Position Overview
Floral designers or florists are people who make a career out of working with flowers and plants, arranging them in bouquets and floral displays for their customers.
They may work for floral shops or be business owners, depending on their specific situations.
A lot of floral designers are just great at what they do and do not necessarily require additional training.
However, to keep up with the competition and to learn new floral arrangements, they may need formal training.
Job Requirements
A high school diploma or a GED is usually sufficient to work as a floral designer.
If you have a diploma from a floriculture school, you may be considered a great choice to hire – that is, if you do not have your own floral business!
To work as a floral designer, it is imperative that you possess artistic ability, and a lot of creativity since you will have to satisfy your clients by creating pieces of art that they have not seen before.
The pressure is high but then so is the reward – in the form of increased and retained business.
A floral designer spends most of her day talking to clients to determine their specific likings and then meeting their requirements for floral designs.
Here is a list of work duties that a floral designer will perform on any workday:
Floral Designer Duties and Responsibilities
• Welcome clients as they enter the shop by greeting them with enthusiasm.
• Lead them through flower and plant displays to provide them with an overview of available pieces.
• Engage clients in conversation to determine their specific floral arrangement requirements and show them available designs in catalogs.
• Inquire into the type of occasion that flower arrangements are needed for and provide correlating suggestions regarding designs and types of flowers.
• Design flower displays using available and special flowers and plants that evoke a particular sentiment or/and style.
• Pay visits to clients’ houses or occasion venues to determine the amount and type of flowers required.
• Engage labor to assist in placing flower displays in different areas of the venue, and guide them in arranging flowers aesthetically.
• Ascertain that all flower arrangements are handled within the clients’ budgets.
• Coordinate efforts with nurseries and flower and plant vendors to ensure timely delivery of supplies
• Ensure that all flower displays within the shop are properly taken care of by watering them as required.
• Arrange for plastic or artificial flowers and plants to be properly arranged in a separate area within the shop.
• Handle small flower arrangements for walk-in clients by arranging them in bouquets and wrapping them properly.