Wales accounts for 3% of design businesses in the UK. The number of designers working in Wales has dropped by 8% since 2003.
The spread of design disciplines that Welsh design businesses work in differs from the UK picture. Digital & multimedia design is less prevalent and a higher than average proportion of design businesses work in interior & exhibition and product & industrial design. Financially, the outlook for Welsh design businesses has been mixed. They are twice as likely as the UK average to say their fees have decreased substantially over the last year, while only 9% say their incomes have remained stable. However, more than a third of design businesses have reported a moderate increase in turnover over the last year.
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Number of designers and design businesses in Wales
How many designers are there in Wales?
There are 3,8651 designers in Wales. This is a decrease of 8%2 on 2003.
How many design businesses are there in Wales?
There are 2,561 design businesses in Wales. Design businesses in Wales account for 3% of design businesses in the UK.
- Design consultancies 324
- Freelance designers 1,977
- In-house design teams 260
Profile of design businesses in Wales
What disciplines do design businesses in Wales work in?
Comparatively few Welsh designers work in digital and multimedia design.
How long have design businesses in Wales been operating for?
Welsh design businesses have been operating for slightly longer than the UK average.
How many designers do in-house design teams in Wales employ?
65% of in-house design teams in Wales employ fewer than five designers.
How many designers do design consultancies in Wales employ?
Two thirds of Welsh design consultancies employ fewer than 10 designers.
Financial performance of design businessses in Wales
What is the annual fee income/budget for design businesses in Wales?
More design businesses in Wales have an annual fee income/budget of between £50k and £100k than the national average.
How does the financial performance3 of design businesses in Wales for the last year compare with the year before?
35% of Welsh design businesses have seen their fee income or budget decrease over the last year, while 41% have seen an increase.
Clients of design businesses in Wales
What industry sectors do design businesses in Wales work in?
34% of Welsh design businesses work in the public sector. Wales has a smaller proportion of design businesses working for clients in the financial and business services sector than the national average.
How big are the clients of Welsh design businesses?
59% of design businesses in Wales work for small firms.
Job market for design businesses in Wales
What percentage of design businesses in Wales are recruiting?
30% of design businesses in Wales recruited at least one designer last year (UK average – 31%).
What percentage of design businesses in Wales made redundancies last year?
8% of design businesses in Wales made redundancies last year (UK average – 7%).