Professional Practice for Interior Designers. Christine M. Piotrowski

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CHAPTER 3 Going Global

      Working internationally is a challenging and rewarding opportunity for interior designers. Technology allows designers to work with clients in other countries as easily as working with clients in the states. Cultural opportunities are very attractive to anyone who wishes to work globally. Or so it seems. Going global is not that easy.

      Establishing business opportunities internationally means that you must carefully learn about diverse cultures and customs. You will need to acquire knowledge about doing business in ways that may be very different from what you are used to. Having some skill in a language other than English will also be important. What language? That will depend on where you are from and where you are trying to obtain design work. You will also need additional consultants in legal and financial affairs who are familiar with international business and legal regulations. And these are just some key topics.

      Not all interior designers desire to do projects out of the United States. Yet, gaining an understanding of global cultural differences and global business issues is important to all interior designers today. And of course, international clients and their influences impact design in the United States. CIDA standards also expect that interior design programs “have a global view and consider social, cultural, economic, and ecological contexts in all aspects of their work.”¹ Thus, for educational preparation and the changing landscape of business today, this chapter has been added to the text.

It is important to deliver a caution at this point. This chapter does not claim to provide all the information needed to start doing design work out of the United States. It provides useful background information. The designer wishing to work internationally absolutely should seek the advice of an attorney familiar with international business law and an accountant familiar with regulations related to revenues earned outside the reader's home country.

       After completing this chapter you should be able to:

      NCIDQ COMPONENT

       Based on the best information available, some material in this chapter might appear as part of the NCIDQ examination. The reader should not depend solely on this text for study material.

GLOBAL DESIGN WORK

      Without question, interior design has become a global profession. You can read articles in the trade magazines about design firms in the United States doing work out of the country. On the flip side, there are articles about U.S. firms doing work for international clients who have facilities in New York, or Chicago, or anywhere domestically.

      The Internet and overall enhancements in technology have expanded the reach of designers throughout the world. Virtual communications make it easy to hold meetings, transmit drawings and other documents, and manage projects in a global market. Though it can be argued that most of that international work is done by the large multidiscipline firms, it is not impossible for any designer to attract a potential international client. A designer's Web site, publications, and participation in trade shows like NeoCon (to name a few avenues) can attract an international client to a domestic designer. Nevertheless, the small interior design firm that has visions of international work must enter this arena with caution and care.

      Working globally is not for everyone anchored in the United States. It can be expensive and financially risky. This chapter has been added to clarify some of the issues that must be considered by any size firm considering making the move to going global.

      As with deciding to enter any new market or specialty, it is vital for the firm to carefully consider why it wants to pursue an international clientele or a specific project overseas. Research must be performed on a variety of issues before embarking on a full‐on global reach strategy. This chapter endeavors to briefly discuss many of those key issues.

Global design work also means understanding and embracing cultural differences. For the designer to assume that the client from, let us say, Japan, can speak and do business in English can be a mistake that quickly derails the project. From a business perspective, even improperly greeting a client from a foreign country could end the project even before it begins. International etiquette will be discussed later in the chapter.

      Learning the cultural differences of the countries a firm may wish to actively seek work is a first step. But learning about cultural differences of many nationalities is also critical. СКАЧАТЬ