5 Tips for Preparing for Interior Design School

1. Start with Proper Education

Indeed, the foundation of interior design lies in your passion and genuine connection to the craft. However, it also requires attracting potential clients, understanding their home ambitions, and developing suitable plans for their interior spaces.

Most clients tend to choose designers who have successfully completed an educational program and passed the NCIDQ exam. Such designers must have obtained the necessary license for their profession and gained practical experience. Even as a newcomer, just having graduated from university and beginning a new professional trajectory in the design industry, it's important to build a portfolio.

Obtaining reliable education from a recognized interior design school is crucial for building high-quality portfolios. This education will give you skills to attract potential clients with your services. An institution like the American International University can provide the necessary education to advance your career in interior design. Real certification in interior design can significantly increase your appeal to potential clients, encouraging them to come to you.

2. Think Like a Designer

The process of preparing for interior design school starts much earlier than the first day of classes. This is because you want to use all the experiences you gain by observing spaces around you. Pay attention to functionality, aesthetics, and overall atmosphere of the rooms you encounter.

Think about how these spaces facilitate movement, demonstrate a certain style, and manage sound. Consider whether there are elements you would like to change. You develop acute awareness by constantly engaging in this reflective analysis every time you enter a space.

3. Learn Various Interior Styles

The best interior designers have a deep understanding of various styles, regardless of their strong attachment to several of them. Familiarity with a range of styles allows them to incorporate attractive elements from each, creating innovative and harmonious designs. This process not only helps develop their unique style but also helps them connect these styles with personal impressions during interior design school.

4. Practice Regularly

Besides obtaining formal education in interior design and becoming familiar with various design tools, it's important to constantly practice your skills. Regular practice of space planning and applying design theory principles will help you strengthen your intuition in design. Over time, you'll be able to conceptualize design plans even when a client hasn't fully described their desires for home.

Using tools like collages and 3D models, you can effectively convey your concepts in line with their design goals. After gaining a solid understanding of space planning functionality, choosing appropriate furniture, artworks, color schemes, and decor becomes significantly easier.

5. Learn CAD

Gaining knowledge in computer-aided design (CAD) is essential for those preparing to enter interior design school. CAD is a tool that uses specialized software for drawing, modeling, and visualizing objects and environments. It's a common tool used in the field of interior design.

During your time at an interior design school, you'll use CAD to experiment and visualize concepts. While there are many different CAD applications available, mastering some popular ones such as AutoCAD® can be beneficial. This will give you skills to manage more technical aspects of the work and provide an advantage when starting your academic journey.

Conclusion

Interior design school is an excellent way to expand your creative horizons and improve existing skills. With proper preparation, you can get the most out of this experience and give yourself an edge against other aspiring designers. It may seem like a lot of work at first glance, but if you follow these tips on how to prepare for interior design school, you'll be ready for all the challenges that may arise.