U. S. Job Market for Interior and Other Professional Designers Remains Bright Through 2010 says Dept of Labor
by Paul Richard, RFC

Interior design employment prospects are bright in the United States, and brighter perhaps than some other areas of design work in America, this according to a jobs outlook report prepared by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Things seem to be booming all over the job spectrum from corporations, to the smaller design firms to government and quasi government organizations.

Jobs may be so plentiful in the interior design fields, that many, if not most, of the top interior design schools are telling incoming students they can almost guarantee job placement upon successful completion. Europe is also apparently experiencing a similar increase, and demand is high for students trained in American interior design schools. Companies and organizations all over the world are actively seeking newly qualified interior designers.

According to a report from U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics:

"Overall, the employment of designers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2010. In addition to those that result from employment growth, many job openings will arise from the need to replace designers who leave the field. Increased demand for industrial designers will stem from the continued emphasis on product quality and safety; the demand for new products that are easy and comfortable to use; the development of high-technology products in medicine, transportation, and other fields; and growing global competition among businesses. Demand for graphic designers should increase because of the rapidly increasing demand for Web-based graphics and the expansion of the video entertainment market, including television, movies, videotape, and made-for-Internet outlets. Rising demand for professional design of private homes, offices, restaurants and other retail establishments, and institutions that care for the rapidly growing elderly population should spur employment growth of interior designers.

The report stated that designers in America held about 492,000 jobs in 2000 (the latest year figures are available). About one-third were self-employed. Otherwise, employment of designers was distributed as follows:
Graphic designers 190,000
Floral designers 102,000
Merchandise displayers and window trimmers 76,000
Commercial and industrial designers 50,000
Interior designers 46,000
Fashion designers 16,000
Set and exhibit designers 12,000

A quality, professional education in design is essential for success. The Department of Labor further reports that: "Creativity is crucial in all design occupations; most designers need a degree, and candidates with a master's degree hold an advantage." (For more information on the programs available, click on one of the professional design schools listed on this site.  (Interior Design Schools).

The Labor department says that "Keen competition is expected for most jobs, despite projected faster-than-average employment growth, because many talented individuals are attracted to careers as designers." Its the quality education (many listed/linked here) that will give candidates an edge.

Some designers, all top authorities in their fields, were interviewed for an article that appeared in I.D. Magazine/October 2002, indicated that companies are hiring globally, however, many of them see students trained in the United States as having more traditional design skills. All seem to agree that most design schools are doing an adequate job of educating designers as designers and preparing them for exciting careers both here and abroad.

One designer who heads her own, successful firm recently described the job prospects for new designers as a "moveable feast" There seems to be plenty of work everywhere. Many designers who were quoted in the
same I.D. work for major corporations, and they seem to indicate a preference for students who come from schools that have a large number of their faculty members who are also practitioners. It seems that students who are exposed to teachers who are also in practice outside of school get better insight to the more practical, idea side of design as opposed to just becoming proficient in utilizing the tools of the trade, such as AutoCad.

Recruiters often talk about the students shortfall in their portfolios too. They'd like to see more pencils sketches of ideas and how they flow into a story of a product idea. Instead some students don't see their portfolios as a demonstration of their own ideas and thinking, and so they fill their résumé's with a focus on their skill at using the various tools over ideas.

Students and graduates, according to the article, who have not drifted from the free hand sketches are the ones who seem to catch the recruiters eye. "The portfolio that contains nothing but computer generated images doesn't provide the sense of emotion that a designer puts into an idea," was the observation of Seth Banks, a global designer for GE Medical Systems.

Learning also what to include and exclude form your portfolio is another outcome of a good design course. Mr. Banks thinks your portfolio "should read like a short story," he told I.D. Magazine. He continued saying "it needs to grab your attention, develop a plot in a very few pages and make you want to read more."

According to Ruth Levine, of Ruth Levine Designs, "An interior designer's key responsibilities are vision, understanding the client's brief, delivering beyond expectations and addressing the client's needs to create an aesthetically appealing and functional interior environment, on budget and on time. Interior designers need to work within a design, construction and marketing team to achieve our outcomes." Professional training is a fundamental requirement for a career in interior design. To get started now in a career in Interior Design, click on one of the school links.

"Interior designers are trained to create holistic solutions to the interior environment. They work from the inside out from planning, bricks and mortar, through to designing the furniture, the finishes and furnishings of interior spaces," Levine added.

Getting a good foundation in design is what its all about. Just going to a decorator's class doesn't cut it because you won't learn about essential things like building codes, engineering requirements or graphic design, all of which are critical to a successful career as an interior designer.

The Department of Labor's summary says: "Designers work in a number of different industries, depending on their design specialty. Most industrial designers, for example, work for engineering or architectural consulting firms or for large corporations. Most salaried interior designers work for furniture and home furnishings stores, interior designing services, and architectural firms. Others are self-employed and do free-lance work-full time or part time-in addition to a salaried job in another occupation. Set and exhibit designers work for theater companies; film and television production companies; and museums, art galleries, and convention and conference centers. Fashion designers generally work for textile, apparel, and pattern manufacturers; wholesale distributors of clothing, furnishings, and accessories; or for fashion salons, high-fashion department stores, and specialty shops."

For more help in getting started on your new career as an interior designer, click on one of the schools of interior design listed on this site.