How to Use ASID.org to Find Designers, Suppliers, Products, or Your Local Chapter

ASID.org offers four main discovery tools: Design Finder to search for designers, suppliers, and products; Find My Chapter to locate your local or student chapter; Partner Profiles to research firms and industry organizations; and Design Careers by ASID for job and mentorship resources. All four are accessible from the main navigation menu without needing to log in. The sections below explain what each tool covers, how to use it, and where people commonly get stuck.

Finding Designers, Suppliers, and Products with Design Finder

Design Finder is ASID's directory tool and is split into three search paths: Find Designers, Find Suppliers, and Find Products. You reach it from the main menu under Resources → Design Finder by ASID.

What each search path is for

Step-by-step

1. Open asid.org and go to Resources → Design Finder by ASID.
2. Choose the path that matches your goal: Find Designers, Find Suppliers, or Find Products.
3. Enter your search criteria. For designers, this usually means location and specialty; for suppliers and products, category or name.
4. Review the results and open individual listings to see details and contact information.

Expected result: a filtered list of ASID-affiliated designers, suppliers, or products you can contact or research further.

Common sticking points:

• Searching too broadly returns long lists. Narrow by location first, then by specialty.
• If a search comes back empty, try a nearby city or a broader category before assuming no listing exists.
• Design Finder lists ASID-affiliated professionals. It is a starting point for outreach, not a ranking or endorsement of any individual.

Finding Your Local or Student Chapter

ASID organizes members into chapters, and the site provides two related entry points: Find My Chapter and Student Chapters & Resources.

Find My Chapter

1. From the main menu, go to Membership → ASID Chapters → Find My Chapter.
2. Use the chapter lookup to identify the chapter covering your location.
3. Open the chapter's page to see its leaders, board positions, and events.

Expected result: the name and contact details of the chapter serving your area, plus links to chapter leadership and activities.

Student chapters

If you are a student, use Membership → Student Chapters & Resources instead. This section covers student chapter information alongside resources aimed at emerging professionals. Students should check both the student section and their geographic chapter, since student chapters and professional chapters serve different purposes.

Common sticking points:

• People sometimes search the events calendar for a chapter instead of using Find My Chapter. Start with the chapter lookup, then check Events → Chapter Events for that chapter's schedule.
• Chapter boundaries don't always match city limits. If your city isn't listed, search by state or region.

Researching Firms and Industry Partners Through Partner Profiles

Beyond individual designers, ASID maintains profiles of organizations connected to the profession. These are useful if you want to vet a firm, find an industry partner, or check a company's ASID affiliation.

The relevant sections under Membership are:

• Organization Partner Profiles – an overview of organizational partners
• Industry Partner Profiles – companies that supply the profession
• Firm Partner Profiles – design firms with partner status
• Higher Education Partners and Affiliate Partners – academic programs and affiliated organizations

How to use them: open the profile section that matches the entity type, then browse or search for the organization. Profiles give you a verifiable record of the organization's relationship with ASID, which is more reliable than a firm's own marketing claims.

Common sticking point: a firm may appear as a Firm Partner but not as an individual designer listing, or vice versa. Check both Design Finder and the partner profiles if you need a complete picture.

Related Resources Worth Knowing

A few other parts of the site support the same discovery tasks:

• Design Careers by ASID – job listings and mentorship, useful if you're hiring or exploring the profession.
• ASID National Awards and Ones to Watch – past winners can serve as a reference list of recognized designers and firms.
• News & Events – national and chapter events for meeting designers and suppliers in person.
• Advocate by Design – policy and advocacy content, relevant if your project involves permitting or public work.

Quick Reference: Which Tool to Use

Start with Design Finder or Find My Chapter depending on whether you need a person or a place, and use the partner profiles when you need to confirm an organization's standing with ASID.