how do i get into the furniture design field?
348560
Well, it seems there are several pathways.  One that would seem to be prerequisite is learning all the wood shop stuff you can get in high school and any junior college that has such things.  Secondly, I suppose it depends on whether you have, or can set up, a wood shop at home.  If you can, then making things out of reproduction pattern books would be one way to get started.  Dover Publications has a whole lot of books with usable scale model drawings to make reproductions of old furniture.  That would be an education in itself.  There are plenty of specialty publications in how-to fields that include furniture.  I think I have seen some that included incredibly artistic objects that no doubt sold for impressive prices.\n\nThe art and craft fairs is another way, particularly if you can make some smallish things you can carry in a reasonably small trailer or truck from place to place.  You could probably make enough selling over the summer and manufacturing over the winter to support yourself rather well if you have talent.  They don't need to we wildly original, but they do need to be extremely well made and durable.  Someone who pays a fair price for hand-made furniture expects it to be handed down from generation to generation.\n\nOf course, if you live in an apartment and there's no hope of setting up your own shop anytime soon, the best way to learn would be to find an apprenticeship.  My recommendation there would be to go visit some of the more successful furniture makers in your area, and discuss the possibility of apprenticeship.  At first, you may get no more than doing chores for him for room and board, no salary.  But if you persist, and show you can learn, you will learn by doing from a master craftsman, and there's no better way to learn.
708109
Some Inspiration and additional resources -\n\nhttp://www.interiordesign.net/\n\nhttp://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-infosheets-interior-design.pdf\n\nhttp://www.design4design.com/\n\nhttp://www.designdirectory.co.uk/int.htm\n\nhttp://uk.answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result?p=interior+design
1053359
Qualifications between model and designer are very different. The things you must have in common in both professions is patience, perseverance and connections!
939114
My god daughter studied this for 4 years and won several national and international competitions but the closest she's ever got to being a full time designer was working behind the counter in a jewellery shop!  Perhaps she was unlucky or perhaps thats the norm - I dont know.\n\nArt colleges across the UK deliver these courses, so I suggest you approach the closest one or wherever you fancy studying.\n\nGood luck!
229338
interior design magazine would be a good resource, especially the annual buying/ merchandise guide, as it has the vendors broken down by category, incl. home decor. This or any other magazine aimed at the trade would be a better bet than, say, magazines aimed at homeowners, because trade pubs will have more manufacturers and fewer distributors. Good luck!
1013232
You should already have an eye for fashion, whether it be in the home or in the mall. Once you have that, you need to go to school for interior design to enhance your already given talent.
1174493
I've been a graphic designer for many years and I teach graphic design - I can tell you that there are people who go into this field who have no artistic talent at all and they get work. Big deal - that just means that there are lots of people out there who don't know anything about design and don't care.\n\nI assume you care about design and that's why you want to be a designer. Caring about it is the best place to start, but being "creative" and knowing the computer won't necessarily make you a GOOD graphic designer; that will take some training and practice in the finer skills and knowledge of graphic design. And you CAN learn those with no previous art training or experience.\n\nIf you care about doing beautiful and interesting work, then you will need to learn about the artistic side of graphic design. The good news is that can be fun and interesting. You CAN learn to draw - both with paper and pencil, and on the computer. You will also learn composition, and color, and typography, plus how to take and manipulate photos and images that work in your designs. \n\nLearning all this is possible in a variety of settings. I recommend taking courses from people who have worked as graphic designers and who can teach and mentor you. If you love design, doing this will be fun, not hard.\n\nThere are lots of resources for beginning designers and there's a lot you can learn online without being enrolled in school.  Here's a great site for all the key elements of graphic design and how to do it well. Each element has many pages - take some time to explore:\nhttp://www.warrenkramer.com/design/4/index.shtml\n\nHere are sites covering the three core elements of design. \n1) Color:\nhttp://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html\n\n2) Typography\nhttp://www.thinkingwithtype.com/\n\n3) Composition\nhttp://www.typography-1st.com/typo/prnc-des.shtml\n\nAlso, AIGA is the main association for graphic designers and they have a lot of resources for students and newcomers:\nhttp://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/students\n\nFinally, there are lots and lots of good books on graphic design - go to a good bookstore or a library and spend some time looking through them to get an idea of what the work entails.
905987
i'm an interior design student in va.  its a lot different then i thought it would be but i still love it\ndon't do it just cause it seems fun and interesting because there is a lot of work that goes into interior designing...building codes, architecture, drafting, buisness procedures, working with contractors, sub-contractors...\nthen you have to decide which type of design you want to do commercial, residential, hospitality, etc...\nthere is also a lot of art experience required like drawing perspectives and working with autocad...\nbottom line is lots of people get interior design and interior decorating confused\nthey are not the same!
484061
It depends on what field you would like to enter, such as civil, structural, architectural, landscape, mechanical, hvac. I have noticed lately that the engineering fields have had a lot of job openings. I use both autocad and microstation in my field. I have also noticed that a lot of architects have been doing there own drafting. Most technical firms post job listings in there website. Look up a few firms in the field that you are interested.
1163359
For industrial designers you can search on http://idsa.org or http://core77.com. Most designers are open to discussing their field and general design questions as long as you are flexible with your schedule. If you contact the chair of the local idsa chapter they can also recommend someone that would help you and regional schools that might be good to look into.\nGood luck
348659
Journalism, marketing, creative writing, business, art....depends on what type of magazine and what role you want to play in the magazine. If you want to be into the creative side then you need art, graphic design, writing etc If you want to go into publishing then you need a business and marketing background. Magazine is teamwork.\n\nIf you look at the title page of a magazine it will list everyone that works on it. Start by researching their job titles online and focusing on what interests you the most.\n\nAlso have a clear idea of what audience you want to reach because you will need to be an expert in your field. For example if you want to do say a decorating magazine you will need a back ground in that field.\n\nI don't know where you live but perhaps you can call a local, small publication and ask to volunteer, just to see what it is like to get something to press. And also write letters, snail mail works best, asking questions of people in the industry about how they got where they are. People like to help people who are interested in their field. \n\nAnd lastly, look into if there are union requirements, clubs, organizations etc for the field...maybe you can get some inter work. (Interns are people who work their a** off for free so they can make contacts, network and learn the business in exchange.) \n\nGood luck...
835952
I have to tell you I have no idea about your chosen profession but I would suggest trying to talk to people already in the profession-maybe call or email(find a website that's local to your area). Also read want ads for particular area you're interested in-that should tell you requirements as well as what they like to see. Call them if possible. If you explain as you did above, and ask for help, someone will probably give good advice. \n\nGood luck!
987846
Why not teach and do some interior design on the side?  When you have your kids, you can always ask to become part-time for teaching.  Take on Interior design jobs as you have the time for it, it'd be a great supplemental income.  \n\nAs for how to become a teacher, you would need to check with a local college or university to see what the rules are for your particular state.  In some states, you can teach in a particular area if you have your bachelor's in that area.  In others, you need to take some education classes and pass a test first.  Here in California, teacher credentialing is a 1 year program and a test.  I took my classes at night while I worked as a substitute during the day.  This took one semester and one summer, then my student teaching was the 2nd semester.  \n\nI have no experience with getting into the interior design field, so I can't answer that one.
637719
If you don't want to be come an architect, you could definitely try your hand at journalism by working for a home design magazine.  You'd probably have to start locally and work your way up to more "adventurous" positions.  In order to this, you would need some experience in journalism or writing.  You might want to start writing some articles and sending them to local newspapers or magazines, or start a blog about an architectural subject.  However, I've got to say that someone who uses an express like "confused on" might not have the writing skills to pursue journalism.  You may want to go back and take some lower-level English courses at community college before pursuing this career track.\n\nThese are common jobs for people with degrees in architecture:\n\nArchitect\n-Institutional\n-Commercial\n-Residential\n-Light Industrial\n-Landscape\nBuilding Construction Investigator \nBuilding Envelope Specialist \nConsultant \nCurator\nFurniture Designer\nInterior Design Specialist\nProject Manager\nPublic Works Administrator \nReal Estate Development Specialist \nRestoration Specialist\nArchitectural Preservation\nResidential Design\nStructural Investigator\nUniversity / College Professor\nUrban Design Specialist
922023
School, internship, tests.  There are various architectural associations which will have specific answers for you.  Also it depends on which country you're in and what kind of architect you want to be.
460035
College isn't for you. Join a trade union and do the apprenticeship thing instead of college. \n\nSheet metal fabrication and welding. Get good at CAD layout, etc.  \n\nThose jobs pay well, if you're good at it.
523143
you might need to look under programs in art, design, communications, etc. but here are some ideas on where to start...