Impact of Membership

Participation in IDSA unlocks doors and grants you access to a vast array of benefits, including professional development and continuing education, exclusive discounts to programs and events, access to members-only archived content, community leadership opportunities, and much more. With IDSA's support, you can build a strong foundation to drive your career forward. Whether you are just starting out or well on your way, there is always an opportunity to learn something new or give something back.
 

Your Community

Connecting to other designers through our network of professional and student chapters is one of the most powerful and tangible results of joining IDSA. These groups, based in cities across the United States, are purpose built to help you strengthen your network and deliver beneficial programing through events and localized community experiences.

Your Craft

Your skills as a designer are your most important asset. IDSA helps you to invest in, strengthen, and evolve your skillset through immersive professional development content and engaging events that are specifically curated to advance your ability to design with authority, confidence, and proficiency.

Opportunities to Succeed

Today, in the face of unprecedented economic, public health, and social justice issues that have changed the way we live, the need for creative problem-solving and human-centered, design-driven approaches is more important than ever. IDSA is dedicated to providing timely and valuable resources to help industrial designers address these challenges and make meaningful contributions across business, culture, and society.

We believe that industrial designers are some of the most well-equipped, versatile, and creative individuals on the planet. Through the power of design and the opportunities our community provides, IDSA members flourish and contribute towards improving the livelihoods of millions of people around the globe each and every day.

Industry Recognition

Whether it's through our awards, events, or publications, IDSA has an extensive media platform that can be leveraged by IDSA members to elevate your brand and boost your profile.

Current IDSA members may also be featured in a Member Spotlight to have their work publicized through IDSA’s social media channels, website, or designBytes e-newsletter.

Students, recent graduates, and established professionals are able, through IDSA, to create a meaningful impact on a national scale with the opportunity to influence and lead the conversation about industrial design.

Leadership Potential

Only IDSA members can serve on IDSA’s Board of Directors and Districts Committee, as local Chapter officers and Section chairs, and as leaders of other IDSA Councils and Committees, such as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC) and Women in Design Committee (WIDC). These positions provide an opportunity to help influence the future of our organization and support other designers along the way.

For college students and early career professionals, being an IDSA member offers an unparralled opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills that might not otherwise be available at your school or company.

Members-only Benefits

The true value of IDSA is experienced through active participation. IDSA's membership experience is different for each individual and is greatly dependent on what you are looking to achieve with your contribution to the Society. Every member of IDSA who shares their story on our platforms, presents at an IDSA event, or writes an article for INNOVATION magazine becomes a part of IDSA’s legacy. This is how we advocate for the profession and simultaneously support overlapping generations of designers. Being a member of the IDSA community gives you access to opportunities. What you do with these opportunities is up to you, but joining IDSA makes all of them possible. 

Student Benefits

• Member of your local Student Chapter
• Leadership as a Student Chapter Officer
• Be featured in a Member Spotlight
• Participate in Student Merit Awards
• Receive INNOVATION magazine (digital) quarterly
• Receive quarterly studentUpdate and monthly designBytes emails with content specifically curated for designers
• Discounted pricing (sometimes free access) to events & programming
• Discounted entry to IDEA
• Use of , S/IDSA name appellation
• Access to the IDSA Membership Directory
• Access to archived professional development videos / content
• Exclusive offers from partner businesses and industry organizations
• VISA application letters of support (upon request)

Where Do Your Dues Go?

The dues collected from membership help fund, in part, IDSA's overall program offerings and keep the organization functioning. With a full-time staff and fixed annual expenses, IDSA, a non-profit 501c(6) organization, works within tight budgetary constraints to maximize the quality of service and membership experience our community deserves. Income we receive goes towards offsetting our operational expenses and/or is directly reinvested in IDSA’s programming, much of which is offered for free to members and the larger design community. A portion of your dues also goes directly to your local chapter, providing financial support in the creation of localized content in cities across the country. Here's a high level breakdown of how funds are directed, based on IDSA's core pillars:

Information

• Curation, publication, and distribution of INNOVATION magazine
• Creation and distribution of designBytes, studentUpdate, designUpdate, and other email-based correspondence
• Daily maintenance and updates to IDSA.org and other social media platforms as a trusted source of ID related content

Community

• Annual professional chapter seed funds to support local events
• Operational support for chapter leaders
• Production of high-quality conferences and events throughout the year