Scottish design businesses account for 7% of design businesses in the UK. Their profile is very similar to the UK average in terms of size, age, discipline and financial performance, although there is slightly lower proportion of long-standing design businesses.
The Scottish design sector appears to be performing well, with a lower than average proportion of businesses reporting a decrease in fee income over the last year and making redundancies. Scottish design businesses are more likely than average to work for the public sector.
Download a PDF factsheet full of facts and stats on the design industry in Scotland
Number of designers and design businesses in Scotland
How many designers are there in Scotland?
There are 11,1471 designers in Scotland. This is an increase of 51%2 on 2003.
How many design businesses are there in Scotland?
There are 5,411 design businesses in Scotland. Design businesses in Scotland account for 7% of design businesses in the UK.
- Design consultancies 540
- Freelance designers 4,416
- In-house design teams 455
Profile of design businesses in Scotland
What disciplines do design businesses in Scotland work in?
60% of design businesses in Scotland work in communications design
and just over half work in digital and multimedia design.
How long have design businesses in Scotland been operating?
Only one in five Scottish design businesses has been operating for more than ten years.
How many designers do in-house design teams in Scotland employ?
More than two-thirds of Scottish in-house design teams employ fewer than five designers.
How many designers do design consultancies in Scotland employ?
Nearly four-fifths of Scottish design consultancies employ fewer than five designers.
What is the annual fee income/budget for design businesses
in Scotland?
The financial performance of Scottish design businesses is in line with the national average.
How does the financial performance3 of design businesses in Scotland for the last year compare with that of the year before?
Scottish design businesses are less likely than the UK average to have seen fee incomes/budgets decrease over the last year.
Clients of design businesses in Scotland
What industry sectors do design businesses in Scotland work in?
Scottish design businesses are more likely to work for clients in the public sector and in the financial and business services sector than the UK average.
How big are the clients of Scottish design businesses?
Only 5% of Scottish design businesses work with large firms.
Job market for design businesses in Scotland
What percentage of design businesses in Scotland are recruiting?
27% of design businesses in Scotland recruited at least 1 designer last year (UK average – 31%).
What percentage of design businesses in Scotland made redundancies last year?
4% of design businesses in Scotland made redundancies last year
(UK average – 7%).