Occupational Profile
Interior Designers

Job Description
Plan, design, and furnish interiors of residential, commercial, or industrial buildings. Formulate design which is practical, aesthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity, selling merchandise, or improving life style. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.
Interests
The Arts - High scorers on The Arts scale usually:
- prize independence
- enjoy creative activities such as music, writing, entertainment, and art
- appreciate the artistic works of others in museums, theatres, and books
- actively seek opportunities for self expression
Business - Business people usually:
- see themselves as skilled with words
- seek careers where they can lead others
- enjoy convincing others to think the way they do
- can persuade others to buy their products
Crafts - High scorers on the Crafts scale usually:
- prefer to work with tools and objects rather than with people and words
- like to build things
- want to see practical results from their work
- enjoy mechanical activities
- like work that requires physical strength
Tasks
People in this occupation usually engage in these work activities:
1. Estimate material requirements and costs, and present design to client for approval.
2. Confer with client to determine factors affecting planning interior environments, such as budget, architectural preferences, and purpose and function.
3. Advise client on interior design factors such as space planning, layout and utilization of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination.
4. Select or design, and purchase furnishings, art works, and accessories.
5. Formulate environmental plan to be practical, esthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity or selling merchandise.
6. Subcontract fabrication, installation, and arrangement of carpeting, fixtures, accessories, draperies, paint and wall coverings, art work, furniture, and related items.
7. Render design ideas in form of paste-ups or drawings.
8. Plan and design interior environments for boats, planes, buses, trains, and other enclosed spaces.
Skills
People in this occupation usually describe themselves as having these abilities:
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Knowledge
People in this occupation usually describe themselves as having education or training in these areas:
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Instructional Programs
Wages
In 2016, the US annual wage range for Interior Designers was between:
$36,760 - $68,340

Outlook
It is anticipated that in 2022, employment for Interior Designers will number 61,900.
There will be an increase of 700 new positions annually (1.28%). This means that this occupation is growing about as fast as average.
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