Dynamic Environment Fosters Design Growth Opportunities - Interior Designer Dawson Design Associates Employee Review

The opportunities are endless at DDA. I started off my career as a junior designer and over the years worked up to a Senior Designer/Project Manager. There is a high expectation to learn, practice, develop, grow and push yourself to be the best at your career. It takes a lot of personal investment, but the tools and opportunities to succeed are all in place. The projects produced are award winning and some of the best in the world. The clients are the top in the industry and drive DDA to produce top projects for them. The creative opportunities are all around you. With proven growth and responsibility, there are lots of chances to travel to visit project sites, meet clients, tour factories and go to some of the best trade shows in the world. The culture to learn and grow is very strong at DDA. There are classes, training binders and lots of hands on training done by the owner. It’s up to the designer themselves to take those training opportunities seriously and practice their craft in order to grow. You certainly have the chance to learn and grow quickly if you take your career seriously. The office has two locations, Seattle and London. The two locations make for a very diverse office and adds a lot to the culture. The company has developed a smooth system for working on projects together from the two office locations.

The pace of the office is very intense, but that is what is expected by the higher caliber of clients and the drive for award winning projects. It’s a deadline-based industry and that is taken very seriously. The expectations of the firm by the clients does carry over to the high expectation of the projects and the design staff. Everyone is pushed for excellence, which is a good thing if you are looking for growth and to be at the top – however, the pressure can be too much for many if you are looking for a slower paced work environment. It is expected that everyone take their career seriously and put in the time to become the best – once again, this can be a good thing for those looking for opportunity, but that demand can be too much for those who just want to check in and check out.

I started working at Dawson Design as an intern and was able to stay on full time. During my time here I had a lot of hands on experience. It was very intense at times but also very rewarding. I worked on creative and fun boutique hotels experiencing every side of the design process. From schematics all the way to purchasing. I did a lot of traveling and was fortunate to be at a few of the hotels on opening night. Being here really sets the bar high if you continue on in the hospitality field, as the projects are amazing.

Being that the owner of the firm is intense, you have to be very thick skinned and not take anything personal. She does have a big heart and means well along with a strong personality. If you are an organized individual it can be challenging.