If you’re a professional interior designer looking to bolster your resume and do more with your career, it might be worth investing in your education to learn how to use one of the many modern software available to today’s designers.
If you’re unsure which software would be the most helpful to you and your professional goals, consider learning one of the following.
Autocad
AutoCAD helps interior designers produce cleaner, more modern floorplans. Developed and sold by Autodesk, this computer-aided drawing tool is now used by millions of people worldwide.
When it comes to a designer's workflow, AutoCAD is much faster than traditional sketching methods. Many elements of floorplan drafts are repetitive, and using AutoCAD gives designers copy/pasting capabilities, saving time otherwise spent redrawing certain elements over and over by hand.
When trying to maintain leverage within a competitive job market, it’s important to build your skills with any technological developments taking place within your industry.
If you want to have a strong interior design resume, an understanding of AutoCAD offers you opportunities for portfolio growth. CAD portfolios are now commonly being shared with potential employers at design firms as part of a routine interview process. In any professional situation, growing your overall skill set and demonstrating a more comprehensive understanding of design is the most reliable way to make a good impression as a capable employee.
SketchUp
3D modeling is an interactive, user-friendly software that gives interior designers the ability to take flat, one-dimensional floor plan drawings and bring them to life.
If you have ever taken a “virtual tour” of an in-progress new construction building, for example, you have probably been able to see a realistic, virtual model of what that space was going to look like once the construction was complete. Every wall, hallway, window, and detail of the layout was in 3D, allowing you to move throughout the space and get a better idea of what it would look like once completed. 3D modeling done with software called SketchUp is what's responsible for virtual models like these.
As an experienced interior designer, you might be able to look at a floor plan drawing and immediately be able to visualize what this will look like once it ahs been built. That’s part of what you’ve been trained to do, and you have years of experience in making these connections and painting these mental pictures.
The same can’t be said for your clients. For many people, looking at a flat floor plan drawing is confusing, and they struggle to properly picture things like size, scale, and proportion. Thanks to 3D modeling, you will be able to really show clients your visions in a lifelike virtual rendering.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re an ambitious designer looking to add some modern technology to your portfolio, NYIAD’s online design courses are a perfect option. The courses are offered completely online, meaning you can log in and work your way through the programs from anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to the internet.
NYIAD programs have no deadlines or due dates, meaning you will never be required to finish anything by a certain time, and you can fit your design education into your already busy schedule- on your terms. If this sounds like the right fit for you, get started here or call 1-800-583-1742 for more information on how the program works.
