Opening your dream business? Here's how to find your interior architecture design partner.

Your space directly reflects you and will elicit engaged customers when it expresses the soul of your brand

Hiring a design professional can be an uncertain and uneasy step as it happens in conjunction with the business realities of opening of your new business. You need to find the perfect partner in developing your space. Creating your space is like creating a 3D version of you—your vision, your brand & your offering. It’s very personal and you need to find the right fit. Here are suggestions to find the right design partner for you and your business.

 Do your research. 

• Ask business colleagues for references and insights on design partners

• Visit restaurant & retailer’s space that you admire & ask about the creator

• Explore the internet & social media for local designers who specialize in your business (these specialty firms are treasures)

Meeting the designer

• Check your chemistry - the preceptive designer will become a trusted partner

• Is their body language authentic? Do they speak with a passion for actualizing your business?

  • Listen for their description about collaboration with the owners – Do they the convey the passion you want to hear about your brand?

  • Are they curious while listening to you? You are unique.  Do they want to help you celebrate your brand? 

• When discussing your brand & your customer’s journey, do you share similar philosophies?

• If you can also meet in your potential new space;

  • What do they notice?

  • What do they think are the pros and cons of the space? 

  • Are they inspired to create a unique brick & mortar version of you

• Ask about their design process – How do they plan to immerse in your brand & deliver what is important to you? (see below for more thoughts on the approach to design)

a good Designer’s approach

• Interior Design is an art form. it’s final outcome can be unclear at the start ~ look for a designer who pulls your ideas out of your head

• The most successful business for you is the one you feel like brings your words about your business to life. As the artist the designer, responds and creates based on your unique voice

• Conversation & sketches and conversation & sketches. the process is engaging and fun. the path is not linear

• A solid creative process will be broken into phases ~ flush out lots of possibilities. It starts broad and leads to finite details as your project moves into construction

Did your meeting and conversation make you feel like you have a creative ally? If so, take the next step and request a design fee proposal.

Design fee proposal

• Design is best as a step by step process - a design proposal will itemize the steps to achieve a cohesive, successful space.

• The proposal will outline design milestone dates that guarantees you all are working towards a project completion within the lease terms.

• Share your budget. The best designer will maximize your budget’s power to create solutions with the most bang for your buck.

• The proposal will itemize the fee into hours with a total fee proposed. A transparent start leads to honest collaboration throughout the duration.

• The design is not a reveal, but a collaborative development. HGTV has shaped an incorrect sense of magic about design. A true design process is collaboration between you and your designer. Be sure the fee proposal outlines the teamwork associated with each design phase. Inclusion in each step gives you time to interject information for your designer to develop a design that makes your brand a success.

If you have any questions about any of these steps, please feel free to call or write me Robert@CipolloneCreative.com. Even if you are going with another architectural designer —It never hurts to get a different perspective on such an important step.