Florida approved for health, safety and welfare (Related)
for Interior Designers (.08.04.273) & IDCEC Course # 4572

Topics covered: This is a course to assist interior designers to become more adept at making legal and financial decisions that frequently arise in the practice of their profession. Instruction is provided in the following areas:

A. Professional responsibility and client budget;
B. How to charge clients;
C. Liability with contractors;
D. Preparation of residential and commercial design proposals;
E. Financial planning for residential interior projects;
F. Preparation of a general letter of agreement and a letter of agreement for commercial projects.

This is a survey course with a summary view of each topic. For a more in-depth discussion of these individual topics, please consider Legal Ideas for Interior Designers.

Legal and Financial Issues is a course presented in nine audiocassette lectures and four handouts with an objective test.

• Audio cassette library is entitled, "How to Make More Money at Interior Design." An objective test is included as learning aid, consisting of 45 true/false questions and 45 multiple choice questions. This course is approved by IDCEC - Interior Design Continuing Education Council - (ASID, IIDA, etc) in addition to the Florida Board. Check with your state boards to verify acceptance of IDCEC approved courses. Not available on CD's.
• Case studies and handouts are provided.
• Answers must be submitted in order to obtain a certificate.
• Cost: $400 includes nine cassettes and handouts.

Florida approved for health, safety, and welfare (Related)
for Interior Designers (08.04.333 A,B,&C) and (.08.04.481A,B,&C) & IDCEC Course # 4568

Legal Ideas is available in six parts (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five & Part Six)

• Each Part is Ten Hours Credit.
• Each Part may be taken separately or in combination with any other Part (s).
• Text material is included with workbook.
• Objective test is included as learning aid. Each ten hour course has 25 true/false questions and 25 multiple choice questions. This course is approved by IDCEC - Interior Design Continuing Education Council - (ASID, IIDA, etc) in addition to the Florida Board. Check with your state boards to verify acceptance of IDCEC approved courses.
• Answers must be submitted to obtain a certificate.
• Each Part costs $200.

Part One: Preparing a General Letter of Agreement. The letter of agreement is the cornerstone of the relationship between the interior designer and client. This course describes how to prepare a professional agreement, how to present a business format while still preserving a "design image," and how to avoid financial losses from unforeseen circumstances. Sample concepts are provided by a model agreement. This is an in-depth discussion. A presentation of possible approaches offers hints on the psychology involved in preparing a letter of agreement. Since leverage with clients is most important, the letter of agreement is one of the designer's most important levers. It defines responsibilities and obligations and can often make or break a design office. How to allocate fees when working with architects is also discussed.

Part Two: Charging a Client and Professional Responsibility for Client Budget. If designers want their practices to be profitable, a thorough review of the various methods of compensation for design projects is a must. This course discusses the important ways to charge, and why certain fee structures work better on some jobs than others. Each method presented includes insightful details describing its optimal application. Several of the examples are based on real jobs. Each demonstrates how combinations of certain fee structures work together to insulate designers from legal liability while enabling them to earn more money. An in-depth discussion is also presented about how to create the professional guidelines of the client's budget with finesse

Part Three: Contracts, Contractors and Liability. One of the most important functions of an interior designer is to recommend general contractors and subcontractors. How responsible is the interior designer if the contractor doesn't provide what he promises? This part presents a series of in-depth case studies. Each one illustrates how designers should deal with clients and contractors from an operational standpoint in order to maximize profits and insulate from liability. Other issues in this discussion include insurance, incorporation, and the preparation of exculpation clauses in the letter of agreement. Costly contracting errors are a fact of life in the interior design business. It is important for designers to learn how to handle these crises with information provided in this course so they don't wind up picking up the tab. An in-depth discussion is also presented about how designers can meet the challenge of working with architects on residential and commercial projects.

Part Four: Preparing a Residential Design Proposal and Dealing with Vendors, Clients and Responsibility. It is crucial to convince a client that the designer has the necessary financial capability and experience to plan the budget and spend it wisely. Sometimes, it is useful for a designer to present a potential client with a brief financial proposal, explaining design fees and outlining the project budget. A professional proposal may convince the client to hire the designer. This course, with an accompanying model, makes the preparation of a residential proposal a simple task. An in-depth analysis of dealing with responsibility discusses how the designer should handle his obligations when confronted with common problems in the interior design industry. These include designer responsibility for faulty goods and installations and when it's wise for designers not to supervise contractors to protect themselves against unwarranted liability.

Part Five: Preparing A Commercial Interior Design Proposal and Dealing with Purchases and Deliveries. The major contract interior design firms have special personnel designated to prepare financial proposals for prospective clients. This course, with an accompanying model, demonstrates how to organize the financial essentials of a proposal, based upon design phases. Using this approach will make a design office appear as if it's managed by business professionals. An in-depth discussion is also presented about the subject of purchases, a central function for many designers. Case studies illustrate how projects are influenced by the timing of purchases and deliveries and how to deal with various problems that arise in the purchasing process.

Part Six: Preparing a Letter of Agreement for Commercial Projects and Professional Relationships with Manufacturers and Showrooms. This course, with a model contract, demonstrates how to prepare a letter of agreement for corporate clients with an architectural format. This format is used by designers to convince potential corporate clients that they speak their language. An in-depth discussion is also presented about designer relationships with manufacturers, showrooms and dealers. Designers are frequently caught in territorial struggles, and this discussion illustrates typical problems with recommendations for successful solutions.

• Text material is included with workbook.
• Objective test is included as learning aid for interior designers. There are 15 true/false questions and 15 multiple choice questions. This course is approved by IDCEC - Interior Design Continuing Education Council - (ASID,IIDA,,etc) - in addition to the Florida Board. Check with your state boards to verify acceptance of IDCEC courses.
• Answers must be submitted to obtain a certificate.
• Cost: $175.