Читать книгу Professional Practice for Interior Designers - Christine M. Piotrowski - Страница 55

Working internationally is a challenging and rewarding opportunity for interior designers. Technology allows designers to work with clients in other countries as easily as working with clients in the states. Cultural opportunities are very attractive to anyone who wishes to work globally. Or so it seems. Going global is not that easy.

Establishing business opportunities internationally means that you must carefully learn about diverse cultures and customs. You will need to acquire knowledge about doing business in ways that may be very different from what you are used to. Having some skill in a language other than English will also be important. What language? That will depend on where you are from and where you are trying to obtain design work. You will also need additional consultants in legal and financial affairs who are familiar with international business and legal regulations. And these are just some key topics.

Not all interior designers desire to do projects out of the United States. Yet, gaining an understanding of global cultural differences and global business issues is important to all interior designers today. And of course, international clients and their influences impact design in the United States. CIDA standards also expect that interior design programs “have a global view and consider social, cultural, economic, and ecological contexts in all aspects of their work.”¹ Thus, for educational preparation and the changing landscape of business today, this chapter has been added to the text.

It is important to deliver a caution at this point. This chapter does not claim to provide all the information needed to start doing design work out of the United States. It provides useful background information. The designer wishing to work internationally absolutely should seek the advice of an attorney familiar with international business law and an accountant familiar with regulations related to revenues earned outside the reader's home country.

After completing this chapter you should be able to:

 Explain at least three key points that the firm must consider before deciding to market or accept international design work.

 Why is understanding cultural differences so important in doing international work?

 Investigate what licenses a designer must obtain to do design projects located in a foreign country.

 Explain how political and/or monetary instability could jeopardize a project located in a foreign country.

 Identify three cultural differences that would make designing a project of international focus more of a challenge.

 Relate any stories you have knowledge of where cultural differences made a business function a challenge.