New Year, New Job: AD PRO wants to help you land your dream role. Discover our newly unveiled job board, featuring the latest listings from the industry's top firms.
It’s the ultimate catch-22 for any young creative: How to get work before you’ve actually got any work to show? AD PRO talked with deans and professors at two of the country’s top interior design schools—and designers who’ve been through it themselves—to find out some of the best ways to fake it till you make it.
If You're Starting From Scratch
Start small.
When San Francisco interior designer Cynthia Spence first transitioned from the business world to design, she took any job that came her way. “I did paint consults, I rearranged furniture, I staged for realtors,” she says. “I took on work and clients that were not necessarily high-end. I used the opportunity to network—this is a business based on referrals, after all—and took photos of everything.”
Summer Sale: Become an AD PRO member for only $20 $12 per month.
When you’re just starting out, says Manhattan interior designer Amy Kalikow, you can’t afford to be choosy. “If someone asks for [you to select] a table and chairs, just do it,” she says. “You will learn from every one of these jobs, and you’ll walk away with something to show for it.”
Shoot small.
Keep in mind that you needn’t show an entire house to give potential clients a sense of your aesthetic. “A great trick when starting out is to shoot close-up vignettes of projects you’re working on, even if it’s restyling a friend’s coffee table,” says Andrew Torrey, principal of Manhattan interior design firm B.A. Torrey. “It can show texture and style, without having to show completed rooms.”
Let your own home do the talking.
In the early days of her career, Chicago interior designer Summer Thornton built a portfolio using photos of her own place, as well as projects she’d done for friends and family. “If you make your own home the envy of your friends, they may ask for your help,” she says. “Start by helping them, building your portfolio, and then branch out with clients.” Spence concurs. “I used my home as a showroom, a place to show people that, say, your ceilings or your baseboards don’t have to be white,” she says. “I still do.”
Get creative.
It’s okay, especially when you’re just starting out, to show images that speak to who you are as much as the work you’ve done. “A good portfolio represents the designer as a whole,” says Ryan Hansen, chair of interior design at SCAD. “That means you could include work from an early class in hand-rendering, construction documents from your internship, or a painting you’ve done.”
When Cotter Christian, the program director of the BFA interior design program at Parsons, went for his first interview at a big architectural firm, he brought along drawings of an off-Broadway set he’d designed. “That’s what we ended up talking about for the entire interview,” he says. “Think about what makes you interesting and unique.”
As Hansen puts it, “Firms are hiring people, not portfolios.”
Get posting.
Instagram is a great way to convey your aesthetic and style without necessarily showing your own work. “Quite a few young designers without portfolios make a name for themselves by curating—and crediting—a gorgeous selection of architectural and design images that speak to them on Instagram,” says Torrey. Christian encourages posting pictures with captions that give insight into why you’ve chosen them. “If you’re sharing someone else’s work, say why it inspires you and what you like about it,” he says. “If you’re posting an image from a hotel or museum, tell followers why you’re drawn to that place.”
Once You Have Something to Show
Build a website...
Having a digital presence is important. When Spence was starting out, she had an affluent client refer her to another affluent person. “When he asked if I had a website, I said I didn’t, but that I could show him works in person, which I thought would be even better,” she recalls. “I didn’t get the job. He felt I wasn’t legitimate enough if I didn’t have a website.”
A website needn’t be slick or fancy, says Christian—you can use something simple like Behance or another premade portfolio site—but it should be clean and easy to use.
…but also consider maintaining an old-school printed portfolio.
Especially, says Geoffrey Taylor, dean of the School of Building Arts at SCAD, if you’re applying for jobs with a firm. “The iPad thing can get a little frustrating,” adds Christian. “I’m not suggesting you need a beautifully bound book, but well-printed drawings and sketches are a good idea. People still respond to touch and feel.”
Be sure the work you’re showing is really yours.
If you’re posting work from internships or apprenticeships, says Taylor, it’s important to clarify if you’ve only contributed a piece of that work, “because most employers know that, and you don’t want to be called out on misrepresenting work,” he says. “So be sure to note what you were responsible for, what skills you learned on that job, perhaps what challenges you faced.”
Keep it current.
It’s important to update your portfolio regularly—at least once a year, says Taylor. And don’t be afraid to change it up. “A good portfolio is tailored to the type of place you want to work,” he says. “Your apartment shots might look great, but if you want to work in commercial or hospitality, they don’t matter.”
And never show work for the sake of showing work. “Long is not better,” says Christian. “Think simple, clean, cohesive. And definitely only show work you’re proud of.”