At lunch, a number of Virginia based architects and interior designers came to tell us about their careers. They described design as both a product and a process, and suggested "design thinking" - a way to approach problem solving in an innovative manner. To me, architecture and interior design seem to be a concoction of both art and technology. The architects said that you have to start with understanding the thoughts and actions of who you are designing for, the test your qualitative decisions and show your initial concepts. There are a number of types of design: typography, graphic design, fashion design, industrial design, urban planning, landscape design, interior design, architecture, and more.
REACTION: My issue with a career like this would be that you would have to design for a client and please them, not just yourself. I would worry that a vision I would have for a building or the structure of the rooms would not be in line with the vision of a client. Additionally, I am somewhat lazy, so if my first concept was not deemed good enough I would not particularly want to do trial and error style work. Having said that, I love that being an architect of interior designer (or both) are mixtures of art, technology, and math that are probably more stable career paths than starving artists.
REACTION: My issue with a career like this would be that you would have to design for a client and please them, not just yourself. I would worry that a vision I would have for a building or the structure of the rooms would not be in line with the vision of a client. Additionally, I am somewhat lazy, so if my first concept was not deemed good enough I would not particularly want to do trial and error style work. Having said that, I love that being an architect of interior designer (or both) are mixtures of art, technology, and math that are probably more stable career paths than starving artists.