Graphic Design Statistics You Need To Know in 2024

Graphic design is everywhere, from logos and websites to posters and packaging. What could we learn from this industry in 2023? How is graphic design entering 2024? Whether you are a graphic designer, a student, or just curious about this fascinating topic, this article will provide you with valuable graphic design statistics. Let’s dive in!

General Graphic Design Facts

According to the data from IBISWorld, there are around 415,468 graphic design businesses around the world, meaning a 11,4% increase from 2020.

Visual communication accounts for 93% of all our communication. Our brains recognize visual clues faster than they do text. This is why text-based content outperforms visual content. Colors play a significant role in this equation, with statistics indicating that a distinctive hue increases brand awareness by 80% according to Design Wanted.

People can remember 65% of visual information 3 days later, and only 10% of written content, meaning that as a graphic designer you have a higher chance of generating a significant impact, compared to copywriters.

80% of digital marketers use graphic design in social media marketing and 55% of businesses use graphic design for customer communication.

A retro-futuristic mood set the tone for 2023, making Abstract 3D, Risoprint, Holographic Surrealism, Minimal Layouts, and Modern Nostalgia some of the most notable styles of the year.

According to Zippia, nearly 40% of all graphic designers are 40 years old or older. Before you think that it is a job for “old” people, let’s think of this for a second. Yes, of course it indicates that graphic design is a career that requires experience and skills that take time to develop. But it also may suggest that graphic design is a stable profession that allows senior creatives to work while receiving a reliable income.

Graphic Design Industry Statistics

The estimated market value of the global graphic design industry is $43.4 billion

According to industry statistics from IBISWorld, the industry will rise by 3% in 2023. However, the market has lagged the global economy over the last five years, rising by 0.6% each year on average since 2017.

The revenue of graphic design services in the US is set to reach $11.3 billion by 2024

Jumping from $10.59 billion In 2022 to an approximate staggering $11.12 billion in 2023, the industry grew a little over half a billion US dollars. If we take into account the exponential growth the industry has sustained since 2012 —when it stood at $7.55 billion— according to Statista, the target for 2024 sits around 200 million US dollars above.

177,812 people are working as graphic designers in the US

In what is arguably the biggest market for graphic design in the world, the most logical thing to ask ourselves is how many graphic design jobs are there? According to IBISWorld, there’s a steady growth in the employment rate. For the past five years, the number of graphic designers has increased by an average of 0.6% per year. Moreover, in 2022 the number of graphic designers employed was just below 175,000 people, meaning that it jumped a 1.9% only in 2023.

More than 50% of graphic designers are female

Some studies have suggested that women may have an advantage in fields that require creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence, which is why graphic design may be very appealing to most women, since they tend to have a more sensitive ‘gut’ that can be applied in design.

The US had 135,355 graphic design businesses registered by 2023

Data from IBISWorld revealed that in 2023, the number of newly established businesses providing graphic design services grew by 1.4%. Currently, the states with the highest number of graphic designers are:

California – 22,136
New York – 13,590
Florida – 10,045

Adobe Photoshop is still the most used solution

At 42,58% Adobe remains as the preferred choice of most graphic designers and has been on the top as the most suitable software for graphic design since its creation according to Datanyze. Adobe InDesign follows second with 28.42%, Adobe Illustrator comes next with 13.55%, and Canva comes last of the top players at 4.55% of user adoption.

41% of businesses use in-house graphic designers for their graphic assets

According to the most recent graphic design statistics from Piktochart, another 35% of organizations create and edit their images on their own. Furthermore, 24% of those surveyed claimed they outsource their digital design needs.

When it comes to managing the production and adjustments of their brand's imagery, 49% of companies claimed that even though team coordination takes up the majority of their time, they still manage to get through the graphic design process smoothly. Moreover, 34% claimed graphic design workflows are simple, whereas 17% struggle and find the entire process time-consuming.

IT was the sector in which graphic designers were on the highest demand

According to recent statistics, job listings for graphic designers in the IT sector were up by 30%, in the e-commerce sector by 25%, and in the advertising and media sector by 20%, making them the top industries that hire graphic designers

32% of businesses allocate between $5,000 and $10,000 for graphic design services.

Another statistic from Piktochart reflecting the graphic design market's enormous potential is that roughly 20% of organizations spend more than $10,000 on it. Additionally, 32% of organizations report an annual graphic design budget of $1,000 to $5,000 and the share of companies spending less than $1,000 was the lowest, at 17%.

Consistent visual design can increase a company's sales by 33%.

According to data from design wanted, consistent brand presentation with the help of design can increase sales by a third. This is not unexpected given that box design is important to three to seven out of ten consumers when making purchasing decisions.

Graphic designer salaries grew more than the average salary growth in the US

According to data from Payscale and Indeed, the salaries paid to graphic designers increased by around 2% in 2023. And while this figure may not seem like much, it does prove that graphic designers had a better salary growth compared to the average salary growth between 2018 and 2023, which has been just 0.4% on average.

These same portals revealed that the average salary is $48,964 per year, with a base salary rate of $20.25 per hour. Knowing how many graphic design jobs there are, they estimated a calculation suggesting that the wages paid to o graphic design employees could have reached $4.9 billion in 2023.

AI in Graphic Design

The most popular AI Design Tool

Midjourney was the most popular AI Design tool in 2023. According to Marq, it positioned itself as the leader in the image generation space with the data on popularity and trend score significantly growing from month to month. In just over a year of existence, this tool accumulated over 16 million total users, with between 1.2 and 2.5 million daily active users.

By November 2023, Midjourney averaged around 23,000 new users per day, making it one of the largest AI communities. Its subreddit has nearly 1 million members and registered over 400 posts and 4,000 comments per day at its peak activity.

Nearly 20% of Midjourney users come from the US

The largest portion of Midjourney’s user base is from the US with around 17.09% of total users. The countries that follow are Brazil with 4.75%, India with 4.65%, the UK with 4.24%, and Germany with 4.01%

Half of users downloaded Discord only for using Midjourney

In a poll, out of the 16 million users, nearly 8 million of them recognized they use Discord only for the sake of Midjourney and not other servers. Also, 80% of the users who pay for Midjourney, got a paid Midjourney membership within a week of joining the Midjourney Discord server.41.8% of them even got it the same day.

Midjourney could have completed up to 1 billion jobs

Around 20 to 40 jobs are submitted every second through Midjourney’s Discord server, meaning that by May 2023, Midjourney had already over 300 million jobs complete. By 2024, the calculation estimates over 600 million jobs but taking the ever growing amount of users, this number could grow up to 1 billion already.

Final Thoughts

As we face 2024, the forecast for the graphic design industry is positive, as it is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 4.4% from 2020 to 2027, and the new trends in technology can only make us imagine what amazing things will be achieved this year. By implementing AI assistance to streamline design processes, generate ideas and create variations, to the integration of immersive 3D elements, AR, and VR to create memorable experiences for users, everything is set for bringing more innovation and impact in 2024.