Floral Designer

Floral designers may use fresh, dried or artificial flowers to create flower arrangements for home decoration, corporate accounts or special occasions, such as weddings, funerals, graduations and banquets. They may work from:

• written orders that indicate customers' specific preferences for style, colour, type of flower and cost
• predefined menus of advertised arrangements
• requests based only on selling price (the designer chooses the colour, design and type of flower).

In addition to designing and arranging, floral designers also may:

• cut and condition flowers and foliage for storage to ensure they remain fresh as long as possible
• create in-store and window displays
• serve customers and provide advice on the care and maintenance of flowering and foliage plants, as well as fresh cut flowers 
• sell giftware items
• order flowers and supplies from wholesalers and growers
• serve customers over the phone and manage orders via the Internet
• create designs for sale at the wholesale level
• create trend designs to enhance the shop's image
• perform general cleaning duties (for example, dust and clean merchandise, wash flower buckets, sweep floors).

Working conditions in floral shops generally are pleasant. Sometimes floral designers are required to manage the competing demands of telephone sales, in-store sales and production deadlines. The job involves considerable standing and requires lifting items weighing up to 20 kilograms.

Floral designers work standard retail hours that generally include evening and weekend hours. Long hours may be required to complete arrangements on time during holiday seasons and for special occasions. Part time work is common.

Floral designers need the following characteristics:

• manual dexterity
• able to multitask
• no allergies to pollen or plant foliage 
• a good sense of colour
• an artistic sense of design
• visual copying skills
• excellent communication skills
• tact in dealing with customers.

They should enjoy having clear rules and organized methods for their work, selling merchandise and handling flowers.

Floral designers may be self-employed or employed by independent florist shops or retail chain stores. They often start as labourers or assistants, unpacking, cutting and preparing flowers for storage, organizing delivery orders and doing clean-up work. Trainees usually work closely with experienced floral designers, learning basic arrangements and advancing to more elaborate designs. In some shops, individuals may be employed exclusively as designers.

Advancement generally depends on the person's ability, creativity and ambition. Experienced floral designers who have business and supervisory skills may advance to shop management positions or establish their own retail shops.

In Alberta, floral designers are part of the two larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 6421: Retail salespersons and sales clerks and National Occupational Classification 5244 Artisans and craftspersons.

83% of people employed in the Retail and Salespersons and Sales Clerks group work in the Retail Trade industry.

75% of people employed in the Artisans and Craftspersons group work in the following industries:

• Retail Trade (PDF)
• Manufacturing (PDF)

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

Flowers Canada website: www.flowerscanada.org

For more information on career planning, education and jobs, visit the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website, call the Alberta Career Information Hotline toll-free at 1-800-661-3753 or 780-422-4266 in Edmonton, or visit an Alberta Works Centre near you.