Kip's Bay Show House Palm Beach 20222 - Beth Diana Smith Interior Design's “Wonderland Dining Room." Nickolas Sargent (Sargent Photography)
Breathing “New Life” into Your Design Business - Getting Featured
Lilly Pulitzer once said, "Despite the forecast, live like it's spring." And while these words may seem so simple and might not leave much to the imagination, the late entrepreneur, fashion designer and American socialite had it right.
Rain or shine, good days or bad, challenging clients or not, spring is a time when we should each choose to live our best lives—and no matter what! Enjoy the blooming flowers, take a walk in the park and spend time outside with your family.
This may also be an opportunity for you to garner some of that “new life” and figure out ways to better promote your incredible design work. And one place to turn to is with design publications.
However, we understand that many of you may not know how to get recognized by interior design editors and publishers, so we connected with someone who is all too familiar with this space—Jane Dagmi, Managing Director of High Point x Design (HPxD).
Dagmi shared her background in design with us, as well as tips on how to get noticed by publications and the no-no's that designers should be mindful of when wanting to get recognized.
From the DSA Team,
Wishing you a Happy Spring filled with Good Health, Joy, and Success!
Insight from Jane Dagmi:
How to Get Featured in a Design Publication
By Lindsay Field Penticuff
Beyond working in visual merchandising, helping a few people with window treatments and selling furniture on Madison Avenue, Jane Dagmi's career working in the interior-design-meets-editorial space began in the 90s when she was hired by Country Living magazine.
“While that is a consumer shelter and lifestyle publication, rather than a B2B magazine for interior designers, it was the first job that required me to differentiate mediocre projects and locations from the excellent ones that we should feature in the magazine,” shares Dagmi, who holds an associate degree in interior design from Parsons School of Design in New York.
She really became focused on interior design in 2014 when she became communications manager for a designer app called Parlore, and ever since then, that has been the audience with whom she's engaged.
So why design for Dagmi? She says she was led to this line of work because she was very interested in interiors and creating environments, and she loved studying the history of decorative arts, as well as furniture, architecture and related topics.
“Once I was focused on the designer community and started befriending a lot of designers, I learned a ton about what designers really do and how they feel, and my admiration grew,” Dagmi says. “Moved by their experiences, emotions, quality of customer service, business acumen, and dedication to their clients, I have enjoyed being able to share their stories, support their growth, and champion for the industry.”
She adds that what's changed most about interior design since she started is, not surprisingly, the technology available to designers and how it has impacted communications, resources, and marketing.
And one piece of the puzzle that is key to marketing and communicating an interior designer's work is figuring out a way to get recognized and highlighted in publications.
Dagmi says what design publications are looking for in an interior designer for articles, is someone who has a point of view, a confident or unique aesthetic, a different spin on the business, and expertise on some issue.
“There are a host of editorial opportunities for designers—regional and national—and some are related to your awesome projects or an aspect of a project (color, accessibility, mixing old and new) and the great photos you have taken of them, and other opportunities rest on you as an innovator (an amazing internship program you created), a business person (What's behind your recent expansion?), a human being with a unique story and character traits (the second career angle, perhaps, or how you give back to your community).”
She goes on to say that whenever a designer pitches a story, make sure you have the photographic assets to back it up. “' Articles' these days translate into print, digital and social media, and they can take shape as text stories, podcasts, videos, panels, and more. There are lots of opportunities!”
How to Get Noticed
Some tips Dagmi shares on how interior designers can get noticed by publications include:
- Have really good photography, because your images and your work will be the first thing they look at.
- Think regional and local. Get your foot in the door there or volunteer to write a column. The local press is a stepping stone to national publications.
- Show up to media-sponsored events. Listen to what the editors say. Be that person who stands up and asks a question. Don't be a nudge.
- Enter a design contest that may be sponsored by the magazine or vendor.
- Join groups and follow threads related to this topic for additional insight.
One of the keys, however, is to be realistic about where you are in your career. “It's good to have dreams, but you've got to do the work first,” Dagmi adds. “Eventually you may find that hiring a communications consultant is right for you.”
What NOT To Do!
And just like there are dos in the business, there are don'ts when an interior designer is looking to get noticed for publications. What really irks Dagmi:
- When a designer or publicist offers me a story and doesn't tell me that it's been previously featured in a magazine that may be perceived as a competitor. Be upfront. Tell the editor about it and let the editor make the decision to tell it again.
- Don't load your Dropbox or WeTransfer up with more than is asked for, and make sure your material is well-organized. Curate the selection of images in the interest of the editor's time. Choose the best ones that illustrate the story or pitch and let the editor know you've got a stash of others. An editor will ask for more if needed, but it can really be a time drain.
Most editors will say not to show too many of your projects on social media that you want to be published. I know some designers who view their social media as a magazine about them and view themselves as a publisher. Your choice.
Jane Dagmi is the Managing Director of High Point x Design, which is the new movement to bolster High Point's global cred as year-round creativity, design, and innovation hub. For four years prior, she was the Editor in Chief of Designers Today magazine.
Nickolas Sargent (Sargent Photography)/Landscaping by Robert Bell of Bell Design Inc.
Visit Veranda's Kips Bay Show House Report Palm Beach 2022
An Exclusive Look at the 2022 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach
Optimism and a vibrant, joyful spirit run through each room of this year's spectacular project.
BY SARAH DIMARCO
Vivid citrus shades, monkey mania, bold ceiling details, and exciting voyages deep in the jungle and into the depths of the sea: these are just some of the adventurous ideas playing out at this year's Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach, where 24 top designers from around the country have come together to reimagine a 1920s Mediterranean Revival estate. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home is quintessential Palm Beach—and its transformation is as refreshingly current as it is connected to the past.
Throughout are modern tributes to the local vernacular, from historic nods to local pioneers like Henry Flagler to artistic, exciting interpretations of the city's trademark tropical flora and fauna, and cozy places of respite that reflect the city's polished sense of ease and sophistication. But perhaps most resonant is a triumphant sense of optimism appearing in vibrant, happy hues ranging from bold yellows to tangerine, strapping blues to greens in every shade. A sense of jubilance rises anew, just in time for spring.
Click here for the full article
Follow us NOW
on INSTAGRAM
Our team here at the Design Society of America (DSA) has been quietly gathering inspirational design photos and posting them on our new Instagram page. But, we can't keep things a secret anymore and we are ready to share what's been going on behind the scenes with you and build our group of followers.
We invite you to follow us for inspiration, education, and information on residential interior design. Be part of the community as we start to build and promote your success through INSTAGRAM.
Don't miss out on this fun way to learn more about DSA's commitment to the success of residential interior designers, grow with us.
