A Helpful Guide to Completing Your AD PRO Directory Application

We’re thrilled that you’ve decided to apply for the AD PRO Directory. We’ve tried to make the application as simple and user-friendly as possible, but we know that presenting yourself and your work can sometimes be challenging. The information you provide in your application will be used to create your business profile, which is what potential clients will see when searching the Directory, so will form an incredibly important marketing tool for your business. That’s why we’ve put together the following guide to uploading the right information and imagery, to help set you up for success as best we can. The guide runs through each section of the application in the order they appear on the page. We recommend reading it all the way through before you start the process, and then keeping it open in another tab once you begin in order to refer back to as you go.

About Your Business

Choose a Category

We’re currently accepting applications for the AD PRO Directory from architects, interior designers, and landscape/outdoor designers, so the first step in the process involves choosing which of these categories your business best fits into. For some, this decision will be easy and clear-cut, but those who run cross-disciplinary practices might find this choice a little more tricky since applicants can only select one category.

We recommend selecting the category which: reflects your main field of expertise and the majority of your past experience; can be showcased best through your five Work Images (see below); and represents the area of your business in which you’re hoping to gain clients.

Choose a Profession

Once you have selected your top-level category, a list of more specific professions within each field will appear. Directory users will be able to search by profession, so again, choosing the best description for the type of work you undertake will help match you with the right clients.

You can select from the following options within the categories:

Architecture

• Building Architect
• Interior Architect
• Residential Architect

Interior Design + Decor

• Decorator
• Design Consultant
• Interior Design Consultant
• Interior Designer
• Kitchen Designer
• Stylist

Outdoor + Garden Design

• Landscape Architect
• Landscape Designer

If your business covers more than one of the listed professions, please choose the title that best summarizes you and your work. You will have the opportunity to explain the many facets of your business in the Business in Detail section later on.

Address / Location

The Directory is initially open to applications from the US only, and it is searchable by state, so please list the address where your business is primarily based or headquartered and where you’re hoping to conduct the majority of your projects.

We know that some designers and studios operate from multiple locations, or, these days, entirely remotely, but clients will likely be searching for businesses in and around their area, so setting a primary working location will be helpful to them.

Again, there’s space in the Business in Detail section to explain if you operate from multiple locations and/or can travel anywhere in the country to work if needed.

Instagram Username

Add the Instagram handle for your business, or include your personal handle if your posts relate directly to your work. This is another great way for clients to discover more about you, your style, and your personality, so it should showcase all of those things in the best light. Consider pinning your best posts to the top of your Instagram profile, and archive any photos you feel no longer represent you or your business. Make sure all contact and bio info is clear and easily accessible too.

Further reading:

How to Develop a Meaningful Social Media Following

The 4 Social Media Mistakes You Absolutely Need to Avoid

Describe Your Business

Business in Brief

This is the elevator pitch for your business, and the goal is to say as much as possible in the fewest words. Highlight your unique selling point, specific focus, or design ethos in a short sentence between 80 and 120 characters.

Remember that clients might be speed-browsing through multiple profiles, so make sure this short statement stands out and reads as clearly as possible.

Example: Dan Howarth Designs brings warm minimalism to residential and commercial interiors across the tristate area.

Business in Detail

Here you have more opportunity to describe yourself and your business in much more detail. We’ve given between 1,000 and 2,000 characters—that’s approximately 200 to 400 words—for you to write a longer bio and include more information. Use this section to offer deeper insights into your style, specialities, and work methods and preferences. Describe your aesthetic and your approach to design; give clients a taste of what it’s like to work with you and what they can expect from both the process and the end result.

To supplement the location information earlier in the application form, mention where you’re available to work, as well as if and how far you’re willing to travel from your home base for a job. If you have multiple offices or locations, list those too.

This is also the place to outline some recent or important projects and briefly describe or summarize what’s shown in the images you’ve submitted.

It’s okay to add a little poetry and flair to the writing, but don’t overdo it. Keep it easy to read, especially since English might not be a client’s first language, and ensure the tone is light and approachable. Avoid using too many clichés and design jargon.

If writing is really not your strong suit, consider hiring a design-focused copywriter who would be able to eloquently sum up your business after researching and interviewing you. This is another good investment, since you’ll be able to use the copy on your website, pitches, and other places too.

Photos

Important: Please make sure you have the rights to use and distribute any images online, and (hopefully this goes without saying) do not submit photos of other people’s work to the Directory!

Profile Image

Like it or not, clients want to see who they’ll be working with. A clear and recognizable portrait of yourself, or a group shot with your partner(s)/colleagues, is the first opportunity to make a great impression and connection. Your Directory profile photo therefore should express your personality and style, and it should reveal a little about what it’s like to work with you. Friendly, approachable…that’s a lot to ask from a single image, but it’s absolutely possible.

We highly recommend using a portrait taken by a professional photographer and hiring someone to shoot you if you haven’t already. Strong portraits and headshots can be used for multiple purposes over a few years, so this is a great investment for your business. However, if your budget is tight, ask a friend or team member with a good eye to take some shots for you. And if it comes down to it, there’s always your smartphone self-timer. Just make sure that the image is sharp, your face is well lit, and you’re smiling.

A photo taken in your home, your office, or your studio will likely best reflect your personal design aesthetic and provide a sneak peek at how you work, which clients will find insightful and engaging. Try to avoid including copyrighted images (such as works of art on a wall) in your portrait.

If you’re part of a big team or a collective and there’s too many of you to fit comfortably into a frame, it’s also possible to upload a company logo as a profile photo.

Some technical details: The profile photo should be a JPEG or PNG (.jpg, .jpeg, .png) file type and of high quality and resolution, with a minimum size of 1200 x 1200 pixels and a maximum file size of 30MB. Make sure that it crops well as a circle, since this is how it will be displayed in some instances on the Directory. Any faces should be central, or away from the corners, and a logo should be fully legible in a circle format.

Banner Image

Let’s face it, in a visual business like design, images are always the most important marketing tool and selling point—and this is just as true for your Directory profile. The banner image will be displayed at the top of your profile page and should accurately show your company’s work or your design values. Choose your strongest project to date and the most eye-catching image from that project, or another image that represents your work to use as your banner. A landscape image will work best.

Here are some examples of strong banner images.

Work Images

We’ve provided the ability to upload a minimum of three and a maximum of five images to represent you and your business, and we strongly recommend submitting the maximum amount. Think of this as a mini portfolio, or a highlights reel of your work and career so far. Choose the strongest images from your back catalog—the ones you know best summarize and showcase your signature aesthetic and the range of projects you’ve worked on to date.

These images should also represent the types of projects that you’re hoping to attract as an AD PRO Directory member, since potential clients will associate their own ideas, tastes, and project scopes with what they see on your profile.

Variety is key. If the five images are too similar, clients might not be able to envision how your work will translate into their own project. Five white bedrooms all shot from the left side of the bed, for example, won’t give clients a lot to go on. So mix up the angles, spaces, typologies, locations, and color palettes as much as possible while staying true to your vision and considering your target audience.

Ideally, the Work Images should showcase at least two completed projects. If you are a multi-disciplinary business, including a range of project types is helpful. But consider what clients will be searching for—if you’re positioning yourself as an interiors studio, yet only submit exterior shots, those searching won’t find what they’re looking for.

Photos are greatly preferred over renderings or sketches, as clients will want to see proof of execution in completed work, rather than ideas. Each image file should show one scene and not be a collage of two or more images stitched together. Landscape images will look better in the page format than portrait images.

Please note: The first image you upload in this section will appear in the search results, so take extra care in selecting the right one to lead with.

Again, all the images need to be JPEG or PNG (.jpg, .jpeg, .png) file types and of high quality and resolution, with a minimum size of 1200 x 1200 pixels and a maximum file size of 30MB. Make sure they’re not blurry or pixelated and that the colors accurately reflect real life. Hiring a professional to shoot your projects is highly encouraged and will be worth the financial investment in both the short and long term. Building a relationship with a photographer that can capture your vision and brand your content with a consistent photography style is also beneficial.

If budgets are tight, consider trading or bartering your creative services with a photographer. If you decide to shoot your own photos, make sure your lens is clean, use a tripod or a solid surface, and use the camera’s grid lines to make sure the scene looks even. For interiors, turn off all the lights in the space, let in as much natural light as possible, and position the camera just above the belly button for optimum proportions. After the shoot, use an editing tool like Photoshop or the VSCO app to sharpen the images slightly, and brighten if necessary. As general rules, avoid black-and-white images, extreme wide-angle lenses, and any strong filters.

And finally, please make sure you have the rights to use and distribute any of the images you upload.

Further reading:

50 AD-Approved Photographers for Your Next Interior Shoot

Hiring and Working with a Stylist: Everything You Need to Know

20 Interior Styling Secrets from AD Stylists

8 Tips for the Best Interior Design Photography

Hopefully this guide has covered everything you need to know about completing a standout AD PRO Directory application. If you have any further questions about the application process, please refer to the FAQs page, or contact our Membership Team at ADProMemberships@archdigest.com.

Ready to start your application? Click here.