InVision reveals design industry stats

What is a design-driven organization, according to designers? What organizations put a legitimate emphasis on design? Conversely, which industries seem to lag behind the rest? All of these questions and more are answered in InVision’s first ever Product Design Trends Report. This global survey that polled more than 1650 designers in 65 countries across the world offers an enlightening and insightful look into the state of design and the industry today. All of the respondents provided information on their: careers, education levels, compensation ranges, roles in the industry, income variables, design tool preferences, and purchasing habits. More topics are also covered in this wide-ranging survey that seeks to identify what types of organizations really value design. As design has established itself as a potent force in companies today, many are interested in determining how and if these organizations are harnessing it to the fullest, possible benefit. Some of the survey answers are truly unexpected while others are interesting and will give you pause. Let’s dive into some of the more memorable data that was uncovered. 

1. Design takes the lead: Design plays a leading role in 38.4% of companies across the world with at least 2000 employees. Interestingly, at startups, this percentage is much higher, with 65% of startups leading with design.

2. The importance of design: More and more top decision-makers at companies see design as playing a crucial role at their company. This holds true for 33% of female directors versus 36% of male directors; 25% of female managers versus 24% of male managers; 12% of female VPs versus 10% of male VPs; 9% of female C‑level executives versus 10% of male C‑level executives; and 7% of female entry-level employees versus 8% of male entry-level employees.

3. Full-time employment: Some 87% of designers enjoy full-time employment. However, there’s a critical difference between self-employed designers and full-time designers: Those who are self-employed earn 3.7% more than full-time designers, no matter where they work.

4. Teamwork is commonplace: 75% of all designers actually don’t work alone. They work as part of a team, usually within a corporate setting or the headquarters of a company. More specifically, 15% of designers work with a distributed team or remotely while 10% work in a shared-office environment with their teams.

5. The pay is good: On average, a designer makes $80,606 per year. Those who get paid the most are product designers and usability testers and researchers. These two occupations earn double what marketing and conceptual designers make. Interestingly, men only make a little bit more per year than women in the design industry, with the average male designer taking home $77,112 compared to the average female designer’s $76,014.

6. Degree holders: The majority of designers have at least a bachelor’s degree (60%). Women are likelier than men to have a higher degree, with 71.5% of female designers holding a bachelor’s degree compared to 55.8% of male designers, and 17.3% of female designers holding a master’s degree compared to 16.9% of male designers.