What is an Interior Designer?
A professional interior designer is qualified by education, experience and examination to enhance the function, safety and quality of interior spaces.  Interior designers combine critical and creative thinking, communication and technology for the purpose of improving the quality of life, increasing productivity and protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public.
Interior design encompasses many specialties in residential, commercial and institutional interiors, including:
homes, hotels, restaurants, schools and universities, dormitories, office and industrial interiors, health-care facilities and nursing homes.

Interior designers’ services include:
Consultations
Programming
Space planning
Design analysis
Drawings
Specifications of fixtures and their location
Furnishing
Reflected ceiling plans
Non-load-bearing elements of interior spaces of buildings

    Interior design and the Health, Safety and Welfare of the Public
Every decision an interior designer makes, in one way or another, affects life safety and quality of life.  Some of those decisions include designing safe environments for everyone from infants to the aged, specifying furniture, fabric and carpeting that meet or exceed fire codes, complying with other applicable building codes, designing ergonomic work spaces, space planning that provides proper means of egress, and providing solutions for the handicapped and other persons with special needs.

Qualified interior designers have comprehensive professional training, technical knowledge and responsibilities and must have many competencies including:
Space planning that provides proper means of egress (exit)
Lighting design in the home and workplace
Specifying furniture, fabrics and finishes that meet or exceed fire codes and toxicity standards
Determining proper application and appropriate use of finishes for maximum safety
Barrier-free design
Compliance with national, state and local building codes
Ergonomic design solutions for those with special needs

The Three E’s of Interior Design

The career path of a professional interior designer involves formal Education, entry-level work Experience and a qualifying Examination.
EDUCATION - Completing a degree in interior design is an essential element to professional practice of interior design.  This formal education prepares the professional interior designer with a unique array of knowledge and skills specific to the interior environment.
EXPERIENCE - Entry-level work experience facilitates the development of competent interior designers who can provide interior design services and work as professional members of the design team.  Work experience is required of candidates for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination, and all state licensing boards require proof of quality interior design experience for licensure and/or registration.
EXAMINATION - Examination is an elemental component of determining whether or not an individual has met the minimum competency standards to practice a profession.  The NCIDQ exam is currently the only examination that tests minimum competency in the full body of interior design knowledge.  The NCIDQ examination is entirely directed at public health, safety and welfare.  For more information about NCIDQ, visit their Web site at www.ncidq.org.


Consumers Benefit When Interior Designers Have the Right to Practice.

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