How UK businesses use designers

The headline

Just over half the UK’s businesses use designers. One in five commissions external agencies.

However, employing designers internally is the preferred method. A third do this, typically employing between two and four people.

A quarter have dedicated design departments.

The details

Internal designers or external agencies – which do UK businesses use the most?

A third (34%) of UK businesses employ designers internally. One in five (19%) commission external agencies.

However, almost half don’t hire designers at all.

These figures vary across the UK – check our reports on design in the regions and sectors.

The size of a business also influences its choice. Large businesses are most likely to have a dedicated design department – 49% do. In contrast, small businesses prefer to employ internal designers, without having a dedicated department – 36% do this.

On average, how many designers do UK businesses employ?

Almost half (47%) of UK businesses employ between two and four designers.

We also asked how many employees work as designers as a secondary part of their job.

The design industry in the UK is made up of:

• 12,450 design consultancies employing 60,900 designers and 348,300 non-designers
• 47,400 self-employed, freelance and non-employing designers
• 77,100 in-house designers in 5,900 businesses with 100 or more employees.

For more information on the UK design industry, see The business of design .