What I experienced in my years working for Universalprojekt is that innovation plays a vital role: unexpected designs gain our clients attention and stand out from the crowd of competitors. Therefore, having an “open mind” for innovation while respecting all functional requirements is key for our success. However, without knowing your tools you can never realize an aesthetic and functioning design. In order to get your ideas across you need to be able to sketch them and later proceed with technical drawings – detail by detail. Interior Design is not happening in an office – it is influenced by society, fashion, …even by politics or ethics. Thus, young designers should travel the world, always trying to take in ideas from all kind of fields and translate these ideas into their own drawings. Designers should be present on construction sites. They should try to be materials experts, to be “hands on.” and to listen to the feedback brand representatives and selling staff give. They must communicate with their clients for retail projects, figure out their needs, get to know the products. They must also know the consumers for these products. They need to understand the brand. Only then will retail design succeed in bringing the brand’s identity to life.
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