Expanding Your Client Offerings and Working in Multiple Design Markets

Gaining experience in a variety of design projects and markets can help you achieve stability in your career as a designer.

by Joe Cooper
Interior Design School Search Columnist

This veteran design duo’s career path serves as a good example for new designers and design students. While it takes many years to gain the experience that large projects require, staying active in multiple types of markets and expanding your client offerings can lead to success in your career.

The interior design team of Georgia O’Mary and Janie Millican of Indian County, New York, has achieved success in their careers thanks to a few essential strategies.

A recent article in Indian County Today highlights how attention to detail has earned them both a growing clientele and the opportunity to work on larger, emerging design projects in their area. But it’s more than just a critical attention to detail. The two designers have also employed other important interior design career strategies.

Interior Decorating, Too

For an upcoming project, the two designers are working on a resort property, designing floorplans, lighting, and much more. They are also weighing in on other aspects of the project that normally fall under interior decorating, like the types of ironing boards and hair dryers to be included in guest rooms.

Expertise in interior decorating can go hand-in-hand with interior design, and can offer designers more opportunity for involvement when working on projects. It also helps to diversify your offerings if you work as an independent designer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that roughly 30% of interior designers work as independent contractors with competition in the field as their major challenge.

Working in Multiple Markets

In addition to their design business, O’Mary and Millican also own a luxury furnishings business that specializes in office and hospitality merchandize. Their dual-pronged approach to design keeps them active in both retail and client markets, which affords them income stability.

About author

Joe Cooper writes home services and design articles and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor’s in American Literature from UCLA.

Source(s)

Indian Country Today
“Interior Designers,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Posted on August 17, 2007 at 12:09 PM

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