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Furniture designer: Job description and activities

Job description

Furniture designers produce designs for items of furniture and related products. Designs may be for mass production, in small batches, or as one-offs. Designers may be involved in the design aspect of the work alone, or they may be designer/makers, producing items from their own designs. Designers work alone or alongside colleagues creating concepts and designs that balance innovative design, functional requirements and aesthetic appeal.

The process of furniture design demands creativity, business awareness and skills in marketing, finance, sales and manufacturing. The role may involve a number of functions, particularly for the self-employed, including designer, production manager, buyer, salesperson, accountant, and maintenance engineer.

Typical work activities

Work activities vary according to whether you are a self-employed furniture designer working alone or with one or two other like-minded craftspeople, or whether you are employed by a manufacturing company with a group of experienced furniture designers. A furniture manufacturing company may employ salaried designers to create innovative furniture designs, whereas self-employed furniture designers need to engage in self-promotion by advertising their services or attending furnishing fairs and exhibitions.

Day-to-day tasks vary depending on the job, but might include:

• studying, researching and planning various styles of furniture design;
• selecting suitable materials, which might include wood, metal, plastic and textiles;
• discussing designs with clients for custom ordering or with manufacturers;
• preparing detailed final designs;
• generating sample designs using CAD, card models, sketches or hard prototypes;
• liaising with craftsmen or production department staff, such as production managers, marketing staff and design engineers, about the process of construction or manufacture;
• evaluating issues such as pricing and fixing costs, fashion, purchasing, safety, materials and manufacturing methods and techniques;
• using various tools to complete projects from raw materials to finished furniture items;
• organising plans and schedules with respect to the availability of resources;
• checking furniture designs to make sure they complement local and global furniture market trends;
• attending workshops, seminars and training on various types of manufacturing and furniture design.

Self-employed designers need to allocate a portion of their time to marketing and business administration.

Many designers have a natural interest in associated fields of design, and may spend some time on collaborative projects working, for example, with theatre set designers or retail interior designers on certain projects.

AGCAS

Written by Rita Kapadia, AGCAS

Last updated:

January 2009

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