IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 46

“We have much more knowledgeable clients today. I used to sit down with a chairman and his wife and look at some things. I haven’t seen a wife in 25 years.”
—Arthur Gensler, FIIDA, FAIA, rIBA

The challenge for the new generation of designers is to keep the design in it.

rP: use of technology in and of itself is not a problem or solution; it’s merely one of the arrows in our quiver used to deliver the best design solutions to address client problems. AG: Technology has cut the time to do things. rather than two days later, designers are coming back with changes to designs in a few hours. We can work all over the world and stay connected. It’s tough for smaller firms though, because you have to keep up with all of it.
-----------------------------------------------------------how different are the major business challenges for interior designers from those of our clients or other professional service firms? ------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------What are some of the major advances the practice has made in the past few decades in terms of its role with clients and the value it can deliver? ------------------------------------------------------------

JSh: Clients want one-stop shopping. We’ve all become stronger at blending our services and joining forces with related firms to bring a strong project team to the table that can solve a variety of issues. Additionally, our work is much more evidence-based and has strong ties to the psychological impact our work ofof has on our clients. It’s easier to prove today the value of a well-designed workplace. rP: Designers have gotten better at a more strategic and business-oriented approach to their practice, partly because of the exigencies of the economy. but what the hell took so long? How did this profession manage to avoid business dynamics decade after decade? AG: Clients are willing to pay for good design. At Intel, their business space was gray forever, gray carpet, gray panel, gray furniture. now they’ve learned that you can have beautiful offices that are reasonably priced but can help attract and retain great talent. Their employees perform well because they’re stimulated by the surrounding environment. It’s a great time to be a designer.

JSh: We face the same business challenges as our
clients: recruiting and retaining the best talent, avoiding mediocrity, working to be relevant and meaningful to our clients and our employees, delivering value and being paid for it, controlling overhead, maintaining a high level of customer service, and differentiating ourselves from the competition. Clients themselves are more demanding today, but that is simply because there is more knowledge out there, more resources, and more information for our clients to become increasingly aware.

rF: It’s a faster world all around. We’re playing in the same sandbox as our clients and they appreciate that. AG: Clients expect you to turn around instantaneously because someone is yelling at them that they need to deliver by tomorrow. you’re on call at all times as a professional.

perspective

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011