The design process in action

In the following description of the major parts of the design process, the comments made earlier about its flexibility should be borne in mind; any or all of the actions described here could be adapted to suit individual projects. It will also become clear that the job of a designer actually involves a great deal of general administration work in addition to the design element of a project. When working as part of a large practice,this may not be especially apparent, as job roles will probably be tightly defined. In smaller companies, however, the designer may find themselves deeply involved in all aspects of the process.

Analysis

Analysis is relevant at two related but distinct parts of the project cycle: In the very earliest stages, before in-depth design work takes place, the designer will need to assess the scale and complexity of the project work to be undertaken.Th is will allow preliminary estimates to be made of the time
and resources needed to complete the project, and these will in turn provide a foundation upon which the designer can base a fee proposal. Part of the work at this stage will involve determining the scope of the project and the likely format and content of the presentation, as this will control, to a large degree, the amount of drawings and visuals that are prepared, all of which take time that will need
to be charged to the client.
Following this and once the client has agreed to the proposed design work being undertaken to reach the first presentation stage, the designer can take an in-depth brief from the client. Initial examination of the brief, allied to a general understanding of the project, will give the designer a starting point for further research. All of this work will lead to the second tranche of analysis, in which the designer is aiming to edit, distill and ultimately make sense of all the information that has been gathered. Some
of the information will relate to the practical aspects of the brief, some to the aesthetic, some of which could be contradictory in nature. Over time, the designer will become used to setting priorities and reaching a comfortable compromise with regard to conflicting information. It is very rare to find a project that does not need some element of compromise to succeed, but there is never one single way to deal with it. Each project must be looked at on its own merits, and decisions reached that reflect the unique nature of that project.
Once analysis is complete, conclusions regarding style and content of the project can be summarized by creating a concept. Th is will then be used to generate ideas and drive the project. Different methods of analysis and concept styles are looked at in greater detail in the next chapter.

By following a structure design process and by carefully considering the needs of their client, Project Orange have created a calm and reflective interior for this house in Suffolk, England.

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THE DESIGN PROCESS

‘Th e design process’ is a term that covers a set of operations which, when carefully undertaken by the designer, result in a thoroughly considered and well-craft ed design solution that meets the needs of the client. Th e process is not exclusive to interior design and, in one form or another, applies to all fields of design. Design might be seen as a largely linear activity, with a start point (at which the client makes first contact with the designer), and an end point, when the project has been implemented (that is, constructed or built). However, the reality is that within the process many of the individual tasks are interrelated and highly dependent upon one another, so changes to one element of a design solution will oft en require that earlier parts of the process are revisited and revised as appropriate. 

You should try to see the design process as a malleable one where the different tasks are adaptable to the unique nature of each project. Th e design process is not a standard ‘one size fits all’ solution, and you will need to develop your understanding of it so that you can see how it might be used to meet the needs of individual projects that you work on. 

Why become an interior designer?

Being an interior designer puts you in a privileged position. You are trusted by the client and, in the case of commissions by private clients, you have intimate access to their homes and way of life. You are given freedom to create spaces that will become an everyday part of their lives. You can propose radical planning solutions that may overturn preconceptions. According to the budget, you will source and curate all the elements that make up the interior space. You can select beautiful pieces of furniture, interesting and unusual finishes, and color schemes that together create drama, serenity, or whatever other mood the client wants for their space. For a creative personality all of this is satisfying in itself, but the problems that the global community will face through the coming decades off er lots of opportunities to try our creativity further. Climate change and population growth are causing problems that we need to address, and the solutions are almost all to do with the way that we lead our lives. Current ways of working and living will change, and whether theses changes turn out to be sudden and dramatic or slower and more subtle, changes in lifestyle will mean that designers are required to navigate new landscapes and propose alternative routes for clients to allow them to meet their commitments as part of the new global, responsible society, whilst still maintaining a sense of well being derived from their immediate surroundings. As well as these changes, there is a growing acceptance that the current condition of public and private spaces does not facilitate their use equally by all members of society. ‘Inclusive design’ answers this by considering the needs of all people during the design process, that is, anyone and everyone who may have call to use the space including children, the elderly, those carrying heavy or awkward loads, and so on.

What is interior design?

To be creative is part of the human psyche. It is one of those traits that set us apart from other animal species, and we have practiced it for millennia. Even when our prime need was to find food and shelter, we felt a desire to leave our mark on the environments that we inhabited. Whether this was to satisfy some deep spiritual calling or a method of passing on vital knowledge to fellow group members, or whether it was simply a way for an individual to satisfy an urge to leave his mark for future generations, we will never know. For just as long, people have turned inquisitive minds to ways of solving problems and dealing with the issues that have faced them in the struggle to survive: problems such as how to work more efficiently, how to live more comfortably and how to be safe from danger. Today, these primitive and fundamental indicators of human nature may be expressed in more sophisticated and developed ways, but the primal simplicity of our human desire to make a ‘bet er’ and more comfortable world for ourselves is evidenced through, among st other things, how we organised the spaces that we inhabit, and the aesthetic that we make for them. As we have become more affluent and blessed with more leisure time, style has become more important to us and is something with which we want to imbue our homes. But ‘style’ is a very personal notion, so why should anyone look to employ someone else, an interior designer, to tell them what is right? Why, for that Matt er, should you as a designer presume to impose your ideas upon a space that isn’t your own? Th e answer is this; interior design is about so much more than ‘what looks right’. It is about taking a holistic view of the way that individuals use and enjoy the spaces that they inhabit. It is about finding and creating a cohesive answer to a set of problems and dressing the solution so as to unify and strengthen our experience of the space. Many people understand this and that they do not have the necessary skills to tackle the job themselves. And so there is the need for professional interior designers.

Good interior design adds a new dimension to a space. 9 It can increase our efficiency in the way we go about our daily lives and it adds depth, understanding and meaning to the built environment. Th thoughtful and well-craft ed design makes a space easier to understand and experiencing such a space lift s the spirit, too. It is, therefore, not just about the aesthetic; it is a practical and philosophical discipline. Beautiful spaces betray a logical and rational questioning of the status quo and can be an honest attempt to find new and exciting ways to lead our lives. Th ere is oft en some confusion between the terms ‘interior architecture’, ‘interior design’ and ‘interior decoration’. What is the distinction between the different professions? In truth, the distinctions are not absolute. Where boundaries are drawn depends upon several factors. In a professional sense, it may well come down to a Matt er of which country the designer is working in (or perhaps more properly, which regulatory system the designer is working under). Though not definitive, the explanations below give an indication of the different roles and responsibilities of those whose work involves the design of habitable space. Architects use planes (walls, floors, ceilings) to define the volumes (spaces) that combine to make up a building. They are trained to design structures from scratch. They will take intellectual and practical considerations into account, and the building design will be informed by its location. Some architects will limit their involvement in this, while others will also plan furniture layouts in detail and create decorative schemes. Interior architects are generally concerned with taking existing structures and reforming them to suit new functions. They will pay a great deal of regard to the previous life of a building, and usually allow this knowledge to provide some connection between the fabric of the building and the newly created interior.

Interior decorators generally work with existing spaces that do not require physical alteration. Th rough the use of color, light and surface finish, they will transform the look of a space, perhaps making it suitable to function in a different way from that for which it was originally designed, but with very little or no change to the structure of the building. Interior designers span the ground between interior architects and interior decorators. Th e scope of the projects undertaken will vary from the purely decorative, to ones where a great deal of structural change is required to meet the brief. An interior designer will competently handle the space planning and creation of decorative schemes at the same time as considering major structural changes. None of these professionals will necessarily be experts in all aspects of a project, and will call on other specialists (such as structural engineers or lighting designers) to help fully realize their ideas.