Probably no one can say for sure how many designers exist today. The designer boom of recent years has brought a mass influx of very different people into the profession, each bringing their own vision of design, their own experience and their own taste. How, then, to make the choice of a designer, and what points should be kept in mind? This is what we will talk about below.
A designer’s work is closely connected with communication — and not only within their narrow professional circle, but mainly with people who have nothing whatsoever to do with design. And it is not so easy for these people to figure out at once what kind of designer fate has brought them, for designers can be so very different.
Choosing a designer: point one — decide on the specialization
When choosing a designer, bear in mind that there are three types of specialists in this field: architects, designers and decorators.
Architects
Architects are creative people with an engineering, technical cast of mind who have graduated from construction institutes or university faculties. Most of them are engaged exclusively in building design or urban planning; interior finishing is secondary for them and often does not fall within the sphere of their immediate professional interest at all. This milieu also produces specialists who, practising interior design, have made it their specialization.
Decorators
Decorators are often graduates of art and graphic faculties and institutes, theatre schools, or former attendees of various courses, including very superficial and short ones. The profession of decorator implies “decoration” (from the English decorate — to adorn) in the good sense of the word: a creative but predominantly aesthetic approach. When working with volume, the decorator actively uses colours, fabrics and objects, paying attention to finishes, wallpaper and furniture; they do not engage in replanning. A decorator can be useful when the plan is simply to freshen up the interior, to introduce changes without major construction work.
Designers
As for the designer, even professionals may have different understandings of this profession, and many are inclined to see the designer as exclusively a decorator. Precisely in order to make the choice of a designer easier, professionals have introduced new terminology, distinguishing the designer-architect (which is what I am) from the designer-decorator. This division became necessary because the design field has many professionals with narrow specializations. Yet primarily the designer is still a planner-designer (from the English design — engineer-designer), occupying an intermediate position between the architect and the decorator.
The designer-architect works, first of all, with spatial planning solutions, striving to fully realize the necessary functionality of each room in the project and to use the possibilities of the object effectively. He must have an understanding of many construction matters — for example, competently design an additional storey or a staircase, take into account the requirements of engineering networks (say, sewerage, ventilation, a built-in vacuum cleaner) and fire-safety regulations — and at the same time “see” the interior in colours and textures, striving to create a certain mood in it. Therefore, in addition to working drawings, the designer-architect will select everything necessary for a full-fledged interior, be it door handles, furniture or planters with plants. Ideally, his creative view of the object is very practical, so the interiors should be more convenient and thought-through. How this is done in practice can be learned in the Services section.
For the designer-decorator, aesthetics come first (sometimes at the expense of functionality). He looks at the interior with the eyes of an artist, and the changes necessary for that interior he introduces with decorator’s techniques, predominantly by decorating it and avoiding serious replanning.
A friend of mine was on business at a design company and happened to catch the first meeting about a new commission. Two designers stand over the drawings arguing, pointing at something: is it a window or a door — it turned out they could not read drawings. And the discussion of the design concept went in this vein: “I recently saw a fabric, I liked it so much, let’s take it for the curtains.” Or: “I see the walls here in lilac...” Any comments are superfluous.
When choosing a designer, bear in mind that they also differ in the depth and seriousness of their training, which may take place within the walls of a higher institution or a college. Besides, one can “learn to be a designer” on various courses lasting from 1 to 3 months.
It is also worth noting that nowadays people with no special education or experience at all position themselves as designers — for example, feng shui specialists or people who build 3D pictures, who have worked in design or architecture companies.
Probably I am not the only one who has found himself in a situation where a would-be designer has “contrived” something overly “brilliant” that he cannot fix himself, and invites another designer for help. Here is one of the examples. Several years ago an acquaintance of mine turned to me. His wife had finished design courses and immediately started work; my colleagues and I were greatly amused by her statement that she builds for oligarchs. So, in the apartment of one of her oligarchs a mishap occurred. According to the author’s idea, the builders erected something like a pool in the middle of one of the rooms. And when this structure was already finished, one of the builders asked the designer: how will water get in here, and where will the drain be? As you have already understood, she had simply not thought about it. It had not occurred to her that all this needed to be calculated, and that it was her direct responsibility. That apartment had very many such misunderstandings. One could only feel sorry for the hapless client who had trusted her.
Choosing a designer: point two — check work experience
As in any profession, experience — and therefore the number and character of the projects already completed — plays an enormous role. Because every project is complex work: in its course numerous nuances arise that must be taken into account or overcome. Sometimes the designer has to make important decisions on the spot, hold urgent consultations, including by phone; without accumulations and skills, it is simply impossible to successfully resolve the mass of daily problems that arise during a remodel.
Experience helps one flexibly find a way out of difficult situations connected with relations with clients — where to stand one’s ground and where to give in in order to achieve the necessary result.
One client of mine, starting work on her apartment, enrolled in design courses. A lot of attention was paid there to colours, and when the moment came to choose paint for the rooms, she decided she would do it herself. The shade I proposed seemed too boring to her. I gave in, suggesting we try making test patches of her variant. When the paint was applied to a section of the wall, everything became clear — it would not do at all. She decided to abandon it and proposed another. We bought another can and made a test patch; the result was the same — the paint looked terrible. By the end of this story, we had a whole collection of “rejected” shades, and the entire windowsill was crowded with cans. After so many unsuccessful trials, her choice finally fell on the shade I had proposed at the very beginning. That shade took into account the lighting of the room, its size, shape, the chosen style and mood. When the test patch was made, it became obvious to everyone — it fitted. I must say that after this story my authority in her eyes rose sharply: she readily accepted my proposals and even invited me to give lectures at her courses, no longer flaunting the knowledge she had gained there.
For a designer, the ability to perceive the interior in a special way is very important — when the author does not copy ready-made solutions but truly works individually, for specific people and a specific space. Experience of non-trivial solutions gives the designer boldness, develops his talent and makes his work, from the point of view of the final result, truly interesting.
Besides, when choosing a designer, remember that he must have taste and a sense of measure, which help him create interiors that stay relevant for many years. The solutions chosen for each specific case must be logical and appropriate, so that they do not look contrived or alien to the clients, to the building itself and its surroundings. One must find a fine line between design for a person and design for design’s sake. Unfortunately, the youthful, immature striving for novelty and the attempts to create something no one has thought of yet can be so absorbing that pragmatism — the main trait of a good designer — takes a back seat.
Choosing a designer: point three — assess the skills
A designer must absolutely have taste — this is an innate quality that is hard to assess at first sight. But the skills of visualizing his solutions the designer must demonstrate at once. Most often, computer programs are used for this purpose nowadays; specialists who do not master them are probably no longer to be found. Therefore, the skill of working with an editor cannot be decisive for the choice of a designer. Perhaps for this reason, manual work is especially valued among professionals.
Hand graphics help the designer to clearly imagine volume and space, and they make a good impression when choosing a designer, as many people have already become oversaturated with drawings produced in AutoCAD and other editors. The client has come to understand that having learned programs, a person does not necessarily become an architect or a designer. In my experience, foreigners are especially delighted with hand-made materials: for them it is a sign of good schooling and the highest professionalism. In other words, work made by hand shows that you are dealing with a real designer — you see his characteristic “handwriting”, his manner — and therefore you are convinced that the works in his portfolio were indeed done by him. Computer drawings lack individuality.
But besides that, a person who can sketch an idea in a minute is able to quickly show his intent to the client, the salon manager and sometimes even the builder — even if he has no AutoCAD, ArchiCAD or 3D Max at hand, only a pencil and a sheet of paper.
To confirm my point, I will give an example read on a forum. A design company was hiring, and a man came to apply for a job. But by profession he turned out to be a doctor! During the crisis, at an employment centre, he had been advised to learn ArchiCAD, with which he could work as a designer. As you understand, he was not hired.
Choosing a designer: point four — study the portfolio
Most design specialists have a portfolio. It presents the projects with which a potential client choosing a designer can become acquainted. A portfolio is more than just a business card or a “report on work done”. The design and presentation of the material says a great deal about the specialist — his style, skills and taste. So, having carefully studied the designer’s portfolio, you can learn a lot about him. A portfolio can be made as an album or placed on an Internet resource.
However convenient and vivid the portfolio may be, this way of presenting information still has a drawback. When choosing a designer, leafing through his album or sitting on the website, it can be difficult to verify whether all the works collected in it have actually been implemented. Beginning designers often fill their portfolios with 3D pictures — not of real but of imagined projects — to create the appearance of experience. So it is worth estimating how many projects per year the specialist you are inviting does, and how realistic that is.
Plagiarism is also not rare — when works belonging to another designer, domestic or foreign, are put into a portfolio.
Here is another true story. A novice came to a company specializing in design and construction to apply for a job. He brought his portfolio, and when they leafed through it, among the long string of projects they found several of their own, which the hapless applicant had downloaded from the Internet without bothering to remember whose information, photos and 3D he had “borrowed”.
When choosing a designer, many pay attention to magazine publications, which can also be part of a portfolio. But one should remember that this is essentially advertising: projects are not selected by the editorial board for any outstanding qualities but are simply placed for a corresponding fee.
Choosing a designer: point five — is fast good or bad?
Probably you too have heard radio advertising that promised the clients of a design firm four interior design options in four days. How seriously can one take work done hastily?
Work on an interior requires time, reflection and a serious weighing of possible options. Sometimes instantaneous inspirations occur, and wonderful ideas come literally at the very beginning of the creative process. But even they need to be brought “up to condition” and analysed, so as not to show the client “raw”, unpolished material. Therefore, I am an opponent of such hasty work — although these are not always proposals actually made quickly. Some companies simply use ready-made options, adapting them to the premises offered, which the client choosing a designer does not know. In any case, such an approach is disrespect for the client and his expenses.
Aleksey Kuzmin, http://kuzmin-pro.ru/
