Project Description
I’m currently an undergrad student in Visual Communications. Also, I am studying to receive a minor in Home Design. My goal within my degree is to help communicate certain emotions and messages through the things I design or help design. I wanted to complete a project that would tie in both of those fields by creating a brochure of recommended decorating for a client. This client will be my older sister and her husband. They recently moved into a new home and want help in decorating the new space. Unlike typical interior design projects, I will just be providing a curated “lookbook” of the furniture pieces to buy, color schemes/patterns, and pieces of advice.
The Start
To begin my project, I met with my clients to do a walkthrough of their home. This is beneficial to have a better understanding of the space and what the clients want their house to be. The photos above are of their space that I took to reference while I worked on the project. They have 3 main rooms that they want me to focus on: the living room, the guest room/office, and their bedroom.
Another item of business we took care of during this meeting was the goals they had in mind for their home. These were the goals we came up with: 1) Using things that are renter-friendly, 2) find effective ways to store their things and display them, and 3) keep everything budget-friendly. With those goals, they expressed the “vibe” and some inspiration they liked that could help me go in the correct direction.
My Process
After that initial meeting, I began by creating a Pinterest board of inspiration I had for their space. This helped me find more ideas on how to fit their needs and give good suggestions. From this step, I began collecting elements to create a color palette to follow. This color palette would be the foundation of all the pieces of furniture and elements I would include in the brochure.
I created the brochure using Canva Pro. I find it to be a really user-friendly platform and it provides a lot of good resources. I already have a subscription to Canva Pro and am proficient in it, so I thought it would be a good choice for me to use for this project.
Challenges
With any project, there are going to be ups and downs or challenges that you face. During the project, the biggest struggle I encountered was finding furniture that was budget-friendly. Buying new furniture is a big expense, especially for a newly married couple. I wanted to provide options of either buying things new, like on Amazon or Target, or shopping for things at thrift stores. Balancing between those two options can allow my client to figure out what works best for them. I gave them suggestions of furniture to buy, so they can buy from that suggestion or look for something similar second-hand. Decorating a home will always be an extra expense, but it still can be manageable.
The Final Product
Pictured above is the final brochure (left to right: outside, inside). I ended up including the following:
- A moodboard
- Their goals
- Recommended shopping list/inspiration
- Advice
- A wall gallery idea
- CTA (call to action)
This project was a wonderful opportunity to have more experience working one-on-one with a client. That is a really important skill to have, not only in communications, but also within the interior design world. There needs to be a consistent line of communication during the entire process, allowing for feedback from the client to make sure it is still following their expectations and needs. This has also opened my eyes to the importance of sticking to your original timetable. If a client is expecting something by a certain date, it should be done. I hope to have more opportunities to work with clients in the future and help them be happy in their homes!
Video Explanation
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my process of finishing this project! I would love to be able to help you make your space feel like you and help you get on the right track. If that is something you’re interested in, please contact me.
Contact: allyhansen246@gmail.com