How to become an Interior Designer: Courses, Exam, Colleges, Skills and Tools
Being an interior designer is one of the most creative and rewarding careers in India today. It is a field that combines art, architecture, and innovation. Interior design involves everything, from designing luxurious homes and villas to smart offices. If you want to be the one, read this article to know the step-by-step guide to becoming an Interior Designer.
Interior Designer
- What Do Interior Designers Do?
- What should you study to become an Interior Designer?
- Skills Required to Become an Interior Designer
- Software and Tools every Interior designer should know
- Practical Experience during Study
- Building a Strong and Impressive Portfolio
- Career Options and Job Roles in Interior Design
- Top Interior Design Colleges in India
What Do Interior Designers Do?
The work of an interior designer is planning and enhancing the interior spaces to make them functional, safe, aesthetic and visually appealing. Most of the interior designers work with clients and understand their requirements, and develop the space accordingly. They use furniture, lighting, materials, colours, and textures, and clothes to make the space appealing.
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To bring the design on paper to life, Interior Designers often work in collaboration with architects, contractors and vendors. This is done so that the design meets the practical needs as well.
What should you study to become an Interior Designer?
To become an Interior Designer, one needs to have a formal degree after Class XII. There are many popular undergraduate and postgraduate courses available in India.
The NID Entrance Exam is considered to be one of the toughest design entrance exam conducted in the country. In NID DAT, more weightage is given to subjective, drawing related questions. Thus, candidates need to be extremely creative and have a clear understanding of their concepts when appearing for the NID exam.
For preparing the final results for the B. Des program, the DAT Prelims will be allocated 40% weightage, while DAT Mains will be given 60%.
During the DAT Mains, which comprises a Studio Test, the candidate is tested hands-on and have to show their drawing abilities, creativity, innovativeness, and material-handling ability.
It is not mandatory to take coaching to get a good rank in NID DAT. It is because the entrance exam will test the creative, drawing, and innovative skills of the candidate. Now, a coaching institute cannot exactly teach you to be creative or become innovative. Instead, with a little effort these skills can learn these skills yourself. Also, a major thrust of the design aptitude test is to evaluate the drawing skills of the candidate. So, make it a point to work on your design skills, including learning how to draw lines, shadow, figure, gesture, cartoon drawing, etc. When practicing drawing, also keep a tab on the drawing speed, as it will help you complete the paper in the allotted time.
Some of the popular Undergraduate and postgraduate courses are:
Some of the Top Entrance exams for Interior Designing in India are:
- NID DAT by the National Institute of Design
- UCEED by IIT Bombay
- CEED by IIT Bombay
- Other Private Institutes in India, like UID, Pearl Academy, etc.
There are also some diplomas and certificates that are available after class 10th and 12th, but a degree is necessary for a successful career in this industry.
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Skills Required to Become an Interior Designer
An interior designer should have skills that blend creativity and practicality. An interior Designer should have a practical and creative approach. Some of the skills that an interior Designer should possess are given below. These skills may be inherited, and some may be gained through training, education, and practice.
- Creativity: An interior Designer should be creative. He should be one who thinks out of the box. He should know how to create out of nothing and bring out designs that are practical.
- Visualisation: Only having creativity will not suffice. An Interior Designer should also be able to visualize the designs when they get the idea. He should possess strong imagination power.
- Knowledge of Colours and materials: An interior Designer should possess the knowledge of colors and materials. He should know different color palettes and materials. Which material is used in which area, which is sustainable, durable, etc., an interior designer should have all the information.
- Spatial Awareness: One should definitely possess spatial skills to be an Interior Designer. Ge should have a sense of scale, layout, and space management.
- Communication Skills: Communication skills are a must in this career, too. An interior designer should know how to communicate their ideas and thoughts to the clients. He should know how to present the project to the people.
- Problem Solving: One of the main aims of the interior designer is to customize or make a space as per the desire of the clients. The main motive is to solve the problem of the clients and deliver the project accordingly.
Software and Tools every Interior designer should know
In today’s world, every designer is relying on software and tools to make the work easier. Gone are the days when everything was done manually. Now, Interior designers use various software and tools and programs to make 3D visualization and other work.
Here are tips for NIFT exam preparation.
- Check NIFT exam pattern and syllabus.
- Check the topics and plan accordingly
- Ensure you follow only the updated syllabus.
- Stay updated with trends, fashion shows, exhibitions, etc.
- Make a timetable taking into account the difficulty level of each topic.
- Solve sample papers and previous years' question papers.
- Take mock tests.
The General Ability Test GAT along with the CAT is the 1st stage of the NIFT exam. The test is conducted in a computer-based mode and includes objective-type questions. To prepare for the GAT exam, the candidate must carefully go through the exam syllabus and make a study time table. Next, the candidate has to gather the best books available for the test. When studying for the exam, the candidate must ensure that they not only clear the concepts, but solves all the related problems to better understand the concepts and develop problem-solving skills. Also, after completing a chapter, it is mandatory to do frequent revisions. Another important tool for NIFT GAT exam preparation is sample and previous years question papers.
Some of the tools and software are:
- AutoCAD: It is used for drafting floor plans and layouts.
- SketchUp: It is used because it is easy to use for 3D modeling.
- Revit: It is basically used for architectural design and building information modelling
- Photoshop: It is used for presentation and visual editing by interior designers.
- 3ds Max or Lumion: This one is used by interior designers for advanced rendering and animations.
Practical Experience during Study
Interior design aspirants should always try to get hands-on experience. It is equally important as theoretical knowledge. Aspirants should try to look for opportunities to work while studying.
Some of the ways in which an Interior Designer aspirant can gain practical experience are:
- Internship with a Design Studio or Architects
- Freelance projects or College projects
- Participate in Design Contest, Fests and Exhibitions
These will provide exposure and will add a star to the resume of the candidate. These can help to understand the real world, how the interior designing industry works, client expectations, site conditions, material selections, and vendor coordination.
Building a Strong and Impressive Portfolio
The portfolio of an Interior Designer is like an identity card or a personal brand. It showcases your identity, creativity, projects, skills, etc. It helps to get a job and an internship.
Portfolio must include:
- Concept board and Mood Boards
- Before and after designs
- Design Thinking Process
- Floor Plans and 3D renders
- Color combinations and themes
Career Options and Job Roles in Interior Design
Interior Design has a wide range of career opportunities in various sectors in India. There are a lot of opportunities in India as there is a lot of infrastructural development going on. Also, there is a sudden increase in cafes, bakeries, resorts, etc., so there are plenty of opportunities coming up.
Some of the career options and Job roles in interior Design in India are:
- Design Firm and Architecture Studios: Opt to work in design firms and studios. They have big projects and clients.
- Interior Design Consultancy: One can start their own consultancy services for Interior Designing.
- Construction or Real Estate Companies: There is are trend of high rise buildings and apartments. Join any such company for real exposure.
- Work in the field of residential, commercial, hospitality or furniture design
- Join styling, lighting design and sustainable interiors.
- Freelancing: Join companies that offer freelancing to interior designers.
Also Read:
| Interior Designer Salary in India (2025): Average Salary, Top Recruiting Companies and Institutes | Top Interior Designing Colleges in Delhi |
Top Interior Design Colleges in India
Always opt for reputed colleges, whether government or private. Check for NAAC Certification, NIRF ranking and other accreditations. Some of the top colleges for Interior Design are:
Some of the top interior design colleges in India are:
- National Institute of Design
- Pearl Academy– Delhi and Mumbai
- Shrishti Manipal Institute, Bangalore
- Arch College of Design and Business, Jaipur
- Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai
- Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad
If you love to transform spaces, enjoy being creative and pay attention to details, then interior design is the right career option for you. This career offers variety, flexibility to the designer’s vision. With the right education, skills, and experience, one can build a successful career in this field.
NID evaluates aspirants based on their knowledge, creativity and aptitude for design. Experts share that NID is one of the most challenging design entrance exams conducted in the country. However, if prepared well, the difficulty level of NID Entrance Exam is medium. On of the main reasons why NID is such a competitive exam is there are very limited number of seats. For instance, there are only 425 seats available for the BDes programme through NID. In contrast, the NIFTs offer 2748 seats.