Things to keep in mind before enrolling in Interior Design course

As per the latest trends of India's interior design market, especially under Covid-19 impact, expansion at a CAGR of 7 per cent by 2027 is highly anticipated. The market will size up between USD 20 billion and USD 30 billion – as Mordor Intelligence estimates. With businesses slowly getting back on track, interior designers are exploring multiple possibilities in commercial space, exhibition, theatre and film set, and merchandise designing.

Why choose Interior Design?

Interior design is gaining popularity as an occupation. Need for interior designers is on rise owing to Indian urbanites' rising knowledge and expenditure on advanced lifestyles and exotic destinations. Also, the per capita land consumption is falling daily as a result of the increasing population and nuclear-turning households.

Utilizing the limited space effectively and efficiently is, therefore, not an option anymore but something that people need terribly. With all these radical changes, interior design is turning into a lucrative career choice for those with a creative mind-set.

As per a top-notch online educational, there are about 618 Indian colleges offering interior design courses. Out of which, 65 per cent are private institutions, 5 per cent are public, and about 2 per cent are public-private partnerships. Candidates can pursue an interior design degree using a variety of study methods, including full-time, part-time, distance learning, correspondence, online, and more. Though being a practical skill-based program, one should focus on enrolling for a full-timecourse.

Tips to prepare before passing in from the college gate

High time you thought like one

When there is an inborn or self-ignited zeal for creativity, you must start thinking like an interior designer before acting professionally like one. Get an eye that can catch the least visible flaws in the design of any space you walk in. Get a mind that can give those flaws a creative fix. Get a spirit that can defy clichés. And get a knack that can have even the zaniest of designs admired.

Interiorise knowledge before interiorising styles

It is essential to understand what interior design is before getting into the specifics. Even here, problem-solving skill is required. Before declaring your design solution, be clear about the problematic areas. This will ease your identification and search for the necessary materials. Now, you can work on the specifics of the construction and establish an appropriate budget. But the process is not linear. It necessitates numerous meetings with the client, architect, civil or mechanical engineer, laborers, and suppliers—it is a succession of iterative conversations and design improvements after all.

Keep exploring

In the profession of interior design, there is ever much to be learned as design is ever evolving. This art is like a discovering spree for even more exquisite, innovative, mind-bending makeovers, which should not stop. One of the first things an aspirant designer can do is, for instance, learn about the color wheel and ready their exclusive color palettes because colors fill a space with life.

Research not for the best but for the most suitable college

There can be the Top Ten colleges out there to choose your favourite from. But this is truly the stage while starting your career where you need to be your wisest. Identify where you exactly lack and find an institution that can mould the interior designer in you right from there. Bear in mind the following factors before you zero in on your kind of college: overall cost, faculty success rate, services and amenities, global associations, internship opportunities, research and apprenticeship programs, funds and other support, societies, campus fairs, and, last but not the least, ex-alumni's feedback.

Update your CAD skill regularly

Although there are interior designers who simply produce paper sketches and then, send them to a drafter to get a scaled computer layout, getting equipped with design apps is wise when the landscape is rapidly turning digital. Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software helps designers not only create amazingly precise and intricate designs but also operate more productively and for less money which leads to quicker project completion.

The field of interior design is getting increasingly competitive. It might be time to step up by learning CAD software if you want your designs to stand out from the competition. With the benefits the program offers, you can level up your designs in order to stay ahead of others.

Placement variety with the Degree in Hand

Once you are successfully out of college, there is an incredible number of jobs that can be taken up, such as spatial production (movie/TV/theatre), or exhibition designer, visual merchandiser, lighting Designer, landscape artist, architectural technologist, graphic, textile, furniture, or home accessory designer, estates or events manager, stylist, interior design consultancy, among numerous others.

Today, interior design is an exciting employment option. People are considering how to build a space with limited resources because there is a global increase in population and a shortage of available space. Help these people out by taking a course in interior design; make it your passion!

(The author is Head of Department, Faculty of Architecture & Design at Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies)