ACIDO’s membership structure offers career-long benefits to designers at every stage of their personal development. To see a comparative listing of benefits, please see below.

Chartered Industrial Designer status (which affords the letters CID) is the highest level offered by ACIDO and the only organization in North America that offers Chartered status to Industrial Designers. Chartered status recognizes excellence and experience of fellow designers in a way that resonates with potential clients or employers. Applicants are reviewed and vetted by fellow Chartered Industrial Designers to ensure each exemplify the high calibre of work expected at this level.

The Chartered status pathway may begin with a direct application if eligibility criteria are met. If the required experience hasn’t yet been obtained one may apply first for Provisional Chartered Industrial Designer Membership. Each have acquired sufficient experience to warrant accreditation by their peers. Members must remain in good standing to maintain this status and use of the designation.

Students enrolled in any one of Ontario’s four schools of Industrial Design are immediately eligible for Student membership at a low cost per year.

Every student who graduates from an Ontario ID program is immediately eligible for Provisional Chartered Industrial Designer membership with or without mentoring by an accredited ACIDO Professional.

But it doesn’t end there. Life memberships are awarded to retired Chartered Industrial Designers who have ended their working careers after 15 continuous years of membership but wish to remain connected to the design community. Honorary Memberships are granted by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors to any person whose relationship to, involvement with, or special efforts on behalf of the design profession merit the recognition and gratitude of the Association.

The Industrial Design community includes a wide range of stakeholders who support Industrial Designers’ work through ethnographic design research, engineering, materials supply, prototyping, tooling and production processes, or through marketing support such as graphic and brand design, imaging and promotional activities. ACIDO offers the Affiliate membership category to these individuals and businesses.

ACIDO is dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity within the community where all members, whatever their race, colour, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, family status, age, language or national origin, education or disability, feels valued and respected. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard.

Accreditation and service benefits for each category are outlined below. For more detailed information on membership criteria please refer to our By-Laws or contact us using the form below