that "gift" is the creation of spaces that easily CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=4 When design professionals ask me why they should take continuing education courses, or complain about their states having CEU requirements, I have to take a moment before responding, "How can you afford not to continue learning?" The design professional's world has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. With the enactment of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), the increased aging of the U.S. population, the constant and rapid changes in resources, and technological advances, it is impossible to maintain a viable practice without taking time to educate oneself on these complicated areas of knowledge. In order to maintain a competitive edge, design professionals must embrace the technologies their clients and competitors are using. It is a new business world out there, and knowledge of computers and software and the Internet are the keys to that world. These technologies are driving the professional harder and faster than ever before. The days are gone when a designer could CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=3 To define the problem, consider this look at the workplace today. Companies pressured to increase stockholder returns, place demands on their workforce to increase productivity. Employees are frequently asked to perform their job, and that of a laid off co-worker. 80% of workers, when surveyed, say they feel stressed on the job, and nearly half say they need help learning to manage stress. The World Health Organization states that stress has become a worldwide epidemic. In 2002, 75% of visits to primary care providers were for health problems related to stress. Workers in the United States spend more hours of their average day at work than in any other country. It is not unusual for employees to be evaluated, at least in part, by the numbers of hours they spend at work. Employers are concerned about issues of cost. In a study conducted by Gallup Poll in 2000, employer's concerns about the health of their workforce included issues of absenteeism, employee retention, and improving CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=2 From the VCR, cell phone and digital cameras to smart textiles, the computer, the Internet and CAD, technology touches all our lives on a daily basis. For those of us born before the technology revolution, it is both a blessing and a curse. We seem to have to be in the learning process all over again. Is it worth the time it takes to learn how to use all these new products? A number of years ago, I decided to look at technology from that standpoint. How much time and money could I save vs. how much time and money it cost me to purchase the equipment and learn to use it. I remembered that at the age of 15 I had to learn to drive a car. It took some time and, I am sure, some years off my Father's life. But, today I can go at my leisure, not dependent on someone else to take me somewhere in their timeframe. That learning process was critical to my freedom. And, while the automobile is a complex technical wonder, the only thing I needed to know or still need to know is where to put the CONTINUED... http://www.designeresources.com/newsletter_article.jsp?article_id=1 First, you might ask yourself why you even need a lighting professional. You're creative and a pretty good lighting designer yourself and frankly there are a lot of folks calling them selves lighting designers who are not that qualified. Besides, if and when you need help with your lighting, you can always call your sales representative or go down to the local lighting showroom and get free advice. This is very common approach, cost effective and works for most projects. However, what appears to be a cost savings could really be an illusion. Think of it as saving money by doing you own taxes. Sure, you can do it and most of us can do a pretty good job but what if you overlooked that one thing that made a difference between saving and costing money. Professional independent lighting designers dedicate their career exclusively to the art and science of lighting. They work closely with you to develop your ideas and guide you through the technology maze. With a lighting professional on CONTINUED...