Depending on the size of the firm, job descriptions and positions will vary. In a small office with only four employees, people may play more than one role; the head designer may also function as the project manager. A small firm will usually have one or more principals who are the top designers, as opposed to larger firms, which have several top designers and principals. In smaller firms, designers must also act as principals, taking on many of the financial and operating issues in addition to pure design functions. In larger companies, the head designers might solely focus on design. A small firm will usually have one or more principals who are the top designers. It will also have lower level designers, perhaps a bookkeeper and an administrative assistant. Large companies have many positions with clearer responsibilities. Since there is not one consistent set of job descriptions and titles used throughout the industry, it is best to read the skill and educational requirements carefully or inquire about the level of position the company is seeking. Following are typical job positions available at a small (1-8) person firm.
Design assistant: Helping designers with administrative tasks, a design assistant may also be in charge of keeping the sample library in order, making sure fabrics are organized, catalogs are current and all manner of samples are up to date, readily accessible and organized. The sample library is crucial to designers. It is where all their resources are stored, usually including fabric swatches, paint decks, furniture and lighting catalogs, carpet samples, tile samples and wood finish samples, among others. The design assistant returns samples, researches vendors and runs errands. She may help designers with paperwork, send faxes, file, check on the status of orders, mail out purchase orders and invoices. She generally helps facilitate all aspects of the designers' work. This job requires minimal to no design experience.
Project manager/junior designer: This position involves overseeing the daily operations of a project. She organizes and attends meetings with the client, various team members and principal/senior designer (the design assistant would normally not be present at such appointments). The junior designer takes directive from principal or senior designer. She creates proposals, purchase orders and invoices, interfaces with vendors and tracks the progress of all orders for furnishings, fabrics and custom pieces. She also shops for items and fabrics; creates and maintains the budget; acts as primary contact for clients, answering questions and advising on many aspects of the project; schedules all shipments and deliveries; and organizes final installation, when all furnishings, window treatments, etc. are installed in the client's home. A junior designer is usually expected to have worked as a design assistant or in some area of design for at least a year or more.
Senior designer: A senior designer is in charge of the project as a whole. She manages the design assistant and project manager/junior assistant, interfaces with clients, signs off on all custom pieces, visits manufacturers to ensure pieces have been made as specified, meets with vendors to select finishes and dimensions, attends meetings with the client, junior designer and principal, and shops for furnishings and fabrics. A senior designer typically has several years' experience and has progressed up the ranks from design assistant to junior designer.
Principal: The principal is often the owner and the namesake of the company. She holds initial meeting with clients, signs contracts and oversees general business affairs. In addition to developing a design scheme for a residence, she selects color palettes, fabrics and furnishings with the aid of the design staff. She also attends meetings and shops with clients. As the principal is in charge of the entire creative direction of the project, she delegates tasks to staff. Depending upon the personality and working style of the designer, she may be extremely involved in the project or more hands-off. A principal has typically studied under one or more designers for at least a few years prior to entering a partnership or opening their own business.
Often seen as the more glamorous and fun side of interior design, residential design can be inspiring and creative as well as supremely demanding. Clients tend to become heavily involved, and it can be an emotional and intimate process. Residential firms tend to be smaller than contract ones, but there is a wide range of sizes, from one-person operations to firms with over a hundred employees. The process tends to be somewhat looser than contract design processes, since codes and regulations do not play as large a role, although local regulations will determine whether an individual is identified as a designer or only a decorator. Many residential designers have little or no formal training; in fact, some of the top residential designers have no affiliation with ASID or other professional organizations and have no formal education in design. Either way, most have usually studied under another residential designer.
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