With chapters all around the country, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is a nationally recognized and respected organization. Their mission is to “elevate the value of design and designers by supporting innovative, informed, sustainable and healthy initiatives.” As one of the leading voices in interior design, ASID’s local chapters organize networking events and learning opportunities for working professionals and college students. Prior to her graduation, Anna Gaiser was one of these students.
Gaiser graduated from RMCAD’s Interior Design program in the spring of 2025. From her freshman year on, she was a member of the RMCAD chapter of ASID. In 2024, she was elected the club’s president. In this blog, she shares what makes ASID special, the benefits of joining college clubs, and her future as a designer.
Why I Joined Student Clubs at RMCAD
Gaiser first joined ASID to make new friends and professional connections. Reflecting on her four years with the organization, she remarked that the “face-to-face interaction with people has been so impactful.” Because of ASID, she has had the opportunity to meet other design students and industry professionals. As a club member, Gaiser credits her colleagues with exposing her to new design trends, practices, and philosophies.
Exploring My Interests Beyond the Classroom
A major draw of an organization like ASID is improving skills through extracurricular activities. “I’ve learned a lot of things from ASID meetings, guest speakers, and events that I don’t think I would have learned just in the classroom,” said Gaiser. She shared that the club empowered her to pursue her design interests. Long term, she aspires to design interiors for entertainment and hospitality spaces. Gaiser is looking to put her knowledge to work in Las Vegas, citing it as a hub for nightlife and innovative designs. Beyond the neon desert of Nevada, Gaiser has aspirations of taking her design all around the globe. “One thing on my bucket list is to design a cruise ship.” She is interested in both the aesthetic and logistical challenges of such spaces.
Because of ASID, Gaiser got the opportunity to not only tour spaces like hotels, casinos, and event venues but also meet the designers responsible for bringing these spaces to life. The club gets to hear designers discuss the ups and downs of designing unique spaces. Seeing designers’ first-hand experiences, inspirations, and ingenuity has been incredibly impactful for members of ASID. Gaiser shared that “after seeing the work that they’ve done, it has solidified the path I want to be on!”
Building Connections with Like-Minded Individuals
Like many industries, interior designers can benefit greatly from building a strong network of fellow designers. One of the main benefits of joining college clubs is the network forged between club members. By providing students a space to collaborate and bond over their love of interior design, ASID fosters both personal and social connections. Looking back to her freshman year, Gaiser admits she was apprehensive at first. She shared that when she joined the club, “we were just strangers, and now I’m happy to say we’re a close-knit friend group.” The collective interest in interior design has created a common language that makes it easier for students to communicate, collaborate, and bond.
Perhaps Gaiser’s biggest takeaway from the relationships she has made with her fellow club members is the breadth of the interior design industry. Each member of the club has their own unique dream for using their interior design degree. According to Gaiser, “we all have our little interior design niches that interest us.” Some club members want to design museums, some want to build schools, and others want to make hospitals. The former club president thinks diverse interests prompt club members to think outside the box. “It’s a broad spectrum, but all of us are on the same wavelength. It has brought us closer, as designers.”
The Range of ASID at RMCAD
With so many different interests all housed inside one club, it’s the job of ASID’s board members to design club programming that educates and inspires all of their club members. Gaiser took her role as president very seriously, arranging meetings, networking events, and building tours. She found spaces and designers who would prompt students to think efficiently and creatively. These student-led initiatives form the core of ASID, promoting student leadership and self-discovery.
Creative and Art-Focused Opportunities
RMCAD’s ASID chapter recently took a tour of one of Denver’s newest and most exciting landmarks, One River North. Located in the city’s river north or Ri-No neighborhood, the building’s exterior almost appears cracked open. That is, until you look closer and realize the designers engineered the breaks in the building’s facade to create additional balcony and terrace space. The outdoor patios comprise common spaces in the apartment building that look like a canyon running laterally throughout the building’s design. Because of this one-of-a-kind design, it is already proven to be an unconventional and exciting addition to the Denver skyline.
Touring the building in March of 2024, ASID received one of the first looks at the completed project. The club wanted to tour the mystifying structure since they attended a meet and greet at the architecture firm responsible for One River North. These events organized by the student club, gave the young designers insights into how innovative designs are built. When asked what she thought of the building, Gaiser said, “It’s beautiful, everything from the architecture to the finishes. Everything was immaculate.”
Industry-Specific Networking Opportunities
Along with the building tours and professional meet and greets, ASID is heavily focused on connecting interior designers. Networking through student clubs is a proven method for students to not only learn about a wealth of opportunities but also practice discussing themselves and their achievements. Through these events, Gaiser said that the most impactful thing she has learned is how to present herself and her ideas as a designer. “In a perfect world, your design would sell itself, but you have to sell yourself as a designer, not just your designs.” Through this process, she has gained the confidence to discuss design principles with industry leaders.
That being said, networking is not just about landing internships or jobs. A key facet is learning about the industry. “Networking can show you how far you can take your career. You can branch out and go anywhere you want. It has helped me envision my future.” By meeting professionals working in the industry, Gaiser has conceptualized not only the projects she wants to design but also how to get those jobs.
What’s Gained from Joining ASID?
Gaiser credits her coursework with showing her the fundamentals of design, but it’s ASID that empowered her to use those fundamentals in bold and exciting ways. She likes to think beyond function and consider comfort. By adding elements to a space that create a unique flavor, designers can enhance the user experience. Gaiser said that “it’s eye-opening how spaces are designed to make you feel welcome.”
Boosting Creativity
“There are no limits to design. You can design anything you can imagine.” She added that even when building within a budget, you can get creative to not break the bank. Creative clubs such as ASID have shown her that with enough determination and imagination, you can solve any problem, no matter the obstacles.
As a proponent of the belief that design changes lives, Gaiser aims to use her creativity to make everyone feel welcome in her spaces. She shared how she is motivated by designing for comfort, whether that means making workspaces feel more like home or by pushing for greater accessibility in her designs. Gaiser said she was inspired by many of the buildings ASID toured, saying that she thinks “the design industry as a whole is getting better about not just designing for an able-bodied person, but designing for all abilities, which is nice to see!”
Personal Growth and Confidence
After nearly four years in her interior design degree and almost as long in ASID, Gaiser is proud of what she has learned. Whether she was studying the parts of the eyeball to understand color perception, learning how ergonomics impacts the human body, or how design can confront and heal trauma, Gaiser looks back fondly at some of the more forgotten parts of being an interior designer. “A lot of people think, Oh, you’re just putting together cute pillows and picking a paint color, then you’re done. It goes way beyond that to the science behind those decisions.”
Without student clubs and organizations like ASID, young artists would only begin scratching the surface of what is possible with their skill sets. Students like Gaiser who utilize creativity, knowledge, and networking to form the early stages of their careers benefit greatly from extracurricular activities. Gaiser credits the connections she made in ASID with teaching her things she could never learn inside the classroom. According to her, clubs “push you in the right direction and even just push you outside your comfort zone. They drive you to be a better designer!”
Find Your Community Now
At Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD), we’re proud to offer a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design program in both online and on-campus formats. No matter which format you choose, this program encompasses a variety of disciplines that include elements of architecture, environmental design, color theory, and much more. Take the next step towards your degree by reaching out to our team to learn more and completing your online application for admission today!
Many of the quotes in this story have been edited for brevity and clarity by the author, but are meant to retain the significance and purpose of the original speaker.
