Assignment Prompt & Instructions
– 2 years ago
**files (10)**
– ## WEEK3PROFESSIONALDESIGNIMAGE26BUSINESSETIQUETTE.pdf
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**## WEEK3PROFESSIONALDESIGNIMAGE26BUSINESSETIQUETTE.pdf**
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
IMAGE
FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERIOR DESIGN
SPRING 2025
FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERIOR DESIGN
AGENDA
SECTION ONE: BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
IMPRESSIONS
DRESSING FOR SUCCESS
COMMUNICATION
SECTION TWO: BUSINESS ETIQUETTE &
PROFESSIONALISM
DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
NETWORKING
CHALLENGES
ASSIGNMENTS
DISCUSSIONS
INTRODUCTION
THIS IS STARTS THE BEGINNING OF YOUR SEMESTER PROJECT, WHICH ESSENTIALLY WILL BE YOUR FINAL PROJECT. YOU WILL BE CREATING A BINDER OR A PORTFOLIO OF SORTS, STARTING WITH YOUR
ASSIGNMENTS FOR THIS WEEK. YOU HAVE THREE TOTAL AND NO DISCUSSION. HERE, WE WILL BEGIN BUILDING YOUR BRAND, HOW YOU WANT PEOPLE TO VIEW YOU AND SEE YOU AS A DESIGNER. I HOPE
BY NOW WITH ALL THE INTRODUCTIONS AND A DISCUSSIONS, YOU HAVE SORT OF FIGURED OUT WHAT YOUR AESTHETIC IS… IF YOU DON’T THAT’S FINE TOO, THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEEK IS TO START
FIGURING OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU. WITH YOUR AESTHETIC; OR WHEN YOU FIND IT, YOU CAN THEN INTRODUCE OR INJECT THAT STYLE INTO SIMPLE THINGS LIKE YOUR BUSINESS CARDS,
YOUR LINKED IN PAGE, YOUR PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE AND EVEN INTO YOUR OWN SHOWROOM/STUDIO, ETC.
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF
PERSONAL BRANDING AS AN INTERIOR
DESIGNER.
DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR
MAINTAINING A POLISHED AND
PROFESSIONAL IMAGE.
EXPLORE THE ROLE OF ATTIRE,
COMMUNICATION, AND ONLINE
PRESENCE IN ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY.
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
DESIGN IMAGE
SPRING 2025
SECTION ONE
IMPORTANCE OF
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
• HOW APPEARANCE INFLUENCES CLIENT PERCEPTION
• THIS IS VERY MUCH PSYCHOLOGICAL. IT IS SAID THAT IT TAKES ABOUT 5 SECONDS FOR A PERSON TO DECIDE IF; SOMEONE THEY MEET, THE MEETING IS “GOOD” OR “BAD.” THE FIRST TWO SECONDS IS
ALL BAS ON IMAGE THEN THE LAST THREE SECONDS DETERMINES WHETHER OR NOT TO CONTINUE THE TRANSACTION. WITH THAT SAID, IN MY EXPERIENCE, IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO PRACTICE
NICETIES WITHIN THE SHOWROOM, SUCH AS GREETING YOUR CLIENTS AS THEY WALK IN, ALWAYS TRYING TO PUT ON A SMILE, COMMON GESTURES LIKE OFFERING WATER OR BEVERAGES BEFORE
PRESENTING, ETC. SO, ALWAYS PRESENT YOURSELF HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE VIEWED, FOR NOW, WE CAN STICK WITH “STANDARD” LOOKS OR MOST COMMONLY KNOWN AS YOUR PROFESSIONAL
LOOK.
• PROFESSIONAL VS. CASUAL ATTIRE: WHAT WORKS IN DIFFERENT CLIENT INTERACTIONS.
• THERE IS ALWAYS A “STANDARD” WAY OF DRESSING IN EVERY COMPANY YOU GO. HERE ARE SOME RESTRICTIONS WITH HOW YOU DRESS/PRESENT YOURSELF TO CLIENTS FROM WORKABLE.COM
(HTTPS://RESOURCES.WORKABLE.COM/DRESS-CODE-COMPANY-POLICY):
• ALL EMPLOYEES MUST BE CLEAN AND WELL-GROOMED. GROOMING STYLES DICTATED BY RELIGION AND ETHNICITY AREN’T RESTRICTED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST BE WORK-APPROPRIATE. CLOTHES THAT ARE TYPICAL IN WORKOUTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AREN’T ALLOWED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST PROJECT PROFESSIONALISM. CLOTHES THAT ARE TOO REVEALING OR INAPPROPRIATE AREN’T ALLOWED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST BE CLEAN AND IN GOOD SHAPE. DISCERNIBLE RIPS, TEARS OR HOLES AREN’T ALLOWED.
• EMPLOYEES MUST AVOID CLOTHES WITH STAMPS THAT ARE OFFENSIVE OR INAPPROPRIATE.??
• ALTHOUGH THESE STANDARDS MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM COMPANY TO COMPANY, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT STYLE OF DRESS WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR CLIENT. FOR EXAMPLE, IS
WEARING SOME TRAINERS, JOGGERS, AND A HOODIE TO A PRESENTATION BE A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THE COMPANY OR YOUR SELF? OR DO YOU GO ABOVE AND BEYOND AND WEAR A THREE
PIECE SUIT EVERY MEETING, EVEN SITE VISITS. SO, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE SHOWROOM OR STUDIO IS LOOKING FOR, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE AN IDEA HOW ONE SHOULD DRESS AFTER THE
FIRS MONTH. HERE ARE SOME FULL RULES I HAVE GATHERED OVER THE YEAR IN ORDER TO BE PRESENTABLE NO MATTER THE OCCASION:
• IN MOST SHOWROOMS I HAVE WORKED AT SEMI-CASUAL IS PRETTY MUCH A STANDARD.
• THE DEFAULT WOULD BE UNIFORMS AND UNIFORMS COULD ALSO MEAN ONLY WEARING SPECIFIC COLORS ASIDE FROM A BRANDED POLO, SHIRT, OR JACKET.
• WHEN DRESSING UP WITHIN THE INTERIOR DESIGN WORLD YOU STILL WANT TO EXPRESS YOURSELF BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM THE OTHER DESIGNERS. HERE ARE SOME
IDEAS I THINK OF WHEN I DRESS FOR A BRIEFING WITH A CLIENT, A SITE VISIT, OR A PRESENTATION:
• START OFF FORMAL AND THEN SLOWLY WORK YOUR OUTFIT INTO SEMI-FORMAL BY REMOVING AND/OR REPLACING MORE FORMAL ITEMS WITH CAUSAL ITEMS IN YOUR WARDROBE.
• START OF SEMI-FORMAL AND REPEAT THE PROCESS ABOVE.
• YOU CAN ALSO DO THE REVERSE, WHICH I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR A WHILE, I START OFF WITH CASUAL CLOTHES AND ADD MORE FORMAL PIECES TO MY OUTFIT.
• DO NOT EVERY WHERE PANTS WITH HOLES… EVER.
• WEAR CLOSED TOED SHOES… AND PLEASE DO NOT EVER EVER WEAR CROCS OR UGGS INTO A SHOWROOM, SITE VISITS, OR PROJECTS.
• TATTOOS, FACIAL AND EXCESS PIERCINGS HAVEN’T BEEN SO MUCH OF AN ISSUE IN MY EXPERIENCE BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT I CONTINUALLY THINK ABOUT APPROACHABILITY SO KEEP
THAT IN MIND WHEN ACCESSORIZING.
• AT THE END OF THE DAY IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE ON HOW YOU WANT TO PRESENT YOUR SELF OR THE COMPANY YOU WILL BE WORKING FOR. THESE EXPERIENCES ARE CURRENT BUT KEEP IN MIND
THAT EVERY COMPANY IS DIFFERENT AND EVERY COMPANY HAS THEIR STANDARDS OF HOW YOU SHOULD APPEAR. WHEN YOU OWN YOUR OWN SHOWROOM/STUDIO THESE RULES CAN BE
CHANGED TO FIT YOUR BRAND.
[http://workable.com](http://workable.com/)
[https://resources.workable.com/dress-code-company-policy](https://resources.workable.com/dress-code-company-policy)
DRESSING FOR SUCCESS
ASSIGNMENT ONE: BUSINESS CASUAL VS. FORMAL ATTIRE FOR DIFFERENT SETTINGS.
HERE IS THE FIRST OUT OF 3 ASSIGNMENTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THIS WEEK.
PICTURE THIS, YOU ARE AN INTERIOR DESIGNER GETTING READY FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT PRESENTATION OF YOUR CAREER. YOU WERE PROVIDED A GENERIC LEAD AND LANDED THE JOB MONTHS
AGO. YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED YOUR DESIGNS, DRAWINGS, SOURCED ALL YOUR MATERIALS, CRUNCHED SOME NUMBERS, AND NOW ITS TIME TO PRESENT. TODAY, IS A BUSY DAY
FOR YOU AND YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO CHANGE FOR EACH VISIT. SO LETS PLAN WHAT TO WEAR?
THIS WEEK YOU WILL BE CURATING 3 DIFFERENT OUTFITS, SELECTING APPROPRIATE ATTIRE FOR A JOB SITE, A CLIENT MEETING, AND THAT VERY IMPORTANT PRESENTATION!
HERE ARE SOME SAMPLES OF WHAT I WOULD WEAR. (MORE INFORMATION ON ASSIGNMENT ON SLIDE 13)
SEMI-FORMAL
BUSINESS – CASUAL
VERBAL & NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
• THE ROLE OF TONE, BODY LANGUAGE, AND ACTIVE LISTENING.
• I BELIEVE TONE, BODY LANGUAGE, AND ACTIVE LISTENING IS THE FOUNDATION OF A GOOD BRIEFING WITH YOUR CLIENTS. REALLY, YOU SET THE TONE FOR YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH YOUR CLIENTS
WHETHER THAT’S AT THE START OF YOUR DESIGN JOURNEY WITH YOUR CLIENT OR GOING OUT TO SOURCE MATERIALS FOR YOUR CLIENTS. CLIENTS, PARTNERS, VENDORS, WHO EVER IT IS YOU COME
ACROSS IN THIS FIELD CAN PICK UP ON THESE THREE ROLES.
• UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE CAN PICK UP ON TONE SO WHEN INTERACTING TRY YOUR NEST TO BE NEUTRAL. SHARING YOUR OPINION IS KEY IN OUR FIELD BECAUSE OUR CLIENTS LOOKS TO US OF
KNOWLEDGE. CONSIDER BEING OPEN TO CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM BECAUSE WE ALL DON'T SHARE THE SAME IDEAS AND THATS OK.
• UNDERSTAND BODY LANGUAGE, IF YOU SEE THAT YOUR CLIENT IS CLOSED OFF OR LACKING OF WORDS, PICK UP ON THAT AND SUGGEST A DIFFERENT APPROACH OR SOLUTION. YOU ALWAYS WANT
TO BE OBSERVANT. I ALWAYS KEEP A NOTEPAD NEXT TO I ME OR IN MOST CASES MY IPAD TO TAKE NOTES IF I KNOW A LOT OF DETAILS ARE NEEDED FOR A PARTICULAR PROJECT. IT’S GOOD PRACTICE
TO ALWAYS TAKE NOTES EVEN IF YOU MIGHT NOT TAKE DOWN MUCH.
• UNDERSTAND HOW TO BE ACTIVELY LISTENING TO YOUR CLIENTS. THIS IS KEY BECAUSE WE; AS DESIGNERS, WILL COME ACROSS CLIENTS WHO LACK THE ABILITY TO SEE WHAT WE SEE; OR APHANTASIC,
AND OUR JOB IS TO COLLECT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE SO ACTIVELY LISTENING WILL HELP IN THIS AREA. EXAMPLES WOULD BE, LISTENING TO THEM DESCRIBE A PAINT COLOR MAKES THEM
FEEL OR WHEN SOURCING MATERIALS WITH YOUR CLIENTS AND THEY COME ACROSS SOMETHING THEY LIKE AND SAY “OOOOOOO THIS IS CUTE,” THAT COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A NOTE
OF IT. THESE SMALL GESTURES ARE REALLY APPRECIATED AND DEFINITELY GO A LONG WAY IN ESTABLISHING WHAT CLIENTS LOOK FOR AND THAT IS GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
• HANDLING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES.
• YOU WILL ALWAYS COME ACROSS DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES THE ONLY TRUE WAY TO GO ABOUT SO LIVING HIS ISSUES IS HONEST AND OPEN COMMUNICATION.
• IF YOU FEEL INDIFFERENT FROM YOUR CLIENTS OR COLLEAGUE ASK TO HAVE A PRIVATE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT AND IF THE ISSUES IS STILL NOT RESOLVED AFTER THE TALK THEN BRING IN
MANAGEMENT OR HUMAN RESOURCES; IF THE COMPANY OFFERS SUCH A RESOURCE.
• TO AVOID AND COMPLETELY IGNORE THIS IS INEVITABLE BUT YOU CAN TRY YOUR BEST TO MINIMIZE SUCH AN EVENT BY:
• OPENLY COMMUNICATION CONCERNS, DELAYS, OR ANY INFORMATION THAT WILL PROVIDE YOU TIME TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE
• ALLOWING YOUR CLIENTS ACCESS TO YOUR TIME SO, BEING AVAILABLE TO THEM AT SPECIFIC HOURS OF THE DAYS
• SETTING BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES SO, KNOWING YOUR LIMITS AT WORK, KNOWING WHAT YOU SHOULD AND SHOULD TALK ABOUT AT WORK, ETC.
• TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED
• IF ALL ELSE FAILS BRING ALL YOUR CONCERNS TO UPPER MANAGEMENT
• THE ART OF SPEAKING WITH CONFIDENCE AND CLARITY.
• CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN BE BORN WITH AND IT’S NOT, CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN LEARN BUT YOU CAN CHOOSE NOT TO. CONFIDENCE IS FOR SURE NEEDED IN OUR
INDUSTRY TO EXPRESS TO YOUR CLIENT SO IT’S SOMETHING TO GAIN.
• …….????? MORE?????
ONLINE PRESENCE &
SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE
WE ARE IN THE AGE OF TECH AND WITH THAT COMES A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE. WE ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE WEB SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING; WHETHER THAT BE FOR OBJECTS, SERVICES, AND
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. SO CREATING A SOCIAL MEDIA IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO CREATE A HUGE FOLLOWING OR CLIENTELE. SOME DESIGNERS YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT HAVE BENEFITED FROM
SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD BE DESIGNERS FROM MAGNOLIA, DREAM HOME MAKE OVER, OR JEREMIAH BRENT. YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE IS KEY TO BE VISIBLE IN THIS INDUSTRY THIS TIES INTO YOUR
“BRAND” SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. I WONT GO INTO DETAIL BECAUSE YOU WILL TOUCH ON THIS MORE IN YOUR MARKETING CLASS. IN THIS INSTANCE I WANT YOU TO KEEP IN MIND YOUR AESTHETIC
WHEN THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU WANT YOUR BRAND TO LOOK, FEEL, SAY, EXPRESS, ETC.
DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR EMAILS,
PHONE CALLS, AND CLIENT MEETINGS.
LEARN THE ETIQUETTE OF
NETWORKING, BUSINESS MEETINGS,
AND INDUSTRY EVENTS.
PRACTICE HANDLING PROFESSIONAL
CHALLENGES, SUCH AS DIFFICULT
CLIENTS OR MISCOMMUNICATIONS.
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
DESIGN IMAGE
SPRING 2025
SECTION TWO
EMAIL & PHONE
COMMUNICATION
• PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION: EMAIL & PHONE ETIQUETTE
• HAVE A PROFESSIONAL EMAIL. WHEN STARTING OUT YOU CAN USE GENERIC EMAIL COMPANIES LIKE GMAIL, OUTLOOK, YAHOO, AND WHAT NOT BUT IDEALLY YOU WANT A DEDICATED EMAIL FOR
EXAMPLE: V.TUFONO@VALDESIGNS.COM
• THIS SOLIDIFIES YOUR PLACE WITHIN BUSINESSES, IT SHOWS PROFESSIONALISM, AND AN ESTABLISHMENT OF YOUR NAME/DESIGNS.
• ALWAYS CREATIVE A VOICE MESSAGE AT THE END OF YOUR VOICEMAILS WITH WARM GREETINGS, YOUR APOLOGIES FOR MISSING THE CALL, NICETIES, AND A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.
• ALWAYS CLAIM YOU WILL GET TO YOUR CLIENTS AS SOON AS YOUR AVAILABLE
• WRITING EFFECTIVE, PROFESSIONAL EMAILS.
• HERE IS WHERE WRITING IS A BIT TRICKY AND WHERE YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND YOUR PROFESSIONALISM. HERE SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN EMAILING CLIENTS, VENDORS, COLLEAGUES:
• START OFF WITH NICETIES FOR EXAMPLE: GOOD MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING, I HOPE YOU’RE DOING WELL, WARM REGARDS, WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL REST OF YOUR DAY, ETC.
• WHEN YOU THINK YOUR EMAIL IS GOING TO BE LONG AND WINDED DEFAULT TO A MEETING OR A CALL TO GET YOUR POINT ACROSS MORE CLEARLY AND ALLOW ROOM FOR LIVE QUESTIONS
• IN GENERAL, EMAILING WITH A CLEAR AND CONCISE MESSAGE. IT IS PROVEN, THROUGH TESTING AND SURVEYING, THAT THE READER IS LIKELY TO SKIM A LONG AND DETAILED EMAIL VERSUS A
SHORT AND CONCISE EMAIL.
• WHEN SPEAKING WITH CLIENTS, ALWAYS IMAGING THAT THE CLIENT DOES NOT KNOW YOUR DESIGN LINGO AND BE PREPARED TO RELAY OR REITERATE AN IDEA SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE YOU
CLIENT UNDERSTANDS.
• BEFORE SENDING AN EMAIL OUT I TYPICALLY LIKE SOMEONE TO SCREEN MY EMAIL BEFORE I SEND IT, THAT IS IF IT IS AN IMPORTANT EMAIL.
• OTHERWISE, FOLLOW THE COMPANIES POLICIES ON SENDING AND RECEIVING EMAILS
• HANDLING CLIENT PHONE CALLS WITH CONFIDENCE.
• GOING BACK TO LEARNING CONFIDENCE, THIS IS ONE WAY TO OVERCOME THAT FEAR.
• ANSWERING PHONES ALLOW FOR CONSTANT PRACTICE OF YOUR SALES PITCH, DIRECTIONS, PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE AND MORE.
• REMEMBER COMMUNICATING IS KEY IN OUR INDUSTRY; AND WE COMMUNICATE ALL DAY IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, AND KNOWING HOW TO COMMUNICATE YOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS WILL
HELP YOUR DESIGN PROCESS.
• AGAIN, CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING TO GAIN AND PUTTING YOUR SELF OUT THERE IN SITUATIONS THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WILL HELP WITH GAINING MORE IT.
• ALL IN ALL, PHONE CALLS IN THE WORKPLACE ARE A GENERAL REQUIREMENT SO PRACTICING IT’S ALL IN PRACTICE AND THAT WILL COME IN TIME.
[mailto:v.tufono@valdesigns.com](mailto:v.tufono@valdesigns.com)
NETWORKING &
INDUSTRY EVENTS
• HOW TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY.
• SIMILAR TO INTRODUCING YOURSELF IN GENERAL, BY ADDING WHAT YOU DO AND WITH WHAT COMPANY YOUR WITH WILL SUFFICE.
• EXAMPLE EMAIL: “HELLO MY NAME IS VAL, I AM AN INTERIOR DESIGNER HERE IN SACRAMENTO, CA. I’M CALLING REGARDING A PURCHASE WE MADE FOR A CLIENT…”
• MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS AT TRADE SHOWS AND INDUSTRY EVENTS.
• NETWORKING IS VERY IMPORTANT IT IS HOW YOU GAIN YOUR NETWORK OF RESOURCES.
• IN THE 10 YEARS I HAVE BEEN IN DESIGN I HAVE GATHERED NEARLY 2,000 PLUS NETWORKS FROM ALL DISCIPLINES. FOR EXAMPLE I HAVE CONTACTS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT, ESTIMATORS,
DESIGNERS, PRODUCT DESIGNERS, BIG COMPANIES LIKE MIELE, BERNHARDT, CENTURY FURNITURE, SALTINE, COSENTINO, AND PRODUCT YOU CAN THINK OF, I PROBABLY HAVE A CONTACT
FOR.
• BUT THESE ARE NOT ROLODEX CONTACTS, THESE ARE COMPANIES AND PARTNERS I SAT WITH AT A TABLE AND GOT TO KNOW. I TRY TO MAINTAIN THESE RELATIONSHIPS AS BEST AS I CAN
BECAUSE WHO KNOW IF YOU WILL NEED AN EXTRA PROJECT MANAGER OR ESTIMATOR, ETC.
• NURTURING THESE RELATIONSHIPS ARE NOT ONLY HELPFUL WITH SOURCING MATERIALS BUT THIS ESTABLISHES YOUR BRAND AS WELL. WHO YOUR PARTNER WITH OR WORK WITH ON
PROJECTS; BIG OR SMALL, SHOWS HOW YOU WORK, WHAT YOUR WORK ETHIC LOOKS LIKE, AND INCREASES YOUR CHANGES OF VISIBILITY.
• KEY TIP, ALWAYS INTRODUCE YOUR SELVES AND MAKE YOUR PRESENCE AWARE, THE MORE YOU NETWORK THE MORE YOU WILL BE SURROUNDED BY POSITIVE PEOPLE WHO WILL; IN MOST
CASES, SHARE THE WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE THEY’VE GAIN IN THEIR SUCCESS.
CLIENT MEETINGS &
HANDLING PROFESSIONAL
CHALLENGES
• SETTING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS AND MAINTAINING PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES.
• KNOW THIS, NO ONE CLIENT IS EVER HAS THE SAME IDEAS AS YOUR PREVIOUS CLIENTS; OR IF THEY DO IT IS VERY RARE.
• ALWAYS TREAT YOUR CLIENTS AS A UNIQUE CLIENT, A BRAND NEW CLIENT, A BLANK PAGE… AND YOU ARE THERE TO GUIDE THEM IN FIGURING OUT WHAT THEY NEED AND WANT.
• JUST LIKE OUR TOPIC ON NETWORKING, YOU SHOULD TREAT YOUR CLIENTS THE SAME WAY, PROFESSIONALLY.
• THE PLAYFUL BANTER AND THE JOKING COMES WITH NURTURING THAT RELATIONSHIP THROUGH OUT THE LIFE OF A CLIENT PROJECT.
• SLOWLY YOU WILL GAIN TRUST, LOYALTY, AND RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER AND THATS WHAT YOU WILL SEE BOTH OF YOURSELVES MOVE THROUGH THE PROJECT WITH EASE.
• NOW, NOT ALL CLIENT/DESIGNER RELATIONSHIP WORK WELL AND THAT’S OK, A GOOD TIP IS TO BE HONEST AND SHARE THAT THIS PARTNERSHIP IS NOT WORKING, AND YOU CAN
DO THIS BY SAYING SOMETHING LIKE:
• “HELLO MR. & MRS. SMITH, UNFORTUNATELY DUE TO NATURE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP (WHATEVER THAT MAYBE) I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF EVERYONE
AND THE PROJECT TO PLACE IT IN A MORE QUALIFIED DESIGNER WITHIN THE COMPANY. I FEEL THAT BY SUGGESTING AN ALTERNATIVE DESIGNER THEY WILL BE BETTER SUITED
TO FEET YOUR YOUR SPECIFIC DESIGN AESTHETIC AND UNIQUE NEEDS”
• AND YOU CAN CONTINUE WITH SOMETHING LIKE “I APPRECIATE OUR TIME WITH EACH OTHER AND IF YOU NEED ANY DESIGNS IN THE REALM OF (YOUR MORE QUALIFIED
DESIGN STYLE HERE) PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH OUT! MUCH APPRECIATED, (YOUR NAME HERE).”
• ALL IN ALL, USING COMMON PRACTICES WHEN APOLOGIZING CAN BE UTILIZED HERE.
• REGARDING BOUNDARIES, KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL HUMANS AND WITH THAT, WE KNOW WHAT WE LIKE, WHAT WE DONT, HOW WE WANTED TO BE TREATED AND HOW WE DON’T, SO
MAKING THAT VERY APPARENT AT THE VERY BEGINNING WILL HELP BUILD THAT CLIENT/DESIGN RELATIONSHIP.
• IN RETURN, THE CLIENT WILL DO THE SAME AND YOU CAN SEE THIS IN THINGS LIKE WHAT IS AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO BE CONTACTED.
• HOW TO NAVIGATE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.
• DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WILL HAPPEN… HERE IS MY ADVICE BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE WITHIN RETAIL AND THE INTERIOR DESIGN INDUSTRY, OPEN COMMUNICATION IS KEY. THE MORE
YOU COMMUNICATE TO YOUR CLIENTS DELAYS, MISHAPS, DESIGN IDEAS, PROS AND CONS, BELIEVE ME YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO HAVE THESE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.
• ADDITIONALLY, BEING TRANSPARENT HELPS A LOT! SO KEEPING TABS AND NOTES OF CONVERSATIONS, SOMETIMES IF I KNOW I AM GOING TO HAVE A LENGTHY OR DIFFICULT
CONVERSATION I REQUEST THE OTHER PARTIES PERMISSION TO RECORD THE INTERACTION. THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY A TRUSTING ISSUE, THIS IS JUST A SAGE-GUARD OR A PRECAUTION.
MOST CLIENTS WONT CARE AS MUCH TO BE RECORDED AND THOSE WHO DO WILL POLITELY DENY THE REQUEST, WHICH IS OK, IN THAT CASE YOU CAN WRITE DOWN MEETING NOTES.
ASSIGNMENT ONE:
FOR THE WEEK
HERE WE START YOUR FINAL PROJECT.
ESSENTIALLY, IT IS A BINDER OF YOUR WORK THROUGH OUT THE
SEMESTER. WE WILL BEGIN WITH ADDING THESE THREE ITEMS INTO THE
DIGITAL “BINDER” (MORE TO COME ON THE DIGITAL BINDER
LATER):
ASSIGNMENT ONE: START A ROUGH DRAFT OF YOUR RESUME
(SAMPLE VERSION PROVIDED FOR YOU TO COPY IF YOU HAVE
NEVER CREATED ONE BEFORE)
WE ARE GETTING A HEAD START ON YOUR RESUME, AS YOU CAN SEE ON
THE SYLLABUS YOU WILL BE LEARNING ABOUT RESUME AND COVER
LETTERS NEXT CLASS, SO IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO START DRAFTING
YOUR RESUME. DONT WORRY IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO FILL IN
EXPERIENCE, JUST COMPLETE THE FORMAT AND WE WILL GO FROM
THERE.
WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS COPY THE RESUMER SAMPLE AS IT IS; YOU
CAN USE WORD, GOOGLE DOCS, IOS PAGES, OR WHICH EVER BEST
WORKS FOR YOU YOU CAN;
IF YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, USE THE TEMPLATES ON EITHER
APPLICATION TO HELP YOU WITH THIS
THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION IS AT THE VERY TOP/BOTTOM:
YOUR NAME
EMAIL ADDRESS
LINK TO YOUR PROFESSIONAL SITE: LINKED IN, NEED, GLASSDOOR, ETC.
ASSIGNMENT TWO:
FOR THE WEEK
ASSIGNMENT TWO: CREATE 3 OUTFITS: 1) SITE VISIT LOOK: CASUAL-
PROFESSIONAL / 2) SHOWROOM LOOK: SEMI – PROFESSIONAL / 3) PRESENTATION
LOOK: PROFESSIONAL
• SHOWROOM LOOK: SEMI – PROFESSIONAL / THIS OUTFIT IS THE ONE YOU WEAR
TO AN ANNIVERSARY OR BIRTHDAY DINNER WITH FAMILY MEMBERS. I ALSO WANT
TO ADD, THIS OUTFIT SHOULD LEAN MORE TOWARDS THE CASUAL SIDE OF THE
THREE OUTFITS. (JUST A SUGGESTION, AND THIS CAN CHANGE FROM COMPANY
TO COMPANY, BUT GENERALLY I LIKE TO PULL BACK FROM DRESSING TOO
PROFESSIONAL. IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE MORE “DRESSED-UP” I WAS THE MORE
CLIENTS STRAYED AWAY FROM MY SERVICES. I DONT KNOW WHAT THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR IS IN THAT IDEA IS BUT I HAVE EXPERIENCED NEGATIVE
FEEDBACK FROM DRESSING WAY TO FORMAL. I ALWAYS AIM TO BE APPROACHABLE,
AND THAT ALL START WITH HOW YOU PRESENT YOUR SELF VISUALLY, SO LEANING
MORE CASUAL THAN PROFESSIONAL IS KEY FOR THIS OUTFIT, I THINK.)
• PRESENTATION LOOK: PROFESSIONAL / THIS OUTFIT IS THE ONE YOU WEAR TO
A WEDDING AS GUEST OR TO A SPECIAL/LAVISH EVENT. HERE YOU WANT TO LOOK
YOUR BEST AND, HERE, DRESSING TO IMPRESS MATTERS… YOU WANT TO LOOK
YOUR BEST ON THE DAY YOU MIGHT LAND THE BIGGEST PROJECT OF YOUR LIFE,
RIGHT?!
• SITE VISIT LOOK: CASULA-PROFESSIONAL / THINK OF THIS LOOK AS IF YOU
WERE GOING ONTO A LIVE SITE. IMAGINE THIS, THE HOUSE ONLY HAS ITS’
FOUNDATION, FRAMING FOR THE HOUSE, AND A ROOF, NOTHING ELSE. IT’S DUSTY,
ROCKY, AND THERE’S DIRT EVERYWHERE. YOU CAN HAVE FUN WITH THIS LOOK, I
WANT YOU TO SHOW ME WHAT YOU WOULD WEAR KNOWING THAT YOU ARE
STILL ON THE CLOCK BUT NEED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH A
CONSTRUCTION SITE. AGAIN, KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS STILL WORK AND YOU HAVE TO
MAINTAIN YOUR BRAND SO WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
HOW TO TURN IN YOUR WORK:
THE IMAGE BELOW IS ONE WAY TO PRESENT YOUR LOOKS. ANOTHER WAY IS, LAYING OUT
YOUR CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR TO SHOW ALL THE PIECES. YOU CAN STYLE IT ON A
MANNEQUIN, HANGERS, JUST BE CREATIVE AND SHOW ALL THE PIECES. I SHOULD HAVE A
TOTAL OF THREE IMAGES OF THERE DIFFERENT OUTFITS. PLEASE DO NOT WEAR YOUR
OUTFITS AND TAKE A PICTURE OF YOURSELF.
DISCUSSION FOR THE WEEK
DISCUSSION THREE: YOUR BRAND!
START THINKING ABOUT YOUR “BRAND” WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND LOOK LIKE? HOW ABOUT ON A BUSINESS CARD? WHAT DOES YOUR LETTER HEAD FOR YOUR DOCUMENTS LOOK LIKE? START
THINKING ABOUT COLORS FOR YOUR BAND, WHAT DO THOSE LOOK LIKE? PRETEND YOU ARE AT THE BEGINNING STAGES OF CREATING YOUR BUSINESS AND YOU ARE MEETING WITH A
MARKETING TEAM, TELL US OR SHOW US SOME REFERENCES OF WHAT YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS TO LOOK LIKE, FEEL LIKE, REPRESENT, ETC. REMEMBER, WE ARE STARTING TO BUILD YOUR BRAND, IF
YOU DONT HAVE AN IDEA YET OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT’S FINE BECAUSE YOU CAN GO BACK A REFINE OR REVAMP ANY OF THESE BEFORE YOUR TURN IN YOUR FINAL BINDER.
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**## WEEK3PROFESSIONALDESIGNIMAGE26BUSINESSETIQUETTE.pdf**
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
IMAGE
FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERIOR DESIGN
SPRING 2025
FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERIOR DESIGN
AGENDA
SECTION ONE: BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
IMPRESSIONS
DRESSING FOR SUCCESS
COMMUNICATION
SECTION TWO: BUSINESS ETIQUETTE &
PROFESSIONALISM
DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
NETWORKING
CHALLENGES
ASSIGNMENTS
DISCUSSIONS
INTRODUCTION
THIS IS STARTS THE BEGINNING OF YOUR SEMESTER PROJECT, WHICH ESSENTIALLY WILL BE YOUR FINAL PROJECT. YOU WILL BE CREATING A BINDER OR A PORTFOLIO OF SORTS, STARTING WITH YOUR
ASSIGNMENTS FOR THIS WEEK. YOU HAVE THREE TOTAL AND NO DISCUSSION. HERE, WE WILL BEGIN BUILDING YOUR BRAND, HOW YOU WANT PEOPLE TO VIEW YOU AND SEE YOU AS A DESIGNER. I HOPE
BY NOW WITH ALL THE INTRODUCTIONS AND A DISCUSSIONS, YOU HAVE SORT OF FIGURED OUT WHAT YOUR AESTHETIC IS… IF YOU DON’T THAT’S FINE TOO, THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEEK IS TO START
FIGURING OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU. WITH YOUR AESTHETIC; OR WHEN YOU FIND IT, YOU CAN THEN INTRODUCE OR INJECT THAT STYLE INTO SIMPLE THINGS LIKE YOUR BUSINESS CARDS,
YOUR LINKED IN PAGE, YOUR PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE AND EVEN INTO YOUR OWN SHOWROOM/STUDIO, ETC.
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF
PERSONAL BRANDING AS AN INTERIOR
DESIGNER.
DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR
MAINTAINING A POLISHED AND
PROFESSIONAL IMAGE.
EXPLORE THE ROLE OF ATTIRE,
COMMUNICATION, AND ONLINE
PRESENCE IN ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY.
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
DESIGN IMAGE
SPRING 2025
SECTION ONE
IMPORTANCE OF
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
• HOW APPEARANCE INFLUENCES CLIENT PERCEPTION
• THIS IS VERY MUCH PSYCHOLOGICAL. IT IS SAID THAT IT TAKES ABOUT 5 SECONDS FOR A PERSON TO DECIDE IF; SOMEONE THEY MEET, THE MEETING IS “GOOD” OR “BAD.” THE FIRST TWO SECONDS IS
ALL BAS ON IMAGE THEN THE LAST THREE SECONDS DETERMINES WHETHER OR NOT TO CONTINUE THE TRANSACTION. WITH THAT SAID, IN MY EXPERIENCE, IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO PRACTICE
NICETIES WITHIN THE SHOWROOM, SUCH AS GREETING YOUR CLIENTS AS THEY WALK IN, ALWAYS TRYING TO PUT ON A SMILE, COMMON GESTURES LIKE OFFERING WATER OR BEVERAGES BEFORE
PRESENTING, ETC. SO, ALWAYS PRESENT YOURSELF HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE VIEWED, FOR NOW, WE CAN STICK WITH “STANDARD” LOOKS OR MOST COMMONLY KNOWN AS YOUR PROFESSIONAL
LOOK.
• PROFESSIONAL VS. CASUAL ATTIRE: WHAT WORKS IN DIFFERENT CLIENT INTERACTIONS.
• THERE IS ALWAYS A “STANDARD” WAY OF DRESSING IN EVERY COMPANY YOU GO. HERE ARE SOME RESTRICTIONS WITH HOW YOU DRESS/PRESENT YOURSELF TO CLIENTS FROM WORKABLE.COM
(HTTPS://RESOURCES.WORKABLE.COM/DRESS-CODE-COMPANY-POLICY):
• ALL EMPLOYEES MUST BE CLEAN AND WELL-GROOMED. GROOMING STYLES DICTATED BY RELIGION AND ETHNICITY AREN’T RESTRICTED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST BE WORK-APPROPRIATE. CLOTHES THAT ARE TYPICAL IN WORKOUTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AREN’T ALLOWED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST PROJECT PROFESSIONALISM. CLOTHES THAT ARE TOO REVEALING OR INAPPROPRIATE AREN’T ALLOWED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST BE CLEAN AND IN GOOD SHAPE. DISCERNIBLE RIPS, TEARS OR HOLES AREN’T ALLOWED.
• EMPLOYEES MUST AVOID CLOTHES WITH STAMPS THAT ARE OFFENSIVE OR INAPPROPRIATE.??
• ALTHOUGH THESE STANDARDS MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM COMPANY TO COMPANY, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT STYLE OF DRESS WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR CLIENT. FOR EXAMPLE, IS
WEARING SOME TRAINERS, JOGGERS, AND A HOODIE TO A PRESENTATION BE A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THE COMPANY OR YOUR SELF? OR DO YOU GO ABOVE AND BEYOND AND WEAR A THREE
PIECE SUIT EVERY MEETING, EVEN SITE VISITS. SO, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE SHOWROOM OR STUDIO IS LOOKING FOR, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE AN IDEA HOW ONE SHOULD DRESS AFTER THE
FIRS MONTH. HERE ARE SOME FULL RULES I HAVE GATHERED OVER THE YEAR IN ORDER TO BE PRESENTABLE NO MATTER THE OCCASION:
• IN MOST SHOWROOMS I HAVE WORKED AT SEMI-CASUAL IS PRETTY MUCH A STANDARD.
• THE DEFAULT WOULD BE UNIFORMS AND UNIFORMS COULD ALSO MEAN ONLY WEARING SPECIFIC COLORS ASIDE FROM A BRANDED POLO, SHIRT, OR JACKET.
• WHEN DRESSING UP WITHIN THE INTERIOR DESIGN WORLD YOU STILL WANT TO EXPRESS YOURSELF BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM THE OTHER DESIGNERS. HERE ARE SOME
IDEAS I THINK OF WHEN I DRESS FOR A BRIEFING WITH A CLIENT, A SITE VISIT, OR A PRESENTATION:
• START OFF FORMAL AND THEN SLOWLY WORK YOUR OUTFIT INTO SEMI-FORMAL BY REMOVING AND/OR REPLACING MORE FORMAL ITEMS WITH CAUSAL ITEMS IN YOUR WARDROBE.
• START OF SEMI-FORMAL AND REPEAT THE PROCESS ABOVE.
• YOU CAN ALSO DO THE REVERSE, WHICH I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR A WHILE, I START OFF WITH CASUAL CLOTHES AND ADD MORE FORMAL PIECES TO MY OUTFIT.
• DO NOT EVERY WHERE PANTS WITH HOLES… EVER.
• WEAR CLOSED TOED SHOES… AND PLEASE DO NOT EVER EVER WEAR CROCS OR UGGS INTO A SHOWROOM, SITE VISITS, OR PROJECTS.
• TATTOOS, FACIAL AND EXCESS PIERCINGS HAVEN’T BEEN SO MUCH OF AN ISSUE IN MY EXPERIENCE BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT I CONTINUALLY THINK ABOUT APPROACHABILITY SO KEEP
THAT IN MIND WHEN ACCESSORIZING.
• AT THE END OF THE DAY IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE ON HOW YOU WANT TO PRESENT YOUR SELF OR THE COMPANY YOU WILL BE WORKING FOR. THESE EXPERIENCES ARE CURRENT BUT KEEP IN MIND
THAT EVERY COMPANY IS DIFFERENT AND EVERY COMPANY HAS THEIR STANDARDS OF HOW YOU SHOULD APPEAR. WHEN YOU OWN YOUR OWN SHOWROOM/STUDIO THESE RULES CAN BE
CHANGED TO FIT YOUR BRAND.
[http://workable.com](http://workable.com/)
[https://resources.workable.com/dress-code-company-policy](https://resources.workable.com/dress-code-company-policy)
DRESSING FOR SUCCESS
ASSIGNMENT ONE: BUSINESS CASUAL VS. FORMAL ATTIRE FOR DIFFERENT SETTINGS.
HERE IS THE FIRST OUT OF 3 ASSIGNMENTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THIS WEEK.
PICTURE THIS, YOU ARE AN INTERIOR DESIGNER GETTING READY FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT PRESENTATION OF YOUR CAREER. YOU WERE PROVIDED A GENERIC LEAD AND LANDED THE JOB MONTHS
AGO. YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED YOUR DESIGNS, DRAWINGS, SOURCED ALL YOUR MATERIALS, CRUNCHED SOME NUMBERS, AND NOW ITS TIME TO PRESENT. TODAY, IS A BUSY DAY
FOR YOU AND YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO CHANGE FOR EACH VISIT. SO LETS PLAN WHAT TO WEAR?
THIS WEEK YOU WILL BE CURATING 3 DIFFERENT OUTFITS, SELECTING APPROPRIATE ATTIRE FOR A JOB SITE, A CLIENT MEETING, AND THAT VERY IMPORTANT PRESENTATION!
HERE ARE SOME SAMPLES OF WHAT I WOULD WEAR. (MORE INFORMATION ON ASSIGNMENT ON SLIDE 13)
SEMI-FORMAL
BUSINESS – CASUAL
VERBAL & NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
• THE ROLE OF TONE, BODY LANGUAGE, AND ACTIVE LISTENING.
• I BELIEVE TONE, BODY LANGUAGE, AND ACTIVE LISTENING IS THE FOUNDATION OF A GOOD BRIEFING WITH YOUR CLIENTS. REALLY, YOU SET THE TONE FOR YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH YOUR CLIENTS
WHETHER THAT’S AT THE START OF YOUR DESIGN JOURNEY WITH YOUR CLIENT OR GOING OUT TO SOURCE MATERIALS FOR YOUR CLIENTS. CLIENTS, PARTNERS, VENDORS, WHO EVER IT IS YOU COME
ACROSS IN THIS FIELD CAN PICK UP ON THESE THREE ROLES.
• UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE CAN PICK UP ON TONE SO WHEN INTERACTING TRY YOUR NEST TO BE NEUTRAL. SHARING YOUR OPINION IS KEY IN OUR FIELD BECAUSE OUR CLIENTS LOOKS TO US OF
KNOWLEDGE. CONSIDER BEING OPEN TO CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM BECAUSE WE ALL DON'T SHARE THE SAME IDEAS AND THATS OK.
• UNDERSTAND BODY LANGUAGE, IF YOU SEE THAT YOUR CLIENT IS CLOSED OFF OR LACKING OF WORDS, PICK UP ON THAT AND SUGGEST A DIFFERENT APPROACH OR SOLUTION. YOU ALWAYS WANT
TO BE OBSERVANT. I ALWAYS KEEP A NOTEPAD NEXT TO I ME OR IN MOST CASES MY IPAD TO TAKE NOTES IF I KNOW A LOT OF DETAILS ARE NEEDED FOR A PARTICULAR PROJECT. IT’S GOOD PRACTICE
TO ALWAYS TAKE NOTES EVEN IF YOU MIGHT NOT TAKE DOWN MUCH.
• UNDERSTAND HOW TO BE ACTIVELY LISTENING TO YOUR CLIENTS. THIS IS KEY BECAUSE WE; AS DESIGNERS, WILL COME ACROSS CLIENTS WHO LACK THE ABILITY TO SEE WHAT WE SEE; OR APHANTASIC,
AND OUR JOB IS TO COLLECT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE SO ACTIVELY LISTENING WILL HELP IN THIS AREA. EXAMPLES WOULD BE, LISTENING TO THEM DESCRIBE A PAINT COLOR MAKES THEM
FEEL OR WHEN SOURCING MATERIALS WITH YOUR CLIENTS AND THEY COME ACROSS SOMETHING THEY LIKE AND SAY “OOOOOOO THIS IS CUTE,” THAT COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A NOTE
OF IT. THESE SMALL GESTURES ARE REALLY APPRECIATED AND DEFINITELY GO A LONG WAY IN ESTABLISHING WHAT CLIENTS LOOK FOR AND THAT IS GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
• HANDLING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES.
• YOU WILL ALWAYS COME ACROSS DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES THE ONLY TRUE WAY TO GO ABOUT SO LIVING HIS ISSUES IS HONEST AND OPEN COMMUNICATION.
• IF YOU FEEL INDIFFERENT FROM YOUR CLIENTS OR COLLEAGUE ASK TO HAVE A PRIVATE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT AND IF THE ISSUES IS STILL NOT RESOLVED AFTER THE TALK THEN BRING IN
MANAGEMENT OR HUMAN RESOURCES; IF THE COMPANY OFFERS SUCH A RESOURCE.
• TO AVOID AND COMPLETELY IGNORE THIS IS INEVITABLE BUT YOU CAN TRY YOUR BEST TO MINIMIZE SUCH AN EVENT BY:
• OPENLY COMMUNICATION CONCERNS, DELAYS, OR ANY INFORMATION THAT WILL PROVIDE YOU TIME TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE
• ALLOWING YOUR CLIENTS ACCESS TO YOUR TIME SO, BEING AVAILABLE TO THEM AT SPECIFIC HOURS OF THE DAYS
• SETTING BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES SO, KNOWING YOUR LIMITS AT WORK, KNOWING WHAT YOU SHOULD AND SHOULD TALK ABOUT AT WORK, ETC.
• TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED
• IF ALL ELSE FAILS BRING ALL YOUR CONCERNS TO UPPER MANAGEMENT
• THE ART OF SPEAKING WITH CONFIDENCE AND CLARITY.
• CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN BE BORN WITH AND IT’S NOT, CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN LEARN BUT YOU CAN CHOOSE NOT TO. CONFIDENCE IS FOR SURE NEEDED IN OUR
INDUSTRY TO EXPRESS TO YOUR CLIENT SO IT’S SOMETHING TO GAIN.
• …….????? MORE?????
ONLINE PRESENCE &
SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE
WE ARE IN THE AGE OF TECH AND WITH THAT COMES A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE. WE ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE WEB SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING; WHETHER THAT BE FOR OBJECTS, SERVICES, AND
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. SO CREATING A SOCIAL MEDIA IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO CREATE A HUGE FOLLOWING OR CLIENTELE. SOME DESIGNERS YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT HAVE BENEFITED FROM
SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD BE DESIGNERS FROM MAGNOLIA, DREAM HOME MAKE OVER, OR JEREMIAH BRENT. YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE IS KEY TO BE VISIBLE IN THIS INDUSTRY THIS TIES INTO YOUR
“BRAND” SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. I WONT GO INTO DETAIL BECAUSE YOU WILL TOUCH ON THIS MORE IN YOUR MARKETING CLASS. IN THIS INSTANCE I WANT YOU TO KEEP IN MIND YOUR AESTHETIC
WHEN THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU WANT YOUR BRAND TO LOOK, FEEL, SAY, EXPRESS, ETC.
DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR EMAILS,
PHONE CALLS, AND CLIENT MEETINGS.
LEARN THE ETIQUETTE OF
NETWORKING, BUSINESS MEETINGS,
AND INDUSTRY EVENTS.
PRACTICE HANDLING PROFESSIONAL
CHALLENGES, SUCH AS DIFFICULT
CLIENTS OR MISCOMMUNICATIONS.
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
DESIGN IMAGE
SPRING 2025
SECTION TWO
EMAIL & PHONE
COMMUNICATION
• PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION: EMAIL & PHONE ETIQUETTE
• HAVE A PROFESSIONAL EMAIL. WHEN STARTING OUT YOU CAN USE GENERIC EMAIL COMPANIES LIKE GMAIL, OUTLOOK, YAHOO, AND WHAT NOT BUT IDEALLY YOU WANT A DEDICATED EMAIL FOR
EXAMPLE: V.TUFONO@VALDESIGNS.COM
• THIS SOLIDIFIES YOUR PLACE WITHIN BUSINESSES, IT SHOWS PROFESSIONALISM, AND AN ESTABLISHMENT OF YOUR NAME/DESIGNS.
• ALWAYS CREATIVE A VOICE MESSAGE AT THE END OF YOUR VOICEMAILS WITH WARM GREETINGS, YOUR APOLOGIES FOR MISSING THE CALL, NICETIES, AND A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.
• ALWAYS CLAIM YOU WILL GET TO YOUR CLIENTS AS SOON AS YOUR AVAILABLE
• WRITING EFFECTIVE, PROFESSIONAL EMAILS.
• HERE IS WHERE WRITING IS A BIT TRICKY AND WHERE YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND YOUR PROFESSIONALISM. HERE SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN EMAILING CLIENTS, VENDORS, COLLEAGUES:
• START OFF WITH NICETIES FOR EXAMPLE: GOOD MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING, I HOPE YOU’RE DOING WELL, WARM REGARDS, WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL REST OF YOUR DAY, ETC.
• WHEN YOU THINK YOUR EMAIL IS GOING TO BE LONG AND WINDED DEFAULT TO A MEETING OR A CALL TO GET YOUR POINT ACROSS MORE CLEARLY AND ALLOW ROOM FOR LIVE QUESTIONS
• IN GENERAL, EMAILING WITH A CLEAR AND CONCISE MESSAGE. IT IS PROVEN, THROUGH TESTING AND SURVEYING, THAT THE READER IS LIKELY TO SKIM A LONG AND DETAILED EMAIL VERSUS A
SHORT AND CONCISE EMAIL.
• WHEN SPEAKING WITH CLIENTS, ALWAYS IMAGING THAT THE CLIENT DOES NOT KNOW YOUR DESIGN LINGO AND BE PREPARED TO RELAY OR REITERATE AN IDEA SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE YOU
CLIENT UNDERSTANDS.
• BEFORE SENDING AN EMAIL OUT I TYPICALLY LIKE SOMEONE TO SCREEN MY EMAIL BEFORE I SEND IT, THAT IS IF IT IS AN IMPORTANT EMAIL.
• OTHERWISE, FOLLOW THE COMPANIES POLICIES ON SENDING AND RECEIVING EMAILS
• HANDLING CLIENT PHONE CALLS WITH CONFIDENCE.
• GOING BACK TO LEARNING CONFIDENCE, THIS IS ONE WAY TO OVERCOME THAT FEAR.
• ANSWERING PHONES ALLOW FOR CONSTANT PRACTICE OF YOUR SALES PITCH, DIRECTIONS, PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE AND MORE.
• REMEMBER COMMUNICATING IS KEY IN OUR INDUSTRY; AND WE COMMUNICATE ALL DAY IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, AND KNOWING HOW TO COMMUNICATE YOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS WILL
HELP YOUR DESIGN PROCESS.
• AGAIN, CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING TO GAIN AND PUTTING YOUR SELF OUT THERE IN SITUATIONS THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WILL HELP WITH GAINING MORE IT.
• ALL IN ALL, PHONE CALLS IN THE WORKPLACE ARE A GENERAL REQUIREMENT SO PRACTICING IT’S ALL IN PRACTICE AND THAT WILL COME IN TIME.
[mailto:v.tufono@valdesigns.com](mailto:v.tufono@valdesigns.com)
NETWORKING &
INDUSTRY EVENTS
• HOW TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY.
• SIMILAR TO INTRODUCING YOURSELF IN GENERAL, BY ADDING WHAT YOU DO AND WITH WHAT COMPANY YOUR WITH WILL SUFFICE.
• EXAMPLE EMAIL: “HELLO MY NAME IS VAL, I AM AN INTERIOR DESIGNER HERE IN SACRAMENTO, CA. I’M CALLING REGARDING A PURCHASE WE MADE FOR A CLIENT…”
• MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS AT TRADE SHOWS AND INDUSTRY EVENTS.
• NETWORKING IS VERY IMPORTANT IT IS HOW YOU GAIN YOUR NETWORK OF RESOURCES.
• IN THE 10 YEARS I HAVE BEEN IN DESIGN I HAVE GATHERED NEARLY 2,000 PLUS NETWORKS FROM ALL DISCIPLINES. FOR EXAMPLE I HAVE CONTACTS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT, ESTIMATORS,
DESIGNERS, PRODUCT DESIGNERS, BIG COMPANIES LIKE MIELE, BERNHARDT, CENTURY FURNITURE, SALTINE, COSENTINO, AND PRODUCT YOU CAN THINK OF, I PROBABLY HAVE A CONTACT
FOR.
• BUT THESE ARE NOT ROLODEX CONTACTS, THESE ARE COMPANIES AND PARTNERS I SAT WITH AT A TABLE AND GOT TO KNOW. I TRY TO MAINTAIN THESE RELATIONSHIPS AS BEST AS I CAN
BECAUSE WHO KNOW IF YOU WILL NEED AN EXTRA PROJECT MANAGER OR ESTIMATOR, ETC.
• NURTURING THESE RELATIONSHIPS ARE NOT ONLY HELPFUL WITH SOURCING MATERIALS BUT THIS ESTABLISHES YOUR BRAND AS WELL. WHO YOUR PARTNER WITH OR WORK WITH ON
PROJECTS; BIG OR SMALL, SHOWS HOW YOU WORK, WHAT YOUR WORK ETHIC LOOKS LIKE, AND INCREASES YOUR CHANGES OF VISIBILITY.
• KEY TIP, ALWAYS INTRODUCE YOUR SELVES AND MAKE YOUR PRESENCE AWARE, THE MORE YOU NETWORK THE MORE YOU WILL BE SURROUNDED BY POSITIVE PEOPLE WHO WILL; IN MOST
CASES, SHARE THE WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE THEY’VE GAIN IN THEIR SUCCESS.
CLIENT MEETINGS &
HANDLING PROFESSIONAL
CHALLENGES
• SETTING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS AND MAINTAINING PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES.
• KNOW THIS, NO ONE CLIENT IS EVER HAS THE SAME IDEAS AS YOUR PREVIOUS CLIENTS; OR IF THEY DO IT IS VERY RARE.
• ALWAYS TREAT YOUR CLIENTS AS A UNIQUE CLIENT, A BRAND NEW CLIENT, A BLANK PAGE… AND YOU ARE THERE TO GUIDE THEM IN FIGURING OUT WHAT THEY NEED AND WANT.
• JUST LIKE OUR TOPIC ON NETWORKING, YOU SHOULD TREAT YOUR CLIENTS THE SAME WAY, PROFESSIONALLY.
• THE PLAYFUL BANTER AND THE JOKING COMES WITH NURTURING THAT RELATIONSHIP THROUGH OUT THE LIFE OF A CLIENT PROJECT.
• SLOWLY YOU WILL GAIN TRUST, LOYALTY, AND RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER AND THATS WHAT YOU WILL SEE BOTH OF YOURSELVES MOVE THROUGH THE PROJECT WITH EASE.
• NOW, NOT ALL CLIENT/DESIGNER RELATIONSHIP WORK WELL AND THAT’S OK, A GOOD TIP IS TO BE HONEST AND SHARE THAT THIS PARTNERSHIP IS NOT WORKING, AND YOU CAN
DO THIS BY SAYING SOMETHING LIKE:
• “HELLO MR. & MRS. SMITH, UNFORTUNATELY DUE TO NATURE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP (WHATEVER THAT MAYBE) I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF EVERYONE
AND THE PROJECT TO PLACE IT IN A MORE QUALIFIED DESIGNER WITHIN THE COMPANY. I FEEL THAT BY SUGGESTING AN ALTERNATIVE DESIGNER THEY WILL BE BETTER SUITED
TO FEET YOUR YOUR SPECIFIC DESIGN AESTHETIC AND UNIQUE NEEDS”
• AND YOU CAN CONTINUE WITH SOMETHING LIKE “I APPRECIATE OUR TIME WITH EACH OTHER AND IF YOU NEED ANY DESIGNS IN THE REALM OF (YOUR MORE QUALIFIED
DESIGN STYLE HERE) PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH OUT! MUCH APPRECIATED, (YOUR NAME HERE).”
• ALL IN ALL, USING COMMON PRACTICES WHEN APOLOGIZING CAN BE UTILIZED HERE.
• REGARDING BOUNDARIES, KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL HUMANS AND WITH THAT, WE KNOW WHAT WE LIKE, WHAT WE DONT, HOW WE WANTED TO BE TREATED AND HOW WE DON’T, SO
MAKING THAT VERY APPARENT AT THE VERY BEGINNING WILL HELP BUILD THAT CLIENT/DESIGN RELATIONSHIP.
• IN RETURN, THE CLIENT WILL DO THE SAME AND YOU CAN SEE THIS IN THINGS LIKE WHAT IS AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO BE CONTACTED.
• HOW TO NAVIGATE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.
• DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WILL HAPPEN… HERE IS MY ADVICE BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE WITHIN RETAIL AND THE INTERIOR DESIGN INDUSTRY, OPEN COMMUNICATION IS KEY. THE MORE
YOU COMMUNICATE TO YOUR CLIENTS DELAYS, MISHAPS, DESIGN IDEAS, PROS AND CONS, BELIEVE ME YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO HAVE THESE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.
• ADDITIONALLY, BEING TRANSPARENT HELPS A LOT! SO KEEPING TABS AND NOTES OF CONVERSATIONS, SOMETIMES IF I KNOW I AM GOING TO HAVE A LENGTHY OR DIFFICULT
CONVERSATION I REQUEST THE OTHER PARTIES PERMISSION TO RECORD THE INTERACTION. THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY A TRUSTING ISSUE, THIS IS JUST A SAGE-GUARD OR A PRECAUTION.
MOST CLIENTS WONT CARE AS MUCH TO BE RECORDED AND THOSE WHO DO WILL POLITELY DENY THE REQUEST, WHICH IS OK, IN THAT CASE YOU CAN WRITE DOWN MEETING NOTES.
ASSIGNMENT ONE:
FOR THE WEEK
HERE WE START YOUR FINAL PROJECT.
ESSENTIALLY, IT IS A BINDER OF YOUR WORK THROUGH OUT THE
SEMESTER. WE WILL BEGIN WITH ADDING THESE THREE ITEMS INTO THE
DIGITAL “BINDER” (MORE TO COME ON THE DIGITAL BINDER
LATER):
ASSIGNMENT ONE: START A ROUGH DRAFT OF YOUR RESUME
(SAMPLE VERSION PROVIDED FOR YOU TO COPY IF YOU HAVE
NEVER CREATED ONE BEFORE)
WE ARE GETTING A HEAD START ON YOUR RESUME, AS YOU CAN SEE ON
THE SYLLABUS YOU WILL BE LEARNING ABOUT RESUME AND COVER
LETTERS NEXT CLASS, SO IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO START DRAFTING
YOUR RESUME. DONT WORRY IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO FILL IN
EXPERIENCE, JUST COMPLETE THE FORMAT AND WE WILL GO FROM
THERE.
WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS COPY THE RESUMER SAMPLE AS IT IS; YOU
CAN USE WORD, GOOGLE DOCS, IOS PAGES, OR WHICH EVER BEST
WORKS FOR YOU YOU CAN;
IF YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, USE THE TEMPLATES ON EITHER
APPLICATION TO HELP YOU WITH THIS
THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION IS AT THE VERY TOP/BOTTOM:
YOUR NAME
EMAIL ADDRESS
LINK TO YOUR PROFESSIONAL SITE: LINKED IN, NEED, GLASSDOOR, ETC.
ASSIGNMENT TWO:
FOR THE WEEK
ASSIGNMENT TWO: CREATE 3 OUTFITS: 1) SITE VISIT LOOK: CASUAL-
PROFESSIONAL / 2) SHOWROOM LOOK: SEMI – PROFESSIONAL / 3) PRESENTATION
LOOK: PROFESSIONAL
• SHOWROOM LOOK: SEMI – PROFESSIONAL / THIS OUTFIT IS THE ONE YOU WEAR
TO AN ANNIVERSARY OR BIRTHDAY DINNER WITH FAMILY MEMBERS. I ALSO WANT
TO ADD, THIS OUTFIT SHOULD LEAN MORE TOWARDS THE CASUAL SIDE OF THE
THREE OUTFITS. (JUST A SUGGESTION, AND THIS CAN CHANGE FROM COMPANY
TO COMPANY, BUT GENERALLY I LIKE TO PULL BACK FROM DRESSING TOO
PROFESSIONAL. IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE MORE “DRESSED-UP” I WAS THE MORE
CLIENTS STRAYED AWAY FROM MY SERVICES. I DONT KNOW WHAT THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR IS IN THAT IDEA IS BUT I HAVE EXPERIENCED NEGATIVE
FEEDBACK FROM DRESSING WAY TO FORMAL. I ALWAYS AIM TO BE APPROACHABLE,
AND THAT ALL START WITH HOW YOU PRESENT YOUR SELF VISUALLY, SO LEANING
MORE CASUAL THAN PROFESSIONAL IS KEY FOR THIS OUTFIT, I THINK.)
• PRESENTATION LOOK: PROFESSIONAL / THIS OUTFIT IS THE ONE YOU WEAR TO
A WEDDING AS GUEST OR TO A SPECIAL/LAVISH EVENT. HERE YOU WANT TO LOOK
YOUR BEST AND, HERE, DRESSING TO IMPRESS MATTERS… YOU WANT TO LOOK
YOUR BEST ON THE DAY YOU MIGHT LAND THE BIGGEST PROJECT OF YOUR LIFE,
RIGHT?!
• SITE VISIT LOOK: CASULA-PROFESSIONAL / THINK OF THIS LOOK AS IF YOU
WERE GOING ONTO A LIVE SITE. IMAGINE THIS, THE HOUSE ONLY HAS ITS’
FOUNDATION, FRAMING FOR THE HOUSE, AND A ROOF, NOTHING ELSE. IT’S DUSTY,
ROCKY, AND THERE’S DIRT EVERYWHERE. YOU CAN HAVE FUN WITH THIS LOOK, I
WANT YOU TO SHOW ME WHAT YOU WOULD WEAR KNOWING THAT YOU ARE
STILL ON THE CLOCK BUT NEED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH A
CONSTRUCTION SITE. AGAIN, KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS STILL WORK AND YOU HAVE TO
MAINTAIN YOUR BRAND SO WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
HOW TO TURN IN YOUR WORK:
THE IMAGE BELOW IS ONE WAY TO PRESENT YOUR LOOKS. ANOTHER WAY IS, LAYING OUT
YOUR CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR TO SHOW ALL THE PIECES. YOU CAN STYLE IT ON A
MANNEQUIN, HANGERS, JUST BE CREATIVE AND SHOW ALL THE PIECES. I SHOULD HAVE A
TOTAL OF THREE IMAGES OF THERE DIFFERENT OUTFITS. PLEASE DO NOT WEAR YOUR
OUTFITS AND TAKE A PICTURE OF YOURSELF.
DISCUSSION FOR THE WEEK
DISCUSSION THREE: YOUR BRAND!
START THINKING ABOUT YOUR “BRAND” WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND LOOK LIKE? HOW ABOUT ON A BUSINESS CARD? WHAT DOES YOUR LETTER HEAD FOR YOUR DOCUMENTS LOOK LIKE? START
THINKING ABOUT COLORS FOR YOUR BAND, WHAT DO THOSE LOOK LIKE? PRETEND YOU ARE AT THE BEGINNING STAGES OF CREATING YOUR BUSINESS AND YOU ARE MEETING WITH A
MARKETING TEAM, TELL US OR SHOW US SOME REFERENCES OF WHAT YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS TO LOOK LIKE, FEEL LIKE, REPRESENT, ETC. REMEMBER, WE ARE STARTING TO BUILD YOUR BRAND, IF
YOU DONT HAVE AN IDEA YET OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT’S FINE BECAUSE YOU CAN GO BACK A REFINE OR REVAMP ANY OF THESE BEFORE YOUR TURN IN YOUR FINAL BINDER.
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**## WEEK3PROFESSIONALDESIGNIMAGE26BUSINESSETIQUETTE.pdf**
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
IMAGE
FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERIOR DESIGN
SPRING 2025
FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERIOR DESIGN
AGENDA
SECTION ONE: BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
IMPRESSIONS
DRESSING FOR SUCCESS
COMMUNICATION
SECTION TWO: BUSINESS ETIQUETTE &
PROFESSIONALISM
DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
NETWORKING
CHALLENGES
ASSIGNMENTS
DISCUSSIONS
INTRODUCTION
THIS IS STARTS THE BEGINNING OF YOUR SEMESTER PROJECT, WHICH ESSENTIALLY WILL BE YOUR FINAL PROJECT. YOU WILL BE CREATING A BINDER OR A PORTFOLIO OF SORTS, STARTING WITH YOUR
ASSIGNMENTS FOR THIS WEEK. YOU HAVE THREE TOTAL AND NO DISCUSSION. HERE, WE WILL BEGIN BUILDING YOUR BRAND, HOW YOU WANT PEOPLE TO VIEW YOU AND SEE YOU AS A DESIGNER. I HOPE
BY NOW WITH ALL THE INTRODUCTIONS AND A DISCUSSIONS, YOU HAVE SORT OF FIGURED OUT WHAT YOUR AESTHETIC IS… IF YOU DON’T THAT’S FINE TOO, THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEEK IS TO START
FIGURING OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU. WITH YOUR AESTHETIC; OR WHEN YOU FIND IT, YOU CAN THEN INTRODUCE OR INJECT THAT STYLE INTO SIMPLE THINGS LIKE YOUR BUSINESS CARDS,
YOUR LINKED IN PAGE, YOUR PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE AND EVEN INTO YOUR OWN SHOWROOM/STUDIO, ETC.
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF
PERSONAL BRANDING AS AN INTERIOR
DESIGNER.
DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR
MAINTAINING A POLISHED AND
PROFESSIONAL IMAGE.
EXPLORE THE ROLE OF ATTIRE,
COMMUNICATION, AND ONLINE
PRESENCE IN ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY.
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
DESIGN IMAGE
SPRING 2025
SECTION ONE
IMPORTANCE OF
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
• HOW APPEARANCE INFLUENCES CLIENT PERCEPTION
• THIS IS VERY MUCH PSYCHOLOGICAL. IT IS SAID THAT IT TAKES ABOUT 5 SECONDS FOR A PERSON TO DECIDE IF; SOMEONE THEY MEET, THE MEETING IS “GOOD” OR “BAD.” THE FIRST TWO SECONDS IS
ALL BAS ON IMAGE THEN THE LAST THREE SECONDS DETERMINES WHETHER OR NOT TO CONTINUE THE TRANSACTION. WITH THAT SAID, IN MY EXPERIENCE, IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO PRACTICE
NICETIES WITHIN THE SHOWROOM, SUCH AS GREETING YOUR CLIENTS AS THEY WALK IN, ALWAYS TRYING TO PUT ON A SMILE, COMMON GESTURES LIKE OFFERING WATER OR BEVERAGES BEFORE
PRESENTING, ETC. SO, ALWAYS PRESENT YOURSELF HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE VIEWED, FOR NOW, WE CAN STICK WITH “STANDARD” LOOKS OR MOST COMMONLY KNOWN AS YOUR PROFESSIONAL
LOOK.
• PROFESSIONAL VS. CASUAL ATTIRE: WHAT WORKS IN DIFFERENT CLIENT INTERACTIONS.
• THERE IS ALWAYS A “STANDARD” WAY OF DRESSING IN EVERY COMPANY YOU GO. HERE ARE SOME RESTRICTIONS WITH HOW YOU DRESS/PRESENT YOURSELF TO CLIENTS FROM WORKABLE.COM
(HTTPS://RESOURCES.WORKABLE.COM/DRESS-CODE-COMPANY-POLICY):
• ALL EMPLOYEES MUST BE CLEAN AND WELL-GROOMED. GROOMING STYLES DICTATED BY RELIGION AND ETHNICITY AREN’T RESTRICTED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST BE WORK-APPROPRIATE. CLOTHES THAT ARE TYPICAL IN WORKOUTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AREN’T ALLOWED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST PROJECT PROFESSIONALISM. CLOTHES THAT ARE TOO REVEALING OR INAPPROPRIATE AREN’T ALLOWED.
• ALL CLOTHES MUST BE CLEAN AND IN GOOD SHAPE. DISCERNIBLE RIPS, TEARS OR HOLES AREN’T ALLOWED.
• EMPLOYEES MUST AVOID CLOTHES WITH STAMPS THAT ARE OFFENSIVE OR INAPPROPRIATE.??
• ALTHOUGH THESE STANDARDS MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM COMPANY TO COMPANY, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT STYLE OF DRESS WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR CLIENT. FOR EXAMPLE, IS
WEARING SOME TRAINERS, JOGGERS, AND A HOODIE TO A PRESENTATION BE A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THE COMPANY OR YOUR SELF? OR DO YOU GO ABOVE AND BEYOND AND WEAR A THREE
PIECE SUIT EVERY MEETING, EVEN SITE VISITS. SO, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE SHOWROOM OR STUDIO IS LOOKING FOR, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE AN IDEA HOW ONE SHOULD DRESS AFTER THE
FIRS MONTH. HERE ARE SOME FULL RULES I HAVE GATHERED OVER THE YEAR IN ORDER TO BE PRESENTABLE NO MATTER THE OCCASION:
• IN MOST SHOWROOMS I HAVE WORKED AT SEMI-CASUAL IS PRETTY MUCH A STANDARD.
• THE DEFAULT WOULD BE UNIFORMS AND UNIFORMS COULD ALSO MEAN ONLY WEARING SPECIFIC COLORS ASIDE FROM A BRANDED POLO, SHIRT, OR JACKET.
• WHEN DRESSING UP WITHIN THE INTERIOR DESIGN WORLD YOU STILL WANT TO EXPRESS YOURSELF BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM THE OTHER DESIGNERS. HERE ARE SOME
IDEAS I THINK OF WHEN I DRESS FOR A BRIEFING WITH A CLIENT, A SITE VISIT, OR A PRESENTATION:
• START OFF FORMAL AND THEN SLOWLY WORK YOUR OUTFIT INTO SEMI-FORMAL BY REMOVING AND/OR REPLACING MORE FORMAL ITEMS WITH CAUSAL ITEMS IN YOUR WARDROBE.
• START OF SEMI-FORMAL AND REPEAT THE PROCESS ABOVE.
• YOU CAN ALSO DO THE REVERSE, WHICH I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR A WHILE, I START OFF WITH CASUAL CLOTHES AND ADD MORE FORMAL PIECES TO MY OUTFIT.
• DO NOT EVERY WHERE PANTS WITH HOLES… EVER.
• WEAR CLOSED TOED SHOES… AND PLEASE DO NOT EVER EVER WEAR CROCS OR UGGS INTO A SHOWROOM, SITE VISITS, OR PROJECTS.
• TATTOOS, FACIAL AND EXCESS PIERCINGS HAVEN’T BEEN SO MUCH OF AN ISSUE IN MY EXPERIENCE BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT I CONTINUALLY THINK ABOUT APPROACHABILITY SO KEEP
THAT IN MIND WHEN ACCESSORIZING.
• AT THE END OF THE DAY IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE ON HOW YOU WANT TO PRESENT YOUR SELF OR THE COMPANY YOU WILL BE WORKING FOR. THESE EXPERIENCES ARE CURRENT BUT KEEP IN MIND
THAT EVERY COMPANY IS DIFFERENT AND EVERY COMPANY HAS THEIR STANDARDS OF HOW YOU SHOULD APPEAR. WHEN YOU OWN YOUR OWN SHOWROOM/STUDIO THESE RULES CAN BE
CHANGED TO FIT YOUR BRAND.
[http://workable.com](http://workable.com/)
[https://resources.workable.com/dress-code-company-policy](https://resources.workable.com/dress-code-company-policy)
DRESSING FOR SUCCESS
ASSIGNMENT ONE: BUSINESS CASUAL VS. FORMAL ATTIRE FOR DIFFERENT SETTINGS.
HERE IS THE FIRST OUT OF 3 ASSIGNMENTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THIS WEEK.
PICTURE THIS, YOU ARE AN INTERIOR DESIGNER GETTING READY FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT PRESENTATION OF YOUR CAREER. YOU WERE PROVIDED A GENERIC LEAD AND LANDED THE JOB MONTHS
AGO. YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED YOUR DESIGNS, DRAWINGS, SOURCED ALL YOUR MATERIALS, CRUNCHED SOME NUMBERS, AND NOW ITS TIME TO PRESENT. TODAY, IS A BUSY DAY
FOR YOU AND YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO CHANGE FOR EACH VISIT. SO LETS PLAN WHAT TO WEAR?
THIS WEEK YOU WILL BE CURATING 3 DIFFERENT OUTFITS, SELECTING APPROPRIATE ATTIRE FOR A JOB SITE, A CLIENT MEETING, AND THAT VERY IMPORTANT PRESENTATION!
HERE ARE SOME SAMPLES OF WHAT I WOULD WEAR. (MORE INFORMATION ON ASSIGNMENT ON SLIDE 13)
SEMI-FORMAL
BUSINESS – CASUAL
VERBAL & NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
• THE ROLE OF TONE, BODY LANGUAGE, AND ACTIVE LISTENING.
• I BELIEVE TONE, BODY LANGUAGE, AND ACTIVE LISTENING IS THE FOUNDATION OF A GOOD BRIEFING WITH YOUR CLIENTS. REALLY, YOU SET THE TONE FOR YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH YOUR CLIENTS
WHETHER THAT’S AT THE START OF YOUR DESIGN JOURNEY WITH YOUR CLIENT OR GOING OUT TO SOURCE MATERIALS FOR YOUR CLIENTS. CLIENTS, PARTNERS, VENDORS, WHO EVER IT IS YOU COME
ACROSS IN THIS FIELD CAN PICK UP ON THESE THREE ROLES.
• UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE CAN PICK UP ON TONE SO WHEN INTERACTING TRY YOUR NEST TO BE NEUTRAL. SHARING YOUR OPINION IS KEY IN OUR FIELD BECAUSE OUR CLIENTS LOOKS TO US OF
KNOWLEDGE. CONSIDER BEING OPEN TO CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM BECAUSE WE ALL DON'T SHARE THE SAME IDEAS AND THATS OK.
• UNDERSTAND BODY LANGUAGE, IF YOU SEE THAT YOUR CLIENT IS CLOSED OFF OR LACKING OF WORDS, PICK UP ON THAT AND SUGGEST A DIFFERENT APPROACH OR SOLUTION. YOU ALWAYS WANT
TO BE OBSERVANT. I ALWAYS KEEP A NOTEPAD NEXT TO I ME OR IN MOST CASES MY IPAD TO TAKE NOTES IF I KNOW A LOT OF DETAILS ARE NEEDED FOR A PARTICULAR PROJECT. IT’S GOOD PRACTICE
TO ALWAYS TAKE NOTES EVEN IF YOU MIGHT NOT TAKE DOWN MUCH.
• UNDERSTAND HOW TO BE ACTIVELY LISTENING TO YOUR CLIENTS. THIS IS KEY BECAUSE WE; AS DESIGNERS, WILL COME ACROSS CLIENTS WHO LACK THE ABILITY TO SEE WHAT WE SEE; OR APHANTASIC,
AND OUR JOB IS TO COLLECT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE SO ACTIVELY LISTENING WILL HELP IN THIS AREA. EXAMPLES WOULD BE, LISTENING TO THEM DESCRIBE A PAINT COLOR MAKES THEM
FEEL OR WHEN SOURCING MATERIALS WITH YOUR CLIENTS AND THEY COME ACROSS SOMETHING THEY LIKE AND SAY “OOOOOOO THIS IS CUTE,” THAT COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A NOTE
OF IT. THESE SMALL GESTURES ARE REALLY APPRECIATED AND DEFINITELY GO A LONG WAY IN ESTABLISHING WHAT CLIENTS LOOK FOR AND THAT IS GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
• HANDLING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES.
• YOU WILL ALWAYS COME ACROSS DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES THE ONLY TRUE WAY TO GO ABOUT SO LIVING HIS ISSUES IS HONEST AND OPEN COMMUNICATION.
• IF YOU FEEL INDIFFERENT FROM YOUR CLIENTS OR COLLEAGUE ASK TO HAVE A PRIVATE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT AND IF THE ISSUES IS STILL NOT RESOLVED AFTER THE TALK THEN BRING IN
MANAGEMENT OR HUMAN RESOURCES; IF THE COMPANY OFFERS SUCH A RESOURCE.
• TO AVOID AND COMPLETELY IGNORE THIS IS INEVITABLE BUT YOU CAN TRY YOUR BEST TO MINIMIZE SUCH AN EVENT BY:
• OPENLY COMMUNICATION CONCERNS, DELAYS, OR ANY INFORMATION THAT WILL PROVIDE YOU TIME TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE
• ALLOWING YOUR CLIENTS ACCESS TO YOUR TIME SO, BEING AVAILABLE TO THEM AT SPECIFIC HOURS OF THE DAYS
• SETTING BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR CLIENTS AND COLLEAGUES SO, KNOWING YOUR LIMITS AT WORK, KNOWING WHAT YOU SHOULD AND SHOULD TALK ABOUT AT WORK, ETC.
• TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED
• IF ALL ELSE FAILS BRING ALL YOUR CONCERNS TO UPPER MANAGEMENT
• THE ART OF SPEAKING WITH CONFIDENCE AND CLARITY.
• CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN BE BORN WITH AND IT’S NOT, CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN LEARN BUT YOU CAN CHOOSE NOT TO. CONFIDENCE IS FOR SURE NEEDED IN OUR
INDUSTRY TO EXPRESS TO YOUR CLIENT SO IT’S SOMETHING TO GAIN.
• …….????? MORE?????
ONLINE PRESENCE &
SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE
WE ARE IN THE AGE OF TECH AND WITH THAT COMES A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE. WE ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE WEB SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING; WHETHER THAT BE FOR OBJECTS, SERVICES, AND
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. SO CREATING A SOCIAL MEDIA IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO CREATE A HUGE FOLLOWING OR CLIENTELE. SOME DESIGNERS YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT HAVE BENEFITED FROM
SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD BE DESIGNERS FROM MAGNOLIA, DREAM HOME MAKE OVER, OR JEREMIAH BRENT. YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE IS KEY TO BE VISIBLE IN THIS INDUSTRY THIS TIES INTO YOUR
“BRAND” SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. I WONT GO INTO DETAIL BECAUSE YOU WILL TOUCH ON THIS MORE IN YOUR MARKETING CLASS. IN THIS INSTANCE I WANT YOU TO KEEP IN MIND YOUR AESTHETIC
WHEN THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU WANT YOUR BRAND TO LOOK, FEEL, SAY, EXPRESS, ETC.
DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR EMAILS,
PHONE CALLS, AND CLIENT MEETINGS.
LEARN THE ETIQUETTE OF
NETWORKING, BUSINESS MEETINGS,
AND INDUSTRY EVENTS.
PRACTICE HANDLING PROFESSIONAL
CHALLENGES, SUCH AS DIFFICULT
CLIENTS OR MISCOMMUNICATIONS.
BUILDING A
PROFESSIONAL
DESIGN IMAGE
SPRING 2025
SECTION TWO
EMAIL & PHONE
COMMUNICATION
• PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION: EMAIL & PHONE ETIQUETTE
• HAVE A PROFESSIONAL EMAIL. WHEN STARTING OUT YOU CAN USE GENERIC EMAIL COMPANIES LIKE GMAIL, OUTLOOK, YAHOO, AND WHAT NOT BUT IDEALLY YOU WANT A DEDICATED EMAIL FOR
EXAMPLE: V.TUFONO@VALDESIGNS.COM
• THIS SOLIDIFIES YOUR PLACE WITHIN BUSINESSES, IT SHOWS PROFESSIONALISM, AND AN ESTABLISHMENT OF YOUR NAME/DESIGNS.
• ALWAYS CREATIVE A VOICE MESSAGE AT THE END OF YOUR VOICEMAILS WITH WARM GREETINGS, YOUR APOLOGIES FOR MISSING THE CALL, NICETIES, AND A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.
• ALWAYS CLAIM YOU WILL GET TO YOUR CLIENTS AS SOON AS YOUR AVAILABLE
• WRITING EFFECTIVE, PROFESSIONAL EMAILS.
• HERE IS WHERE WRITING IS A BIT TRICKY AND WHERE YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND YOUR PROFESSIONALISM. HERE SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN EMAILING CLIENTS, VENDORS, COLLEAGUES:
• START OFF WITH NICETIES FOR EXAMPLE: GOOD MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING, I HOPE YOU’RE DOING WELL, WARM REGARDS, WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL REST OF YOUR DAY, ETC.
• WHEN YOU THINK YOUR EMAIL IS GOING TO BE LONG AND WINDED DEFAULT TO A MEETING OR A CALL TO GET YOUR POINT ACROSS MORE CLEARLY AND ALLOW ROOM FOR LIVE QUESTIONS
• IN GENERAL, EMAILING WITH A CLEAR AND CONCISE MESSAGE. IT IS PROVEN, THROUGH TESTING AND SURVEYING, THAT THE READER IS LIKELY TO SKIM A LONG AND DETAILED EMAIL VERSUS A
SHORT AND CONCISE EMAIL.
• WHEN SPEAKING WITH CLIENTS, ALWAYS IMAGING THAT THE CLIENT DOES NOT KNOW YOUR DESIGN LINGO AND BE PREPARED TO RELAY OR REITERATE AN IDEA SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE YOU
CLIENT UNDERSTANDS.
• BEFORE SENDING AN EMAIL OUT I TYPICALLY LIKE SOMEONE TO SCREEN MY EMAIL BEFORE I SEND IT, THAT IS IF IT IS AN IMPORTANT EMAIL.
• OTHERWISE, FOLLOW THE COMPANIES POLICIES ON SENDING AND RECEIVING EMAILS
• HANDLING CLIENT PHONE CALLS WITH CONFIDENCE.
• GOING BACK TO LEARNING CONFIDENCE, THIS IS ONE WAY TO OVERCOME THAT FEAR.
• ANSWERING PHONES ALLOW FOR CONSTANT PRACTICE OF YOUR SALES PITCH, DIRECTIONS, PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE AND MORE.
• REMEMBER COMMUNICATING IS KEY IN OUR INDUSTRY; AND WE COMMUNICATE ALL DAY IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, AND KNOWING HOW TO COMMUNICATE YOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS WILL
HELP YOUR DESIGN PROCESS.
• AGAIN, CONFIDENCE IS SOMETHING TO GAIN AND PUTTING YOUR SELF OUT THERE IN SITUATIONS THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WILL HELP WITH GAINING MORE IT.
• ALL IN ALL, PHONE CALLS IN THE WORKPLACE ARE A GENERAL REQUIREMENT SO PRACTICING IT’S ALL IN PRACTICE AND THAT WILL COME IN TIME.
[mailto:v.tufono@valdesigns.com](mailto:v.tufono@valdesigns.com)
NETWORKING &
INDUSTRY EVENTS
• HOW TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY.
• SIMILAR TO INTRODUCING YOURSELF IN GENERAL, BY ADDING WHAT YOU DO AND WITH WHAT COMPANY YOUR WITH WILL SUFFICE.
• EXAMPLE EMAIL: “HELLO MY NAME IS VAL, I AM AN INTERIOR DESIGNER HERE IN SACRAMENTO, CA. I’M CALLING REGARDING A PURCHASE WE MADE FOR A CLIENT…”
• MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS AT TRADE SHOWS AND INDUSTRY EVENTS.
• NETWORKING IS VERY IMPORTANT IT IS HOW YOU GAIN YOUR NETWORK OF RESOURCES.
• IN THE 10 YEARS I HAVE BEEN IN DESIGN I HAVE GATHERED NEARLY 2,000 PLUS NETWORKS FROM ALL DISCIPLINES. FOR EXAMPLE I HAVE CONTACTS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT, ESTIMATORS,
DESIGNERS, PRODUCT DESIGNERS, BIG COMPANIES LIKE MIELE, BERNHARDT, CENTURY FURNITURE, SALTINE, COSENTINO, AND PRODUCT YOU CAN THINK OF, I PROBABLY HAVE A CONTACT
FOR.
• BUT THESE ARE NOT ROLODEX CONTACTS, THESE ARE COMPANIES AND PARTNERS I SAT WITH AT A TABLE AND GOT TO KNOW. I TRY TO MAINTAIN THESE RELATIONSHIPS AS BEST AS I CAN
BECAUSE WHO KNOW IF YOU WILL NEED AN EXTRA PROJECT MANAGER OR ESTIMATOR, ETC.
• NURTURING THESE RELATIONSHIPS ARE NOT ONLY HELPFUL WITH SOURCING MATERIALS BUT THIS ESTABLISHES YOUR BRAND AS WELL. WHO YOUR PARTNER WITH OR WORK WITH ON
PROJECTS; BIG OR SMALL, SHOWS HOW YOU WORK, WHAT YOUR WORK ETHIC LOOKS LIKE, AND INCREASES YOUR CHANGES OF VISIBILITY.
• KEY TIP, ALWAYS INTRODUCE YOUR SELVES AND MAKE YOUR PRESENCE AWARE, THE MORE YOU NETWORK THE MORE YOU WILL BE SURROUNDED BY POSITIVE PEOPLE WHO WILL; IN MOST
CASES, SHARE THE WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE THEY’VE GAIN IN THEIR SUCCESS.
CLIENT MEETINGS &
HANDLING PROFESSIONAL
CHALLENGES
• SETTING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS AND MAINTAINING PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES.
• KNOW THIS, NO ONE CLIENT IS EVER HAS THE SAME IDEAS AS YOUR PREVIOUS CLIENTS; OR IF THEY DO IT IS VERY RARE.
• ALWAYS TREAT YOUR CLIENTS AS A UNIQUE CLIENT, A BRAND NEW CLIENT, A BLANK PAGE… AND YOU ARE THERE TO GUIDE THEM IN FIGURING OUT WHAT THEY NEED AND WANT.
• JUST LIKE OUR TOPIC ON NETWORKING, YOU SHOULD TREAT YOUR CLIENTS THE SAME WAY, PROFESSIONALLY.
• THE PLAYFUL BANTER AND THE JOKING COMES WITH NURTURING THAT RELATIONSHIP THROUGH OUT THE LIFE OF A CLIENT PROJECT.
• SLOWLY YOU WILL GAIN TRUST, LOYALTY, AND RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER AND THATS WHAT YOU WILL SEE BOTH OF YOURSELVES MOVE THROUGH THE PROJECT WITH EASE.
• NOW, NOT ALL CLIENT/DESIGNER RELATIONSHIP WORK WELL AND THAT’S OK, A GOOD TIP IS TO BE HONEST AND SHARE THAT THIS PARTNERSHIP IS NOT WORKING, AND YOU CAN
DO THIS BY SAYING SOMETHING LIKE:
• “HELLO MR. & MRS. SMITH, UNFORTUNATELY DUE TO NATURE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP (WHATEVER THAT MAYBE) I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF EVERYONE
AND THE PROJECT TO PLACE IT IN A MORE QUALIFIED DESIGNER WITHIN THE COMPANY. I FEEL THAT BY SUGGESTING AN ALTERNATIVE DESIGNER THEY WILL BE BETTER SUITED
TO FEET YOUR YOUR SPECIFIC DESIGN AESTHETIC AND UNIQUE NEEDS”
• AND YOU CAN CONTINUE WITH SOMETHING LIKE “I APPRECIATE OUR TIME WITH EACH OTHER AND IF YOU NEED ANY DESIGNS IN THE REALM OF (YOUR MORE QUALIFIED
DESIGN STYLE HERE) PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH OUT! MUCH APPRECIATED, (YOUR NAME HERE).”
• ALL IN ALL, USING COMMON PRACTICES WHEN APOLOGIZING CAN BE UTILIZED HERE.
• REGARDING BOUNDARIES, KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL HUMANS AND WITH THAT, WE KNOW WHAT WE LIKE, WHAT WE DONT, HOW WE WANTED TO BE TREATED AND HOW WE DON’T, SO
MAKING THAT VERY APPARENT AT THE VERY BEGINNING WILL HELP BUILD THAT CLIENT/DESIGN RELATIONSHIP.
• IN RETURN, THE CLIENT WILL DO THE SAME AND YOU CAN SEE THIS IN THINGS LIKE WHAT IS AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO BE CONTACTED.
• HOW TO NAVIGATE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.
• DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WILL HAPPEN… HERE IS MY ADVICE BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE WITHIN RETAIL AND THE INTERIOR DESIGN INDUSTRY, OPEN COMMUNICATION IS KEY. THE MORE
YOU COMMUNICATE TO YOUR CLIENTS DELAYS, MISHAPS, DESIGN IDEAS, PROS AND CONS, BELIEVE ME YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO HAVE THESE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.
• ADDITIONALLY, BEING TRANSPARENT HELPS A LOT! SO KEEPING TABS AND NOTES OF CONVERSATIONS, SOMETIMES IF I KNOW I AM GOING TO HAVE A LENGTHY OR DIFFICULT
CONVERSATION I REQUEST THE OTHER PARTIES PERMISSION TO RECORD THE INTERACTION. THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY A TRUSTING ISSUE, THIS IS JUST A SAGE-GUARD OR A PRECAUTION.
MOST CLIENTS WONT CARE AS MUCH TO BE RECORDED AND THOSE WHO DO WILL POLITELY DENY THE REQUEST, WHICH IS OK, IN THAT CASE YOU CAN WRITE DOWN MEETING NOTES.
ASSIGNMENT ONE:
FOR THE WEEK
HERE WE START YOUR FINAL PROJECT.
ESSENTIALLY, IT IS A BINDER OF YOUR WORK THROUGH OUT THE
SEMESTER. WE WILL BEGIN WITH ADDING THESE THREE ITEMS INTO THE
DIGITAL “BINDER” (MORE TO COME ON THE DIGITAL BINDER
LATER):
ASSIGNMENT ONE: START A ROUGH DRAFT OF YOUR RESUME
(SAMPLE VERSION PROVIDED FOR YOU TO COPY IF YOU HAVE
NEVER CREATED ONE BEFORE)
WE ARE GETTING A HEAD START ON YOUR RESUME, AS YOU CAN SEE ON
THE SYLLABUS YOU WILL BE LEARNING ABOUT RESUME AND COVER
LETTERS NEXT CLASS, SO IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO START DRAFTING
YOUR RESUME. DONT WORRY IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO FILL IN
EXPERIENCE, JUST COMPLETE THE FORMAT AND WE WILL GO FROM
THERE.
WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS COPY THE RESUMER SAMPLE AS IT IS; YOU
CAN USE WORD, GOOGLE DOCS, IOS PAGES, OR WHICH EVER BEST
WORKS FOR YOU YOU CAN;
IF YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, USE THE TEMPLATES ON EITHER
APPLICATION TO HELP YOU WITH THIS
THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION IS AT THE VERY TOP/BOTTOM:
YOUR NAME
EMAIL ADDRESS
LINK TO YOUR PROFESSIONAL SITE: LINKED IN, NEED, GLASSDOOR, ETC.
ASSIGNMENT TWO:
FOR THE WEEK
ASSIGNMENT TWO: CREATE 3 OUTFITS: 1) SITE VISIT LOOK: CASUAL-
PROFESSIONAL / 2) SHOWROOM LOOK: SEMI – PROFESSIONAL / 3) PRESENTATION
LOOK: PROFESSIONAL
• SHOWROOM LOOK: SEMI – PROFESSIONAL / THIS OUTFIT IS THE ONE YOU WEAR
TO AN ANNIVERSARY OR BIRTHDAY DINNER WITH FAMILY MEMBERS. I ALSO WANT
TO ADD, THIS OUTFIT SHOULD LEAN MORE TOWARDS THE CASUAL SIDE OF THE
THREE OUTFITS. (JUST A SUGGESTION, AND THIS CAN CHANGE FROM COMPANY
TO COMPANY, BUT GENERALLY I LIKE TO PULL BACK FROM DRESSING TOO
PROFESSIONAL. IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE MORE “DRESSED-UP” I WAS THE MORE
CLIENTS STRAYED AWAY FROM MY SERVICES. I DONT KNOW WHAT THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR IS IN THAT IDEA IS BUT I HAVE EXPERIENCED NEGATIVE
FEEDBACK FROM DRESSING WAY TO FORMAL. I ALWAYS AIM TO BE APPROACHABLE,
AND THAT ALL START WITH HOW YOU PRESENT YOUR SELF VISUALLY, SO LEANING
MORE CASUAL THAN PROFESSIONAL IS KEY FOR THIS OUTFIT, I THINK.)
• PRESENTATION LOOK: PROFESSIONAL / THIS OUTFIT IS THE ONE YOU WEAR TO
A WEDDING AS GUEST OR TO A SPECIAL/LAVISH EVENT. HERE YOU WANT TO LOOK
YOUR BEST AND, HERE, DRESSING TO IMPRESS MATTERS… YOU WANT TO LOOK
YOUR BEST ON THE DAY YOU MIGHT LAND THE BIGGEST PROJECT OF YOUR LIFE,
RIGHT?!
• SITE VISIT LOOK: CASULA-PROFESSIONAL / THINK OF THIS LOOK AS IF YOU
WERE GOING ONTO A LIVE SITE. IMAGINE THIS, THE HOUSE ONLY HAS ITS’
FOUNDATION, FRAMING FOR THE HOUSE, AND A ROOF, NOTHING ELSE. IT’S DUSTY,
ROCKY, AND THERE’S DIRT EVERYWHERE. YOU CAN HAVE FUN WITH THIS LOOK, I
WANT YOU TO SHOW ME WHAT YOU WOULD WEAR KNOWING THAT YOU ARE
STILL ON THE CLOCK BUT NEED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH A
CONSTRUCTION SITE. AGAIN, KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS STILL WORK AND YOU HAVE TO
MAINTAIN YOUR BRAND SO WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
HOW TO TURN IN YOUR WORK:
THE IMAGE BELOW IS ONE WAY TO PRESENT YOUR LOOKS. ANOTHER WAY IS, LAYING OUT
YOUR CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR TO SHOW ALL THE PIECES. YOU CAN STYLE IT ON A
MANNEQUIN, HANGERS, JUST BE CREATIVE AND SHOW ALL THE PIECES. I SHOULD HAVE A
TOTAL OF THREE IMAGES OF THERE DIFFERENT OUTFITS. PLEASE DO NOT WEAR YOUR
OUTFITS AND TAKE A PICTURE OF YOURSELF.
DISCUSSION FOR THE WEEK
DISCUSSION THREE: YOUR BRAND!
START THINKING ABOUT YOUR “BRAND” WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND LOOK LIKE? HOW ABOUT ON A BUSINESS CARD? WHAT DOES YOUR LETTER HEAD FOR YOUR DOCUMENTS LOOK LIKE? START
THINKING ABOUT COLORS FOR YOUR BAND, WHAT DO THOSE LOOK LIKE? PRETEND YOU ARE AT THE BEGINNING STAGES OF CREATING YOUR BUSINESS AND YOU ARE MEETING WITH A
MARKETING TEAM, TELL US OR SHOW US SOME REFERENCES OF WHAT YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS TO LOOK LIKE, FEEL LIKE, REPRESENT, ETC. REMEMBER, WE ARE STARTING TO BUILD YOUR BRAND, IF
YOU DONT HAVE AN IDEA YET OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT’S FINE BECAUSE YOU CAN GO BACK A REFINE OR REVAMP ANY OF THESE BEFORE YOUR TURN IN YOUR FINAL BINDER.
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