ADAC & ASID Student Day 2010

We hosted a group of Georgia design students for lunch today in the PierceMartin Atlanta showroom for  the ADAC & ASID Student Day.  We always love having the opportunity to meet and talk with the next generation of great designers. The students started the day with a keynote by Kerry Howard, Principal, Howard House Interiors and Top Design alumnus.

I wanted to create a handout for our group, and rather than just give them a flier (although there was an overview of our Allweather collection on the back), I wanted to create a list of tips - things that I would want to know if I were about to embark on my career journey as a designer.  I think these can really apply to anyone entering a creative field, and while none of it is earth-shattering I enjoy lists like these and I decided to share it here as well:

• Remember that your designs and the products that you use are your reputation.  Using quality products from trusted showrooms benefits your reputation and increases your clients’ satisfaction.

• Build connections within the industry early and often.  Being an active member of ASID is an excellent way to meet and build relationships with designers and suppliers.  Shop ADAC showrooms before you book clients, so you are ready on a moment’s notice when they ask you how you envision their space.

• Be true to your own style and design instincts.  If you like what you create, there is a good chance that other people will like what you create – now you just have to find them.

• Listen to your clients, learn their style, and incorporate it into their spaces.  Once your clients trust that you understand what they want, they will give you more freedom to create for them, and will call you again and again to do more work.

• Establish your online identity as a professional with your own domain, website, and blog.  Leverage your presence and connections on social media sites to tell the world about your talents.  Update your sites often.

• Build your portfolio, and take every opportunity to document projects and stages of progress.  No detail is too small, since someday it may be illustrative in communicating ideas and benefits to your clients.

• Study business, and the business of interior design.  Talking to your peers and fellow ASID members about business issues can help you face difficult business decisions, since there is good chance that they have faced the same issues.

• Solicit testimonials from satisfied clients.  Testimonials and word-of-mouth are the strongest form of advertisement that you can’t buy.

After lunch, the students attended a panel discussion with designers:

• Anne Vincent, ASID, Moderator
• Melanie Millner, ASID
• Andrew Harris, ASID
• Beri Hancock Irving, ASID
• Alison Levino-Jones, ASID
• Ann Wisniewski, ASID
• Phillip Jefferies, ASID

with each discussing their own area of specialty.  After the panel discussion, the students then explored ADAC further.

Thanks to our docents, Atlanta interior designers Linda Pittam of Pittam Associates, Inc. and Clair Pardo.  And thanks especially to the students!