Surviving A Layoff By Making Yourself Sustainable

contributed by Courtney Branham, ASID [interior designer / former job candidate / recently re-employed person]

Though environmental focus has been a passionate cause in the interior design community for many years, “sustainability” just recently emerged as a mainstream buzzword. The word takes on a whole new meaning, however, when it becomes acutely personal – as in relation to employment. One definition of “sustainability” on Dictionary.com is “to keep (a person, the mind, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction”. According to the Georgia Department of Labor, which services my state of residence, the unemployment rate has increased 3% in the past year. The unemployment rate for architectural, engineering, and related services has grown 3.4% in the past year. The question becomes: How can interior designers personally sustain themselves and survive a layoff…

Read more | explore survival tactics here.

Scott Pobiner | Part 2

contributed by Exenia R. [freelance writer / singer & dancer / design enthusiast]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Haven’t read Part 1 of this in-depth interview with Scott Pobiner? Then do so here because we’re going to jump right in...

Q. Switching gears to talk about Parsons - what is the goal of the Design & Management program?
A. The goal of the Design & Management program is to train students to walk the fine line between different fields of design and business. Rather than simply a “design-business” program, I think that D&M strives to train people who are interested in helping to formulate issues that lead to great design. This should include [not only] business issues, but also the process of design itself…

Read more | probe further into Pobiner’s industry vision here.

Big [Green] Dreams | Part 1 – Small Efforts

contributed by Julie Weber [designer / explorer / cubicle expert]

"The client wants a bubble Jetty top with a mobile BBF,” I said into my cell phone one evening while standing in line at the grocery store. The woman in front of me gave me a strange look, and I turned away. This was a furniture emergency and so I had to finish the call, no matter how rude it was or how strange my technical jargon may have seemed. My God, people’s lives were at stake… wait, I mean people’s desks and chairs and keyboard trays were at stake…

Read more | share this designer’s [green] moral dilemmas here.

Keeping Good Clients | Part 2

contributed by Janelle Steinberg, Allied Member ASID [principal interior designer - J Steinberg Design / blogger / twenty-something]

Last month in Part 1 of this series, we discussed deliberate methods to avoid bad clients. This month’s installment naturally progresses to the equally as critical topic of maintaining good ones. Picking up where we left off… You have met, discussed the project and budget, and you are getting a good vibe from your prospective client. You are excited about the opportunity to work with them and their vision. They have realistic expectations. They have an ample budget to work with in order to meet their desires and achieve great design. Consequently, you have qualified them to be a “good client”. Now you just need to ensure that they stay good clients, and you may be surprised to hear that this is completely your responsibility…

Read more | hold on to a good thing here.

NCIDQ&A: NCIDQ Holds Free Examination Info Session at NeoCon

contributed by The NCIDQ Crew

Did you know that NCIDQ’s Exam is changing in 2010? If you are planning to sit for the exam in the next year or two or if you advise others on studying for the exam, then you will want to be among the first to learn the details about the exam’s modifications. Reserve your space now for next month’s complimentary exam information session, which will take place during NeoCon® World’s Trade Fair 2009…

Read more | find out how to register here.

There's a lot of info out there on the World Wide Web. Let us do some of the searching so that you don't have to.

What The Spec?
[Collette Collins Design – Elegant, sculptural furniture from salvaged materials.]
Eco Savvy
[Ecolect – A heaping helping of green material resources.]
[Mother Nature Network – What Time magazine calls the “green CNN”.]
Other Design Junkies
[PicoCool – A members-only online community obsessed by all things cool.]
The Pros
[International Housewares Association]
[New Buildings Institute]
Productive Sites
[Free My CV – One-stop résumé posting for British subjects and beyond.]
Hot Shopping
[2JANE – 2JANE or not 2JANE? You’ll say yes to their international interior accessories.]
Time Killers
[Wordle – Graphical fun-with-words that is hard to describe with words.]

Impress your interviewers / professors / co-workers with interior design industry jargon.

chevron | HID | passive solar heating / cooling | sound attenuation batts | tread

Speak more intelligently when presenting and networking by incorporating some new vocabulary.

ampersand | cryptic | trepidation

Keep those comments coming. Email us at contact@plinthandchintz.com, and read more rants and raves here.

Your Plinth and Chintz online magazine is great for students and young designers. Keep up the good work!
--Shirley Lo, ASID, LEED AP

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