Where is the way out for Shanghai's interior design industry?

The interior design industry in Shanghai, as it develops alongside the broader design sector, will face more challenges. Currently, it's not easy for the interior design field to break out of its困境 quickly, and the primary issue for all interior designers in Shanghai is how to shake off the impact of the financial crisis on the interior design industry. - Shanghai Decoration Network

China’s creative industries have moved from behind-the-scenes roles to center stage, with creative industry parks sprouting up in major cities like mushrooms after rain. Meanwhile, universities are also establishing industrial design majors (including some fields such as interior design that have emerged in recent years). It is claimed that currently, industrial design has become the second largest major in domestic universities, only surpassed by computer science.

Chinese enterprises are also transitioning from a past focus on "production" to a greater emphasis on "design." In the past, when Chinese companies launched their own branded products, they mostly marketed to consumers that their product quality was nearing or surpassing international big brands, or proclaimed that they had mastered certain core technologies representing international leading levels. However, in recent years, Chinese companies are striving to change their image through product design, such as Lenovo and Haier. A recent report issued by Shanghai Qiaozhong titled "2009 China Design Industry Survival Status Research Report" also shows that many companies now treat design at a strategic level. Indeed, many cities have already placed interior design as the top priority within the design industry.

From statistics among professionals engaged in Shanghai interior design and related decorative work, 49% of designers agree that "the company where they work views design as a strategic issue." The status of the design department has significantly improved compared to before, which can be proven by data in the report: 48% of designers agree with the statement that "the company consults the design department before formulating product strategies."

However, behind this seemingly prosperous picture, the design industry faces numerous developmental issues.

Where lies the way out for Shanghai's interior design industry?

The root cause of the current predicament in the design industry lies in the insufficient understanding of business by current design professionals. Internally, this manifests as design team leaders with design backgrounds often being less adept at enterprise management and team building. As Wei Lai from Morning Design said: "Our industry cannot really be called a proper one, because there are very few successful enterprise-level institutions operating according to modern production models. At most, there are just a bunch of small workshops and slightly larger ones." Externally, many designers lack an understanding of the commercialization model of products. Therefore, they don't clearly know the market advantages of the products they design or the size of potential commercial profits, nor can they convince enterprises to accept their passionate creations. As a result, intellectual work turns into physical labor, and designers become drafters.

Therefore, for the development of China's interior design industry, including Shanghai's design industry, designers need to better understand the commercial operations of modern enterprises, cultivate more business acumen, and promote their role transformation. That is to say, they should not only position themselves as pure product designers but also develop into comprehensive talents with both corporate product strategy insight and design management skills. Only then can the role of design enterprises shift in the eyes of clients — from suppliers providing design sketches according to client requirements to consulting experts who can help clients determine what products should be designed.

Despite facing many problems in the field of interior design, overall, these issues will not hinder designers in Shanghai and across the country. Technology determines the development of an industry, and the demand for interior design dictates the future path for interior designers who rely on technology to survive.

Some materials in this article were referenced from online sources. If you wish to reprint, please note that this article was edited and released by Shanghai Decoration Network.