Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US design and creative agencies — graphic design, UX/UI, product design, brand identity, packaging, illustration, motion design, and creative direction. Triggers on "find me a UX/UI design agency for our SaaS product", "shortlist three brand-identity studios in NY", "packaging design firm for a CPG launch", or "pull contact info for these 10 design studio domains", even when described indirectly (brand refresh, design our app, build our visual system). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Defer to find-marketing-agency for marketing-led engagements where design is one of several services. Defer to find-web-developer when the deliverable is a built website. Skip in-house designer hires, "design me a logo" DIY asks, design-software comparisons, consumer/personal-design (weddings, hobby projects), non-US firms, individual freelancers.
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Use whenever the user wants to find, shortlist, vet, or enrich US design and creative agencies — graphic design, UX/UI, product design, brand identity, packaging, illustration, motion design, and creative direction. Triggers on "find me a UX/UI design agency for our SaaS product", "shortlist three brand-identity studios in NY", "packaging design firm for a CPG launch", or "pull contact info for these 10 design studio domains", even when described indirectly (brand refresh, design our app, build our visual system). Drives the ServiceGraph API (api.servicegraph.co) — a 100k+ US firm catalog filterable by industry, services, location, size, ratings. Defer to find-marketing-agency for marketing-led engagements where design is one of several services. Defer to find-web-developer when the deliverable is a built website. Skip in-house designer hires, "design me a logo" DIY asks, design-software comparisons, consumer/personal-design (weddings, hobby projects), non-US firms, individual freelancers.
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-developer when 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".
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.
Prerequisites
ServiceGraph access, either:
the ServiceGraph MCP server (https://mcp.servicegraph.co) loaded in
your harness — this plugin's .mcp.json wires it up; OAuth 2.1 + PKCE
keeps credentials in the harness sandbox — or
a ServiceGraph API key (vk_…, minted at
https://servicegraph.co/profile/api-keys) available as
SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY in the environment or .env.local for the REST
path (setup steps under Auth below).
An HTTP client for the REST path — the examples use curl.
Instructions
The loop is free-first: discovery, validation, search, and brief reads cost
nothing; only unlock after the user confirms the spend.
Pick the call path — the ServiceGraph MCP tools if loaded, otherwise the
REST flow (MCP server and Auth sections below).
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/fields?include_values=1 — confirm the
fields and values you plan to filter on exist.
Build the filter (Filter DSL below) and validate it with
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/check — or draft it from plain English via
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/translate-intent.
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search — present the free brief cards and
let the user pick.
Quote the unlock cost (10 credits per row, 30-day TTL) and get an explicit
go-ahead.
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/unlocks with the chosen apexes; report the
revealed detail.
GET /v1/me/credits to report the remaining balance when asked.
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:
"Open https://servicegraph.co/profile/api-keys, create a
key, and add SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY=vk_… to .env.local here
(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):
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).
Output
All responses are JSON.
Search returns free brief firm cards — apex, name, location, and
rating signals — plus a per-row unlock hint and the match total. Briefs
never include url, phone_primary, email_primary, legal_name,
address_full, or the full platforms map.
Unlock (POST …/unlocks) returns each unlocked firm's detail block —
contact fields, address, socials, the platforms map — plus per-item
billing; detail stays readable for 30 days.
Errors arrive as a JSON envelope
{"error": {"code": "…", "message": "…"}} — see Errors below.
Examples
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_provided:product-design+hardware+industrial&limit=10
E. Indirect intent — "design our visual identity and packaging"
User: "We need someone to design the visual identity and packaging for our new line of beverages."
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:design_creative+service_provided:branding+service_provided:packaging-design+(beverage OR cpg)&limit=10
Or use the intent translator:
POST /v1/datasets/pro_services/translate-intent
{ "intent": "design firm for visual identity and packaging for a new beverage line" }
If the list is thin, drop packaging-design — many brand-identity
studios deliver packaging as part of the system.
F. Graphic design for corporate use cases
User: "Graphic design firms experienced with annual reports and investor decks."
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:design_creative+service_provided:graphic-design+(annual OR investor OR corporate)&limit=10
G. Quality threshold + Fortune 500 clients
User: "Three UX/UI agencies with at least 4-star ratings and Fortune 500 clients."
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:design_creative+service_provided:ui-ux-design@high+rating>=4+fortune&limit=10
H. Brand-system overhaul
User: "Creative agency for a brand system overhaul — logo, typography, color, voice."
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/search?filter=industry:design_creative+service_provided:branding@high&limit=10
If the user mentions "voice" / copywriting, the line with
find-marketing-agency blurs — stay here unless they explicitly ask
for strategy/campaigns.
I. BYO apex list — enrich domains
User pastes 8–20 design firm domains:
GET /v1/datasets/pro_services/:apex per domain — free brief
(404 = not in catalog, no charge).
User picks N to fully enrich. POST /unlocks = 10×N credits,
atomic, detail returned.
Re-runs within 30-day TTL are free.
A 404 often means the firm is tagged under industry:marketing_agency
instead — design/marketing overlap is heavy.
Gotchas
Always pin industry:design_creative. Without it, design keywords (branding, ui-ux-design) appear in marketing_agency rows too.
Tag drift: it's ui-ux-design, not ux-ui-design. There is no industrial-design tag — use product-design plus a hardware keyword.
Defer to find-marketing-agency for marketing-led engagements. If the user wants brand + content + paid + social as one engagement, that's marketing-agency territory.
Defer to find-web-developer for the build phase. Design agencies make Figma files; web devs ship code.
Refuse consumer-personal design. Weddings, custom holiday cards, hobby Etsy logos — not in catalog.
DIY asks ("design me a logo", "make a hero image") are NOT procurement.
Design-software comparisons (Figma vs Sketch) are NOT procurement.
Rating gates on boutique studios are sparse.rating>=4 on a branding@high non-solo pool collapses sharply — boutique design shops are vetted by portfolio, not Clutch reviews. Prefer @high evidence + non-solo + state as the quality proxy.
Briefs DO include apex, name, location, ratings. They DON'T include url, phone_primary, email_primary, legal_name, address_full, full platforms — those require an unlock.
not_found / not_in_dataset 404 = not in pro_services. Skip; not charged.
Unlock is atomic. N apexes either all charge (up to 10×N credits) or none on 402.
