P&C continually strives to get the message out that not everyone who goes to school for interior design is destined to be an interior designer. And that’s all wonderful and fine. 
The skills and knowledge you can accumulate in such a program will only add to your natural abilities and interests, preparing you for all sorts of design industry related career paths. So that you can explore some of those alternatives, we’re pointing out some solid publications that just might inspire an interest and motivate some professional development. Whether you’ve been working as a designer for a while and are ready for a change or whether you are about to graduate but are unsure if the life of an interior designer is for you, this list is for you.
01 | artnet
Many people enroll in interior design school because they have an artistic bent, and not until they get deeper into the program do they comprehend the many left-brained components required of the career, not to mention the codes and regulations that shape the process. Creative freedom, eccentric 
qualities, and artistic expression definitely have a place in the A&D industry, but many times it’s more readily evident in its art collaborations vis–à–vis corporate programs, private collections and public installations. If artists, auctions and galleries excite you more than contractors, bid packages and job sites, then we recommend you hang out at artnet. [Now listed in P&C’s OTHER DESIGN JUNKIES section.]
02 | Restoration & Remediation
Designers and architects create functional, aesthetically pleasing environments, but those environments must be meticulously managed and maintained. Structures and systems are in a constant state of entropy due to normal wear-n-tear, and accidents and natural disasters only add to the mix, creating 
problems like water and smoke damage. Furthermore, mistakes are made and steps are skipped (we won’t name any names here) during construction and inspections, ultimately leading to problems such as excessive moisture, resulting in mold growth and indoor air quality issues. If the demand of detailed attention of facilities management fascinates you, then read Restoration & Remediation. [Now listed in P&C’s ECO SAVVY section.]
03 | designboom
Like us, designboom is an online publication. Read primarily in Europe, but with a healthy following in the United States and Asia, they have been discussing topics concerning design as it relates to industry and society since 1999. Based in 
Milan, they go beyond architecture to explore how people interact with and are affected by design in everyday life, not only via the usual suspects of interiors, furniture and art, but also through technology, gadgets, transportation, cuisine, advertising, packaging and manufacturing. If industrial design quickens your pulse, then designboom.com should be in your Favorites. [Now listed in P&C’s OTHER DESIGN JUNKIES section.]
04 | E/The Environmental Magazine
It is possible that the sustainable design tidbits that you have absorbed at interior design conferences, through presentations by your manufacturers’ sales reps, and via the pages of various shelter magazines are slowly 
igniting a fiery passion for eco-mindedness within you. The growing focus on energy-efficiency and the ramping up of emerging technologies affecting both products and processes makes a focus in this field ripe for the picking. If the thought of becoming more green literate and educating A&D colleagues, vendors, contractors, builders, trades people, governmental leaders, and the public gives you the fever, then take some E for it. [Now listed in P&C’s ECO SAVVY section.]
