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Floral Designers
Overview » Industry Pathways » Visual Arts 
Floral designers enjoy creating beautiful floral arrangements for individuals or special occasions. According to the customers’ order, they cut and arrange live, dried, or artificial flowers and foliage. They design arrangements by trimming flowers and arranging bouquets, sprays, wreaths, dish gardens, and terrariums.
The variety of duties performed by floral designers depends on the size of the shop and the number of designers employed. In a small, individually-owned operations, floral designers do everything from growing and purchasing flowers to keeping financial records.
Designers held about 87,000 jobs in 2006.
Salaried designers worked in a number of different industries, depending on their design specialty. Floral designers were concentrated in retail florists or floral departments of grocery stores.
New jobs for floral designers will be created as a result of the relatively high replacement needs in retail floral shops. This is due to the comparatively low starting pay and limited opportunities for advancement.
Overall employment of designers in general is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all decline through the year 2016. However, designers in most fields—with the exception of floral design—are expected to face strong competition for available positions. Individuals with little or no formal education in design, as well as those who lack creativity and determination, will find it very difficult to establish and maintain a career in the occupation.
Creativity is crucial in all design occupations. People in this field must have a strong sense of the esthetic—an eye for color and detail, a sense of balance and proportion, and an appreciation of beauty. Designers also need excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
Esthetic ability is important in floral design, but formal preparation is typically not necessary. Most floral designers learn their skills on the job. When employers hire trainees, they generally look for high school graduates who have a flair for arranging and a desire to learn. The completion of formal design training, however, is an asset for those interested in advancing to chief floral designer or in opening their own businesses.
Vocational and technical schools offer programs in floral design, usually lasting less than a year, while two and four-year programs in floriculture, horticulture, floral design, or ornamental horticulture are offered by colleges and universities. The American Institute of Floral Designers offers an accreditation examination to its members as an indication of professional achievement in floral design. Typical annual earnings for floral designers in 2007 were $22,540.
If you are interested in this occupation or are wondering about related occupations, use the links below to continue your exploration. Always remember, the more effort you put into exploring possible careers, the easier it will be for you to discover the best career choices for you!
For career information and links to employment resources contact:
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Occupational Information Network, O*NET Online: http://online.onetcenter.org/
For information about careers in floral design, contact:
Society of American Florists: http://www.safnow.org
For information about planning and paying for college, visit Junior Achievement’s Financial Aid Center .
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