A floral designer is someone who creates beautiful arrangements of fresh flowers, artificial flowers, leaves, and other decorations. The arrangements can be as small and delicate as corsages or as large and dramatic as wedding or funeral arrangements. The designs are sometimes created using a standard template, but they are more often the result of the designer’s own handiwork. A floral designer can also create terrariums and houseplant pots using unusual containers and techniques.
To be a successful floral designer, you’ll need a trained artistic eye and the ability to turn floral and foliage-based visions into reality. Equally important is the ability to pay close attention to customers’ wishes and successfully incorporate them into displays. The job frequently necessitates tact and excellent customer service abilities.
A floral designer must be well-versed in the plants, foliage, and flowers with which he works, in addition to being visionary. He might need to know the common and genus names in order to research their suitability for his needs. He’s also expected to be familiar with their seasonal availability, freshness timelines, and how each variety should be stored for maximum longevity and beauty.
A floral designer must keep adequate supply levels of embellishments, ribbons, and other items needed to properly construct orders in addition to maintaining an adequate inventory of flowers and plants to serve his customers. To arrange flowers in creative and dramatic ways, wires and wooden sticks are required, and foam bases are sometimes required to secure the arrangements in their containers.
A designer should also have a large inventory of pots, vases, and whimsical vessels on hand to fulfill orders for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, and births. Annual holidays, such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, should also have distinctive decorations on hand to meet the high demand for flowers on these occasions. The floral designer’s offerings usually include unique gift cards and companion items such as candy or Champagne.
Florists, whether locally or nationally based, frequently hire floral designers. Small shops often have only one floral designer, whereas large companies that ship boxed arrangements all over the world have large floral design teams. After gaining experience working for others, many floral designers start their own florist businesses.
A high school diploma or equivalent is the minimum educational requirement for a floral designer. Completing business and art classes in high school is beneficial. Floral design courses are available at adult and continuing education schools, as well as some junior colleges. The majority of people in this position learn the majority of their skills on the job. It takes about two years of full-time experience working for a reputable florist to be considered a fully qualified designer.