So you’re wondering how you can up-level your interior design brand and stand out from the Instagram-sea of other designers. Well, you’re in the right place! We’ve worked with countless interior designers in all stages of business and growth. What I always find so interesting, is that often creatives feel the most stuck when it comes to branding their business. Interior designers are so focused on making their clients’ homes beautiful, they’re pouring all of their creative energy into their work…and letting their brand become stagnant.

Let’s dive into how you can stand out in a saturated design market.

01/ Find your style –

I get it, a lot of designers get bored of doing similar work over and over again, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t focus on the design style that makes you unique. As your business grows, you will naturally get clients who trust you implicitly and with that trust, you’ll have more leverage to push the boundaries with new styles. However, one of the best ways you can get more clients fast is by honing your style – you will attract clients who are drawn to that specifically. Once they connect to your style, they will be willing to pay more for your services to get the look that they want for their own home. Think about the designers that you admire, the ones that have published books and are always featured in top publications – they have a specified style. Find yours!

02/ Translate your style into your brand –

Once you’ve established your design style, hone in on the elements that are different. Maybe you’re located in mid-west state, but your style screams west-coast. How can you bring some of that west-coast style into your brand identity? It could be anything from colors to fonts to the language you use in your copy. Those small elements can make a big impact to connecting with the right clientele.

03/ Build your partnerships –

It’s proven that well-connected brands lead to opportunity. Find your people, meet new ones, and expand your reach through personal relationships. Sometimes it’s not enough to have a killer Instagram page and be well known in your location. If you aren’t continuously engaging with new people, you’ll likely stay where you are today. If you’ve been wanting to get featured in House Beautiful or AD but have never emailed the editor, there’s no better time than now. If you always use Schumacher wallpaper but haven’t been engaging with the social director on Instagram, reach out. Tag the brand in your photos. It could lead to new jobs, new followers, and potential brand partnerships!

04/ Connect with words –

I think because interior designers are so visual, they often forget about the power of words and storytelling. We often hear, “I just need a website to put my work, it speaks for itself”. Now that might be true for the very top of the industry, or those who have been around since the early 2000s or who are close to retirement BUT if you are not in those categories, listen up my friend, WORDS SELL. Think about the brands that mean something to you, they likely have a story that you share when you talk about that brand. Maybe it’s mission-based, or sustainable, or a heritage classic but buyers/your clients/new leads/partners want to know about you, they want to know what specifically you offer them and why it’s important to them. What do you do that makes their life easy, more fulfilled and how do you do it? That is how to build a brand that gets noticed!

05/ Craft your process –

You work with trades, builders, decor brands, etc on a daily basis, and I bet you can tell many stories about the good ones and the bad ones. Let’s switch the script, if you were your client, what stories would they tell about your process? Regardless of talent, the experience your give your clients is number one. From the first email interaction to the contract to the design phases, is everything on-brand, is it clear to your client what comes next? A polished process that’s effective from the start is the beginning of an exceptional experience for your clients…and it’s one that will get noticed and talked about positively to everyone they know!
If you’ve been struggling to get noticed in your market, expand your reach or simply want to reach your next level of growth with a brand that gets noticed – we’re here to help! We’ve launched countless interior design brands and websites, from expanding into online home stores, to stand-out brands that are booked out months in advance. Get in touch as we’re booking into the second half of 2021!