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BOLD BY DESIGN
S E A RC H YO U R S E L F W H AT ’ S U N D E R YO U R NAME? BY ROBIN COLTON
I n a s e a o f I n t e r n e t s e a rc h re s u l t s , p o t e n t i a l c l i e n t s a re w a d i n g t h ro u g h p a g e a f t e r page of designers names and descriptions. When an i n t e r i o r d e s i g n e r h i re s m e a s their business coach, very often this is how the designer has positioned themselves: ‘Boutique high-end a w a rd - w i n n i n g l u x u r y f u l l service interior design firm s p e c i a l i z i n g i n re s i d e n t i a l a n d c o m m e rc i a l s p a c e s t h a t works closely with clients t o i n t e r p re t t h e i r s t y l e a n d c re a t e s p a c e s t a i l o re d t o every client’ Upon seeing this under designer name after designer name, it becomes a description that means nothing to a consumer at all. The designers that have described themselves in such a generic way have positioned themselves to cast as wide a net as possible to catch as many clients as possible. And sometimes t h e y d o (a n d w h e n t h e y do - maybe 1 out of 20 is a c t u a l l y a g o o d m a t c h) b u t
m o re o f t e n t h e y d o n o t c a t c h anything at all with such a n o n - d i s t i n c t p o i n t o f v i e w. Clarity of purpose, vision, a e s t h e t i c , s t y l e , p ro j e c t type. Clarity is the key to success in the design i n d u s t r y. A d e s i g n e r s v o i c e , their distinct point of view is what informs who they a re , w h a t t h e y d o , a n d h o w they do it. And when that clarity is communicated in t h e i r m e s s a g i n g , t h e re i s n o q u e s t i o n f ro m p o t e n t i a l clients that firm is THE firm for them. A re y o u a b l e t o s u m u p i n 2 - 3 s e n t e n c e s w h o y o u a re as a designer and what your b u s i n e s s s t a n d s f o r ? (A n d n o - y o u ’ re n o t a l l o w e d t o u s e a n y o f t h e w o rd s i n t h e g e n e r i c d e s c r i p t i o n a b o v e) If the answer to this question does not come easily to you or you have chatter in the back of your m i n d t h a t s a y s t h a t ’s n o t t h e way to a successful business, consider this:
“Design i s p e rc e i v e d t h ro u g h our five senses. It is a conversation between t h i n g s . S u b t l e d i f f e re n c e s t a k e n i n : t h e d i f f e re n c e s between smoothness and t e x t u re , d a r k a n d t h e n o t so dark, the plain and the patterned, and how those d i f f e re n c e s m a k e u s f e e l .” This is what appears under B a r b a r a B a r r y ’s n a m e o n a s e a rc h e n g i n e . S h e d i d not get to be Barbara Barry by defining herself as a ‘boutique interior designer who caters to the style of e v e r y c l i e n t ’. S h e f u l l y stepped into her femininity and elegance and that is e x a c t l y w h a t h e r c l i e n t s h i re h e r f o r.
“ A D E S I G N E R S VO I C E , THEIR DISTINCT POINT O F V I E W I S W H AT INFORMS WHO THEY A R E , W H AT T H E Y D O, A N D H OW T H E Y D O I T ”
