Pages for each entry from an entry type?
What about using a category group for your designers as well?

Add your "Specialty" and "Locations" category fields to a "Designers" category's field layout and then use a "Designers" category field on your blog entries to assign the designer.

Sorry for the confusion with my other answer, after re-reading your question today I noticed that I headed in the wrong direction. A "Designers" category would probably be the right way to do it, even if you had the ability to add a second channel section.