Working overseas

This section shows what leads designers to work overseas and how many are planning to pitch for overseas work in the future.

The information in this section comes from our 2007 survey of designers who are facing competition from overseas. 

 How much are UK design businesses working overseas?

About half of the design businesses we spoke to (52%) are undertaking work for use in overseas markets and 5% have done so in the past

43% of the companies we spoke to have never created work for overseas markets. The majority (61%) of design businesses generate 25% or less of their fee income from overseas markets and just 2% generate all of their income this way.

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What types of design businesses undertake work for overseas markets?

Design firms working in overseas markets tend to be larger businesses: three-quarters of design businesses (74%) operating for ten years or longer have undertaken such work, as have 71% of firms with an annual fee income of £500,000 or more and 67% of firms with more than ten employees

Large and well-established businesses such as these are not typical of the UK design industry as a whole: our previous research shows that only 5% of the industry has an annual fee income of more than £500,000.

Product and industrial designers are more likely operate overseas than others: 72% of product designers are currently working overseas or have done in the past. Product and industrial design is also more likely to be offered in Asia – by 44% of groups working there – than other territories. 

All the design disciplines are represented among businesses working overseas, although digital and multimedia design is less likely to be offered.

Which overseas markets are designers undertaking work for?

Designers most commonly undertake work for Western European (61%) and the North American (44%) markets 

Do designers who work for overseas markets have overseas offices?

The majority (70%) carry out overseas work from their UK offices – in fact 85% of respondents who work for overseas markets said most or all of this work is or was actually carried out in the UK

What leads designers to compete for work in overseas markets?

Of those currently undertaking overseas work, 9% don’t know why they started trying to win that work and over half (51%) say that it was a response to unforeseen circumstances, such as being approached by an overseas client or an existing client moving to new markets

40% say that the decision was part of a strategic plan for their business.

Of the 28% considering or currently taking steps to win work in overseas markets, 80% say it’s part of a strategic plan for the business.

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Are designers planning for a future in international markets?

Over two-fifths of design businesses (42%) who are not already working for overseas markets say they are not planning to do so in the future

Just 17% of those who aren’t already working internationally are taking steps to win work from overseas clients and markets and 25% say they are likely to consider doing so in the next three years.

The larger design businesses, those with an annual fee income of more than £250,000, are more likely to be moving into these markets or considering doing so (39%, compared to 20% of groups with fee income below £250,000).

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Do designers see more opportunities for overseas work?

Almost half (47%) of all the design businesses we spoke to expect that the amount of overseas work they undertake will increase over the next three years

Of those already doing this work 57% expect it to increase: currently, 61% derive just 25% or less of their fee income from work for overseas markets.

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How do designers intend to win more work for overseas markets?

The UK’s strong reputation in the international marketplace is considered likely to help expansion into overseas markets, with 82% of designers who have worked for overseas clients, or are considering it, saying it makes a positive contribution to winning work from international clients

Around a fifth of these (18%) are planning to approach new clients under their own initiative or through marketing and advertising, but two-thirds (34%) don’t know what actions they have taken or would take to win more overseas work.

Have designers found any barriers to working overseas?

Two-fifths of design businesses who are either working for overseas markets or considering doing so believe that language or translations issues are a barrier to winning work, while 16% believe cultural issues or practical communications problems are barriers

But designers are less likely to encounter problems actually carrying out work for overseas markets than they are in trying to win it. Only 8% of groups that have or are considering overseas work believe there are no barriers to winning work, yet 32% of groups that have undertaken such work say they encountered no difficulties at all. Of those that did encounter problems, those most commonly encountered were the same as the perceived barriers, namely language and translation issues (24%), cultural differences (17%) and practical communications problems (14%). But even here, 40% perceive a language or translation barrier, while only 24% of those carrying out work actually encounter one.

How do designers respond to potential barriers to working overseas?

Despite perceived or encountered difficulties in working overseas, a third of design businesses (34%) have so far done nothing in response

A minority had conducted thorough research into other markets (14% of design businesses) and consulted a specialist to aid work overseas (12%).

What are designers doing to improve understanding of overseas markets?

Around a quarter of designers have undertaken overseas visits (26%) or trend research (25%) to better understand overseas markets, or are planning to do so

But about a fifth (19%) do not know what they will do.