find-design-agency
Drive the ServiceGraph API (https://api.servicegraph.co) to find,
shortlist, and enrich US design and creative agencies via the
pro_services dataset. The catalog tags firms with
industry:design_creative and a ~13-tag service sub-taxonomy spanning
graphic design, UX/UI, product design, brand identity, packaging,
illustration, motion, and creative direction.
Always pin industry:design_creative. Sub-disciplines are
typically structured service_provided tags (graphic-design,
ui-ux-design, product-design, branding, etc.). Two known drifts:
the UX/UI tag is ui-ux-design, not ux-ui-design; and there is
no industrial-design tag — use product-design plus a hardware
keyword. Confirm exact names via
/v1/datasets/pro_services/fields?include_values=1.
Any HTTP client works (curl, fetch, requests). Examples below use curl.
Sibling skills — defer when scope is different
- Marketing-led engagements where design is one of several services (PR + content + paid + design) →
find-marketing-agency. This skill is for design-led engagements where the design work IS the primary deliverable. - Build-the-website work (coded marketing site, ecommerce, custom CMS) →
find-web-developer. Design agencies often partner with web devs; if the user wants the built artifact, fire web-developer. - Custom software with design needs (SaaS app, internal tool) →
find-software-developerwhen the deliverable is software. Pure design (Figma files, brand systems, print collateral) stays here.
When NOT to use this skill
- Consumer/personal design — weddings, hobby projects, Etsy side projects, custom holiday cards, personal portfolio sites. Catalog is B2B procurement only.
- DIY — "design me a logo", "make me a hero illustration", "redesign my app's onboarding flow".
- In-house designer hires (Lead Designer, UX Researcher, Brand Designer).
- Design-software product comparisons (Figma vs Sketch vs Adobe XD, Webflow vs Framer).
- Knowledge questions ("explain the difference between UX and UI").
- Non-US firms / individual freelance designers.
MCP server (preferred for authed calls)
If your harness has the ServiceGraph MCP server loaded (tools
containing servicegraph), prefer those — OAuth 2.1 + PKCE keeps the
token in the harness sandbox. Otherwise use the REST flow below.
API surface (dataset id: pro_services)
Every endpoint requires the bearer (Authorization: Bearer vk_…).
No anonymous tier.
| Endpoint | Cost | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/fields[?include_values=1] | free | Confirm design_creative industry value and sub-tag names. |
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/check?filter=… | free | Validate filter. |
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/translate-intent | free | {intent} → DSL filter + sanity count. |
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=…&limit= | free | Brief firm cards + per-row unlock hint + total. |
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/:apex | free | One row brief; detail only if unlocked. |
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/unlocks | 10 credits / firm | {apexes:[...]} ≤100; atomic; 30-day TTL on detail. |
GET /v1/me/credits | free | Balance. |
Cost model. Discovery / validation / search / brief reads are
free. Detail (url, phone, email, social, address, full platforms
map) costs 10 credits per firm and lasts 30 days.
Auth
vk_* API keys minted in the dashboard. Keep the token out of the
LLM context — never read .env* into your context; dispatch via
shell.
-
Try the call first through a shell wrapper that sources
.env.local:( set -a; [ -f .env.local ] && . ./.env.local; set +a; curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY" \ 'https://api.servicegraph.co/v1/datasets/pro_services/fields' ) -
On
401prompt the user:"Open https://servicegraph.co/profile/api-keys, create a key, and add
SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY=vk_…to.env.localhere (or export it). Tell me when done. Please don't paste the key into chat." -
Retry after the user signals ready.
Filter DSL
GitHub-search-style.
filter := orExpr
orExpr := andExpr ("OR" andExpr)*
andExpr := notExpr (("AND")? notExpr)* # whitespace = implicit AND
notExpr := ("NOT" | "-") notExpr | atom
atom := "(" filter ")" | predicate
predicate:= IDENT op valueOrList | bareword
op := ":" | "=" | ">=" | "<=" | ">" | "<"
valueOrList := value ("," value)*
value := IDENT | NUMBER | tagAtEvidence
tagAtEvidence := IDENT "@" ("low"|"medium"|"high")
bareword := IDENT | NUMBER # → keyword:<bareword>
Four rules that bite: AND binds tighter than OR (use parens);
comma list = OR within one predicate; negation is -x or NOT x;
bareword = keyword search (quote multi-word phrases).
Design-flavored examples (validate yours with /check):
industry:design_creative service_provided:ui-ux-design saas
industry:design_creative service_provided:branding state:NY
industry:design_creative service_provided:packaging-design cpg
industry:design_creative service_provided:product-design hardware
industry:design_creative service_provided:graphic-design "annual report"
industry:design_creative motion animation
industry:design_creative service_provided:branding@high rating>=4 has:clutch
industry:design_creative service_provided:ui-ux-design@high fortune
Sub-discipline → tag mapping (verify exact names via /fields):
| User asks for | Use |
|---|---|
| Graphic design (logos, print, layouts) | service_provided:graphic-design |
| Logo design specifically | service_provided:logo-design |
| UX/UI design (digital products) | service_provided:ui-ux-design (note the ui-ux-, not ux-ui-) |
| Product design (digital + research) | service_provided:product-design |
| Brand identity / visual identity | service_provided:branding |
| Packaging design | service_provided:packaging-design |
| Print design / collateral | service_provided:print-design |
| Web design (visual) | service_provided:web-design (distinct from web-development) |
| Interior design | service_provided:interior-design |
| Illustration / motion design / creative direction | no structured tag — keyword-only (illustration, motion, animation, "creative direction") |
| Industrial design (physical products) | no structured tag — closest is service_provided:product-design plus keyword hardware / industrial |
Verticals (SaaS, fintech, healthcare-tech, CPG, hospitality) and credentials (AIGA, Awwwards) are keyword-only.
Identifying firms — apex
Firms are identified by their apex domain (ideo.com, not
www.ideo.com/about).
Recipes
A. UX/UI for a SaaS product
User: "UX/UI design agency for our SaaS product."
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:design_creative+service_provided:ui-ux-design+saas&limit=10
# Present, get pick of 3. "Unlocking 3 = 30 credits, 30-day TTL."
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/unlocks
{ "apexes": ["firm-a.com", "firm-b.com", "firm-c.com"] }
B. Brand-identity studio in a state
User: "Three brand-identity studios in NY for our rebrand."
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:design_creative+service_provided:branding+state:NY+-company_size_signal:large_50plus&limit=10
-large_50plus keeps the shortlist to studio-size shops. Note: a
rating gate (rating>=4) collapses the boutique-branding pool
sharply — these firms are vetted by portfolio, not Clutch/Google,
so prefer @high evidence + non-solo as the quality proxy.
C. Packaging for CPG
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:design_creative+service_provided:packaging-design+(cpg OR consumer)&limit=10
D. Product design with hardware experience
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:design_creative+service_pro