Pinterest for Designers
By Melissa Michaels
Have you heard of Pinterest? It is an online inspiration board where you can virtually "pin" ideas and photos you find from around the web. Others on Pinterest can browse and follow your boards, so it is a great way to share and find ideas for everything from decorating to party planning to recipes and more. This site has become extremely popular for bloggers and non-bloggers alike. But beyond just a fun place to browse ideas and be inspired, Pinterest can be a very useful and valuable tool for designers. By organizing and cataloging your inspiration photos on Pinterest boards, you can easily show clients ideas to help them to visualize a concept, inspire them to try something new and communicate their design options by showing them your organized pin boards. Simply pull up Pinterest on your computer or phone and have instant access to your boards during client meetings or shopping trips.
Another great benefit of Pinterest is it gives you the opportunity to promote your own design work and your business as a designer! Because the inspiration boards are all public, Pinterest is a great way to network with others who have similar styles or design appreciation. People will get to know your style and sensibilities by what you pin.
By pinning images of the work you have done for yourself or clients, you can get your name out into the internet world quickly and efficiently. Bloggers are regularly receiving opportunities to be featured in magazines simply because their own design work is discovered online. I have photos that have been featured on HGTV.com, Better Homes & Gardens.com, and the most recent edition of Cottages & Bungalows Magazine simply because my work is visible online. In fact, HGTV follows my own design student daughter's pin board, so you can see the power and possibilities of getting started on Pinterest, especially as an up and coming or unknown designer! Ideally you should watermark all of your client photos with your website or blog URL to ensure that your work is properly credited back to you.
While Pinterest frowns upon overt self-promotion, it is certainly acceptable to pin work you have done for clients along with pinning ideas you find elsewhere! Before you know it, others will follow your boards, blogs or website, and promote your work for you! Here is a link to Pinterest etiquette.
Here are 10 ways you could organize Pinterest boards for yourself or clients:
- By color schemes.
- By design style.
- By specific rooms.
- By design details and accessories.
- By specific ideas for decorating walls.
- By various ideas for flooring.
- By possible DIY projects.
- By fabric samples and inspiration.
- By styles of doors.
- By types of cabinetry.
The options for how to organize boards can be unique to your specific needs. If you haven't already, I suggest you to check out Pinterest. Right now it is still in Beta testing so you will have to request an invite if you want to create your own boards. You can also request an invitation from someone else who is already on Pinterest. Follow WSI Designer Marketplace on Twitter and send a message to @WSIDesignTrade for a Pinterest invite.
For more information on how to get started with Pinterest, here is a helpful Pinterest link to everything you might need to know to get started pinning, organizing boards and following others.
Have fun exploring how to use Pinterest for your design business!
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Melissa Michaels is the creator of The Inspired Room, a popular design blog dedicated to inspiring readers to embrace the home and life they have. Each day The Inspired Room delivers fresh and affordable ideas to make a house a home. Read by over 100,000 people each month, The Inspired Room has been featured on HGTV.com, Apartment Therapy, Re-Nest, The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, The Oregonian and other publications.
