ABOUT DESIGNERS AND DESIGN COMPANIES
As in any profession or industry Designers and Design Companies come in all manner of types, sizes and experience. From an individual designer working on his own to a major design organisation and all the many shapes and sizes between, the selection of which one to use must start with the nature of the project that the client wishes to use a designer on. Every project is unique in it’s own right and needs to be matched to a designer that is going to give you the best results.
An experienced designer is a very flexible and adaptable individual that has been trained in a very special way. Although we all see the designers work as visual result from a project brief there is a train of thought that has allowed this to happen. A designer is trained to think and to resolve problems first and their level of experience will allow them to conclude this in a visual way to produce a successful interpretation of the project brief.
For example, if you have a project, lets say – a Health Spa, but it could be a Book Shop or a Car Showroom or your Bedroom - you will probably be looking around for designers who have carried out very similar projects in the past and have lots of them to show in their portfolio. This is not necessarily the best way to find a designer for your project brief, be opened minded, a good designer should be able to apply themselves to any project even if they can not directly demonstrate they have carried out exactly the project you have in mind. The design process allows designers to work across a wide expanse of different project types and you should be looking at their overall ability rather than a persific to your project.
In looking for a design company you will no doubt come across term “multi-disciplined”, this will mean that they will not just specialise in a single area of design, but will offer and have experience across a number of different sectors of the design market. This is a consideration that may be relevant to your project – going back to the example of the Health Spar, in addition to Interior Design you may need Graphics, so a design company that offer both would give you a joined-up solution.
One thing to clear-up, the term “Interior Designer” these days means more than Interiors. Most Interior Designers undertake projects that cover the Total Project, which could entail exterior work, architectural building works, lighting design and services, project management etc, and if they have in-house Graphics may well cover Corporate Identity and Branding.
Most projects fall generally into Five main design groups which are then have sub categories, this could be expanded, but as a simple list these are:
Commercial Design – Retail Design, Office Design, Corporate Design.
Leisure Design – Hotel Design, Restaurant Design, Bar & Club Design, Spa Design.
Residential Design – Home Design, Building Refurbishment, Property Development.
Exhibition Design – Space Only Stand Design, Shell Scheme Design, Road Shows.
Graphic Design – Corporate Identity, Logo Design, Branding, Design for Print.
There are other groups of design, and they are not deliberately excluded, but these tend to be extremely specialised and do not full within our example i.e.; Product Design, Packaging Design, Furniture Design. The true multi-disciplined design company will have developed it studio in such a way that there is cross fertilisation between the disciplines combining 3D and 2D together to give a complete design identity to any project.
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HOW DO YOU FIND A GOOD DESIGNER
Personal recommendations are always good, but remember, the Designer has designed for the person who gave you the recommendation, so even their project is not to your taste this does not necessarily mean that the Designer cannot design to your taste. If they were satisfied that the Designer produced a solution that matched their brief, then this Designer would more than likely be able to satisfy your project requirements.
Web Sites are a good way of looking at a Designers portfolio of work without making direct contact. Use the search engines and try and track Designers that are within the broad area to where you live. It is no good having a Designer from Scotland if you live in Kent and vice a verse!
Local Directories / Yellow Pages is a way of getting names of designers in your area, but try and find a web address to view their work before making contact. Be aware of companies that call themselves Interior Designers, but are really Home Furnishers and are only interested in selling you wallpaper and curtains from their shop.
Professional Bodies such as The Chartered Society of Designers have registers of designers in your area and can be contacted for a list. They also have a web site at you could visit. The Chartered Society of Designers is a body that vets individual designers to make sure they meet a set professional standard, it starts with a student quantification “Diploma Member” and then “Member” (MCSD), and the highest level is “Fellow” (FCSD) and you should look for these two qualifications from your Designer.
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ABOUT HOME INTERIOR DESIGN
Home Interior Design is not to be confused with Home Interior Decoration, as this tends to be only a skin-deep treatment to give a style change or “make-over” to a property. Home or Domestic Interior Design is a much more fundamental approach to the way you live in a property and how a building can be made to work for the individuals needs.
Interior Designers who specialize in Home Design can be viewed as Interior Architects, and their abilities should cover building and architectural work to a property included minor/major structural alterations and even building extensions etc. All the technical services that make up a building will be undertaken by the Designer; Electrics, Lighting, Plumbing, Heating and Ventilation. They will cover all the “decoration” elements, colours, finishes and furnishings, but this is not necessarily the starting point for a project, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Staircases etc are the core planning elements that can structurally and technically change a buildings layout.
Many Clients only have a very basic idea of what they wish from a project and it is the Designers role to gain information and drawer out of the Client the detail of their requirements, which will form the project brief. This can be a very personal experience with the Designer asking questions on how you live now and changes you wish to make to your life style. Be as open as you can as this forms the bases for the starting point of any new design, remember, that the Designer is designing for you and not them selves, so they need to know how you tick!
For most Clients they really enjoy this consultation, as this may be the first time that they have truly thought about their life style and what they really need from the project, apart from a floor, walls and ceiling. A good Designer will have the talents of a “pick pocket”, you will not know that so much information has been taken from you until you see the first concept design, and then you will realise that the smallest details have been included that reflects you and your life style.
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ABOUT RETAIL DESIGNERS
Retail Design has evolved as specialised service generally from Interior Design, Architecture and Graphic Design and depending on the services offered under the Retail banner will be a combination of these disciplines or more. Some Retail Designers can offer Architectural support while others may have a stronger background in Branding and Identity, but generally all will be able to cover a wide scope of work to provide the Retail Client with a complete Retail Design solution. In addition, most designers offer Project Management or Supervision of their own work and should be experienced with the contractual procedures required to undertake the project through to completion.
In the creation of any retail environment the fundamentals of the building infrastructure needs to be considered along with the principles of a good customer layout and retail sales facilities. The Shopfitting equipment is equally important in its ability of being flexible to different product types, seasonal changes, usability, serviceability, and its visual sales enhancement of the product. Retail Designers will both specify a current Shopfitting System that is used as standard or adapted and customise it to give a more individual look to the retail outlet; this is all subject to the project brief and budget. When the opportunity arises from particular projects, Designers will design bespoke retail systems and equipment that is completely unique for the retail offer, giving it a truly individual “designer look”.
Lighting always plays an important part of any interior, but is imperative in the retail environment to enable the products to be presented in the best possible way to the customer and to encourage purchase. In addition to the general ambient and display lighting a well crafted lighting layout can aid customer flow throughout the retail space and at the shopfront should give maximum impact and “pulling power”. Retail Designers will either generate their own retail lighting scheme for a project or use a Lighting Consultant to assist them in providing the a more sophisticated lighting solution.
The materials and finishes used throughout any retail interior need to be well considered not only as to their ascetic quality but also there durability, the retail environment is a harsh one and areas such as flooring need to be selected with the day to day maintenance and long term performance very much in mind. Your designer needs to take these factors into account when specifying finishes.
The exterior appearance of any retail outlet is extremely important and your Retail Designer will give this area of design a lot of attention not only in its 3D form but also the use of 2D graphics and signage to present the retail brand externally. The designer will also use graphic devises internally in a decorative manner, in addition to the retail communication graphics with point of sale and directional signage. Most retail designers undertake graphics in-house as part of a total retail design service; however some designers may out-source the graphic element of a project and this can work just as equally as well as being all under one roof.
The practical implementation of any design work requires the retail designer to have a broad technical knowledge of manufacture and construction processes across a wide range of trade disciplines, materials and finishes. Any visual design needs to be backed up with working drawings and written specification to ensure both implementation and cost control of a project.
Not all projects are complete retail interior & exterior projects; the design of merchandise units to fulfil a particular retail brand promotional function is well within the scope of the retail designers abilities. Also retail concessions within department stores etc are projects that the retail designers become involved in frequently, these projects being a manifestation of a retailers brand in a small space, but requiring the same well designed impact that you get from a full shop design.
Although Retail Designers are not Retailers, they should have experience, understanding and knowledge of the fundamentals of Retailing. This can be of great benefit to the Client as it gives an outside view of the business that covers so much more than just the image. In selecting a Retail Designer the project brief will establish what kind of service you require from them, and it will be down to the Designers to demonstrate how well matched they are or not to the project when submitting their fee proposal. The fee proposal should not just tell you how much it is going to cost to employ them, but also their understanding of the project brief and the scope of work they recommend the project demands and how this is covered in their services.
You will know doubt be looking very closely at the Designers portfolio of work to find the connection with your own project brief, however, you are advised to look outside your field of retailing and experience in what the Designer has undertaken for others. If for instance you have a Shoe Shop you wish to be designed, don’t just look for Designers that have done lots of Shoe Shops, you could be missing out. There could be a Designer that is just right for the project with lots of experience and talent in other areas of retail, but has not done a Shoe Shop – yet! When it comes down to it, a good Retail Designer can design to anything, it matters very little if it is cans of beans or frilly underwear the principles of good Retail Design sweep across the whole retail sector.
Once you have chosen and engaged your Designer use them as part of your Retail Team!
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ABOUT RESTAURANT & BAR DESIGNERS
Restaurant & Bar Design (Leisure Design) has evolved as specialised service generally out of Retail Design and Hotel Design, it also has links to Graphic Design for corporate identity of projects and Design Companies may offer a combination of all these disciplines. Some Restaurant & Bar Designers can offer Architectural support while others may have a stronger background in Branding and Identity, but generally all will be able to cover a wide scope of work to provide the Restaurateur and Bar owner with a complete Design service solution. In addition, most designers offer Project Management or Supervision of their own work and should be experienced with the contractual procedures required to undertake the project through to completion.
When necessary, Restaurant & Bar Designers will probably have links with an independent Catering Consultant that can advise on behind the scenes operational matters and Kitchen layout details. This can also be carried out with a Catering Equipment supplier, but remember they may try and sell you unnecessary expensive equipment rather than good independent advice. The same advice also goes for Kitchen & Restaurant Ventilation, use your Restaurant & Bar Designer and Catering Consultant rather than a Ventilation Company to design your system. If you already have a Chef on board, include them in the design briefing.
Although Restaurant & Bar Designers are not Restaurateurs, they should have experience, understanding and knowledge of the fundamentals of Catering Design. This can be of great benefit to the Client as it gives an outside view of the catering business that covers so much more than just the image. In selecting a Designer the project brief will establish what kind of service you require from them, and it will be down to the Designers to demonstrate how well matched they are or not to the project when submitting their fee proposal. The fee proposal should not just tell you how much it is going to cost to employ them, but also their understanding of the project brief and the scope of work they recommend the project demands and how this is covered in their services.
You will know doubt be looking very closely at the Designers portfolio of work to find the connection with your own project brief, however, you are advised to look outside your field of catering and experience in what the Designer has undertaken for others. If for instance you have a French Restaurant you wish to be designed, don’t just look for Designers that have done lots French Restaurants, you could be missing out. There could be a Designer that is just right for the project with lots of experience and talent in other areas of catering, but has not done a French Restaurant– yet! When it comes down to it, a good Restaurant & Bar Designer can design to anything, it matters very little if it is Modern Bar or Traditional Restaurant the principles of good Restaurant & Bar Design sweep across the whole catering sector.
Once you have chosen and engaged your Designer use them as part of your Catering Team!
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ABOUT WORKPLACE & OFFICE DESIGNERS
Workplace Design, traditionally known as Office Design has evolved as specialised service generally from Interior Design and Architecture and depending on the services offered will be a combination of these two main disciplines or more. Some Workplace Designers can offer Architectural support while others may have a stronger background in Furniture and Computer Services, but generally all will be able to cover a wide scope of work to provide the Client with a complete Workplace Design solution. In addition, most designers offer Project Management or Supervision of their own work and should be experienced with the contractual procedures required to undertake the project through to completion.
The range of project types now in this market has grown considerably; where once only large corporate head offices would employ a designer, now even the smallest of businesses want a well designed working environment. Projects are not only office based, any place where people work can benefit from input of the designer. All types of Commercial and Industrial facilities now turn to the Workplace Designer to effect not only a pleasant working environment, but efficient and agronomic designed layouts for warehousing, production and manufacturing plants. The Computerisation of the workplace requires preplanning of services, networks etc and the designer will factor these elements in to the design.
With changing legislation to the working environment the Designer will take into account the many requirements for Health & Safety that needs to be adopted in the modern place of work; including Electrical & Lighting, Heating & Ventilation, Fire Prevention & Means of Escape, Disabled Access and Welfare Facilities etc. Many Workplace projects result from a business office requiring to relocation to new premises and the designer can assist very early on in the feasibility of relocating existing furniture, desking and equipment etc into the new premises layout, and to establish a specification of the new work and supplies required.
You may turn to Office Furniture & Desking supplier offering “free design”, but remember there is never anything for free; they are out to sell you lots of furniture and desking. A professional Workplace Designer will give you good independent advice across the complete spectrum of requirements that are required to undertake your project.
Although the Workplace Designers may not have direct knowledge of your particular business, they should have experience, understanding and knowledge of the fundamentals of Workplace Design across a wide range of business types. This can be of great benefit to the Client as it gives a wider outside view of the commercial world that covers so much more than just the areas that you are familiar and comfortable with. In selecting a Work Place Designer the project brief will establish what kind of service you require from them, and it will be down to the Designers to demonstrate how well matched they are or not to the project when submitting their fee proposal. The fee proposal should not just tell you how much it is going to cost to employ them, but also their understanding of the project brief and the scope of work they recommend the project demands and how this is covered in their services.
You will know doubt be looking very closely at the Designers portfolio of work to find the connection with your own project brief, however, you are advised to look outside your own business field and experience in what the Designer has undertaken for others. If for instance you have a Office you wish to be designed for your Shipping Company, don’t just look for Designers that have done lots of Shipping Company Offices, you could be missing out. There could be a Designer that is just right for the project with lots of experience and talent in other areas of office design, but has not done a Shipping Company – yet! When it comes down to it, a good Workplace or Office Designer can design anything, it matters very little if it is Food Production Factory or a City of London Finance Head Quarters the principles of good design sweep across the whole business and commercial sector.
Once you have chosen and engaged your Workplace Designer use them as part of your Business Team!
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ABOUT HEALTH SPA DESIGNERS
Health Spa Design has evolved as specialised service generally out of Leisure Design, Retail Design and Hotel Design, it also has links to Graphic Design for corporate identity of projects and Design Companies may offer a combination of all these disciplines. Some Spa Designers can offer Architectural support while others may have a stronger background in Branding and Identity, but generally all will be able to cover a wide scope of work to provide the Health Spa owner with a complete Design service solution. In addition, most designers offer Project Management or Supervision of their own work and should be experienced with the contractual procedures required to undertake the project through to completion.
Although Spa Designers are not Spa Operators, they should have experience, understanding and knowledge of the fundamentals of the Health Spa Business. This can be of great benefit to the Client as it gives an outside view of the catering business that covers so much more than just the image. In selecting a Designer the project brief will establish what kind of service you require from them, and it will be down to the Designers to demonstrate how well matched they are or not to the project when submitting their fee proposal. The fee proposal should not just tell you how much it is going to cost to employ them, but also their understanding of the project brief and the scope of work they recommend the project demands and how this is covered in their services.
You will know doubt be looking very closely at the Designers portfolio of work to find the connection with your own project brief, however, you are advised to look outside your field of experience in what the Designer has undertaken for others. If for instance you have a Spa you wish to be designed to an Oriental Theme, don’t just look for Designers that have done lots Oriental Theme Spas, you could be missing out. There could be a Designer that is just right for the project with lots of experience and talent in other areas of Spas, Leisure or Retail, but has not done Oriental Themed Spa – yet! When it comes down to it, a good Spa Designer can design to anything; it matters very little if it is Modern Spa or Traditional the principles of good Design sweep across the whole spa sector.
Once you have chosen and engaged your Designer use them as part of your Health Spa Team!
Lighting plays an important part of creating the right environment in any spa interior, your designer should be able to demonstrate to you that they have experience in lighting design and lighting control – the best interior in the world will not look anything unless it is lit correctly. It is extra important for spas as the whole spa experience for the customer can be destroyed if atmosphere is not conducive to the treatment being given. In addition to creating the working lighting for a spa, there is also the area of lighting for colour therapy which form part of the health spar treatment and experience. Your design needs to know the fundamentals of colour therapy and provide a programmable system as a room or stand along installation.
As a client you may wish your health spar to be planned and design to Feng Shui traditions, your design should be able to accommodate you with this request, they may not fully undertake Feng Shui as a in house service, but should have a Feng Shui Consultant available to them to assist in the design work.
THE VISION FOR YOUR SPA DESIGN
If you are at a planning stage of a new spa design you are probably looking at building a swimming pool and other water features as part of your construction. You should, however, consider building a floatation pool instead, which will greatly enhance the bathing experience and make your spa more appealing to consumers who are seeking a 'true spa therapy'. After all, the word 'spa' is derived from the latin 'sanitas per aqua' which means healing with mineral water.
DIFFERENTIATING YOUR SPA DESIGN
The spa sector worldwide is the fastest growing sector within the health and beauty industry and the introduction of floatation therapy instead of a traditional pool may give your spa the necessary competitive edge to attracting the 'health-seeking' consumer. Floatation and mineral healing goes back to the historical roots of spa therapy and it is a unique concept on which to design your modern pampering therapies is a sound way to differentiate your spa from traditional beauty clinics or "day spas" that offer pure pampering but no real spa therapy.
AQUABLITZ SPA THERAPY
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MUD, SALT AND SEAWEED THERAPIES
Mud, salt and seaweed spa treatments are the fastest growing hands-on treatment sector the spa industry.
DNA SPA DESIGN SERVICES offers a one-stop package for the creation of your mineral spa. This includes spa consultancy, conceptual design, project management and build.
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ABOUT EXHIBITION DESIGNERS
Exhibition Design has evolved as specialised service generally from Interior Design and Graphic Design sector and depending on the services offered under the Exhibition banner may be a combination of these two disciplines or more. A true Exhibition Design Company is independent from any Exhibition Building Contractor; the Client employs the designer as a consultant and not to have any finical links to any contractors. The Exhibition Designer will probably have working links to a number of contractors that they use on a regular bases, and you should be able to ask your Designer to obtain costing for the build element of the project from a rang of contractors, basically to “tender” the project.
There are many Exhibition Design Companies that have been generated by an Exhibition Contractor as an “In-House” service, and their sole purpose is to feed the Exhibition Contractors with work. You may find that their design fee’s are low or even free – the reason for this is that they are subsidised by a Exhibition Contractor and they will be looking to recover the cost in the build price. There is no such thing as “free design” and you will not be able to “tender” the build element of the project.
Most Exhibition Designers will offer Graphic Design support and others may have a stronger background in Branding and Identity, but generally all will be able to cover a wide scope of work to provide the Client with a complete Exhibition Design solution. In addition, most designers offer Project Management or Supervision of their own work and should be experienced with the contractual procedures required to undertake the project through to completion.
Although a Exhibition Designers may not have had direct experience with your type of business before, they should have experience of the fundamentals of Exhibition Design to obtain a design brief from you to understand you business objectives. This can be of great benefit to the Client as it gives an outside view of the business that covers so much more than just the image. In selecting a Exhibition Designer the project brief will also establish what kind of service you require from them, and it will be down to the Designers to demonstrate how well matched they are or not to the project when submitting their fee proposal. The fee proposal should not just tell you how much it is going to cost to employ them, but also their understanding of the project brief and the scope of work they recommend the project demands and how this is covered in their services.
You will know doubt be looking very closely at the Designers portfolio of work to find the connection with your own project brief, however, you are advised to look outside your own business field and experience in what the Designer has undertaken for others. If for instance you wish to have a exhibition stand designed to promote your telecommunications business, don’t just look for Designers that have done lots of telephone exhibitions stands, you could be missing out. There could be a Designer that is just right for the project with lots of experience and talent in other areas, but has not carried out a telephone exhibition stand before – yet! When it comes down to it, a good Exhibition Designer can design to anything, it matters very little if it is for Financial Service Sector or Telecommunications the principles of good Exhibition Design sweep across the whole business sector.
Once you have chosen and engaged your Exhibition Designer use them as part of your Business Team!
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ABOUT GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Graphic Designers can offer a wide range of graphic services from the simple design of stationery to leaflets and brochures and also the more complex projects of Logo Generation, Branding and Identity.
Generally most Graphic Designers will be able to cover a wide scope of work to provide the Client with a complete Graphic Design solution. However, some designers may offer particular specialisations such as; Financial Reports, Advertising, Exhibition Design, 3D Signage, Point of Sale.
In addition, most designers offer Project Management or Print Management and they should be experienced with the practical and contractual procedures required to undertake the project through to completion on your behalf.
Although a Graphic Designer may not have direct experience, they should have the understanding and knowledge of the fundamentals of working with many types of business customers. This can be of great benefit to the Client as it gives an outside view of the business that covers so much more than just the image. In selecting a Graphic Designer the project brief will establish what kind of service you require from them, and it will be down to the Designers to demonstrate how well matched they are or not to the project when submitting their fee proposal. The fee proposal should not just tell you how much it is going to cost to employ them, but also their understanding of the project brief and the scope of work they recommend the project demands and how this is covered in their services.
You will know doubt be looking very closely at the Designers portfolio of work to find the connection with your own project brief, however, you are advised to look outside your field of retailing and experience in what the Graphic Designer has undertaken for others. If for instance you have a Travel Brochure you wish to be designed, don’t just look for Designers that have done lots of Travel Brochures, you could be missing out. There could be a Graphic Designer that is just right for the project with lots of experience and talent in other areas of business, but has not carried out a Travel Brochure – yet! When it comes down to it, a good Graphic Designer can design to anything, it matters very little difference if its designing a Logo say for a Solicitor or Signage of a Woman’s Fashion Shop the principles of good Graphic Design sweep across the whole Business sector.
Many Interior Designers that work in the Retail and Leisure sectors have Graphic as part of their Design Services. This works partially well where the project is 3D driven, such as Shop Design, in designing the retail environment to combine the 2D graphic image at the same time from the single design source results in a seamless and uniform identity. If you are about to commence a project that requires an Interior Designer, let them lead and control the graphic identity, don’t split it into two separate exercise with a Graphic designer as well. The one thing you should not do is to get your Graphic Designer to undertake a three dimensional Interior project, they may say they can do it, but working in Interior is a extremely specialised field that requires experience in working with technical and higher value projects.
Once you have chosen and engaged your Graphic Designer use them as part of your Business Team.
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