Changing the Portrayal of the Interior Designer

There's no doubt that all the spotlight attention that the media has put interior designers made "Interior Design" a household name the truth is Interior Design originates from decorating but has grown to be its own identity. So let me be clear Interior Decorator is not an Interior Designer. The way the media portrays the interior design profession, causes confusion about the difference between interior designers and interior decorators.

TV shows and magazines, give the impression that Interior Design is simplistic enough for any average person to perform, or pricey, elaborate and intended only for high-end residential clients. The problem is that the media does not know how to show the difference between both and now interior designers in all disciplines, including corporate, healthcare and retail are left with the responsibility with distinguishing themselves from decorators and explaining their qualifications. The website of The United States Department of Labor has a list of an Interior Designers Duties which include:

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/interior-designers.htm#tab-2

 

Duties

Interior designers typically do the following:

·         Determine the client’s goals and requirements of the project

·         Consider how the space will be used and how people will move through the space

·         Sketch preliminary design plans

·         Specify materials and furnishings, such as lighting, furniture, wallcoverings, flooring, equipment, and artwork

·         Prepare final plans using computer applications

·         Create a timeline for the interior design project and estimate project costs

·         Oversee installing the design elements

·         Visit after the project to ensure that the client is satisfied

·         Search for and bid on new projects

When looking up the definition of an Interior designer in the NCIDQ website everything becomes clear. However, when looking up the definition of an Interior Designer in the dictionary decorator come up. It is up to us to make the distinguishing difference and make the NCIDQ definition clear everyone including the media.

 

http://www.ncidq.org/

Interior design is a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. These solutions are functional, enhance the quality of life and culture of the occupants and are aesthetically attractive. Designs are created in response to and coordinated with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements, and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that fulfills the project goals.

Ethics in Design

Ethical behavior is a system of moral principles

Professionalism and ethical behavior in the workplace can benefit your career and improve your working environment. Business ethics is what constitute right or wrong behaviors in the business world and the application of moral principles to any situations that may arise in an industry setting.

 Understanding examples of professional and ethical behavior can help you to develop your own effective work habits. Be conscious of how you treat co-workers and your workplace attitude and you can improve your productivity and effectiveness.

Unethical behavior can emerge when people are motivated by self-interest, when people become careless, or they just might not see any harm in their behavior. As an Interior Designer to have good ethical behavior we need to know where our boundaries lie in terms of what is acceptable to our colleagues, ours customers, and the communities that we work in. This in turn becomes our code of ethics were integrity, honesty, being accountable, being equal, being aware of our obligations, and upholding good values come into play.  As designer our ethical behavior shows our clients that we respect them and that we have their best interest in mind. As designers we have an obligation to protect the public health and safety and this is our ethical behavior.