As brands compete for attention, understanding the power of graphic design has never been more crucial.
Good graphic design alone isn't enough for a brand to stand out in a crowded market. To remain relevant, it’s crucial to stay aligned with current trends. Trends like minimalism, motion graphics, bold typography, and personalized visuals are on the rise, and designers are using vector graphics software, animation tools, and UX design services to create engaging, scalable, and user-friendly content.
Top 5 graphic design statistics for 2025
- The global graphic design market size is $43.4 billion.
- 81% of businesses across the world use graphic design.
- Around 1 in 5 marketers spend 20+ hours each week producing graphic designs.
- 50% of graphic designers in the US have an hourly wage of $28.32
- Adobe products command over 80% of the graphic design software market.
In this article, we'll explore key statistics that showcase how graphic design plays a pivotal role in driving engagement, building trust, and fueling growth.
Graphic design industry overview
The field of graphic design has evolved but shows no sign of slowing down. In this section, we'll explore key statistics that highlight the industry's growth, trends, and impact on business outcomes.
- The graphic design industry market size in the US was measured at $16.9 billion in 2024.
- The global graphic design market size is predicted to reach $78.25 billion by 2030.
Source: NMSC
- The global market size of specialized design services grew from $147.18 billion in 2023 to $156.92 billion in 2024.
- 49% of leaders believe artificial intelligence will surpass humans in creating visual images within five years.
- At the beginning of the buying cycle, about 72% of B2B consumers prefer infographics.
- 51.4% of marketers create visual content with the help of advanced graphic design tools.
Graphic design career statistics
Businesses compete to get the best graphic designs for marketing, advertising, and web designing. After all, visual impression matters, doesn't it? Some exciting statistics show the demand for the graphic designers:
- The employment of graphic designers is expected to increase by 2% between 2023 and 2033.
- 24% of graphic designers stay in their design jobs for less than a year
- The average age of a working graphic design employee is 37 years.
12%
of graphic designers belong to the LGBTQ community
Source: Zippia
- More than 60% of graphic designers are women.
- Approximately 65% of graphic designers have a bachelor's degree.
- 90% of graphic designers prefer working freelance.
- The average salary for a visual designer spans around $53,380 per year.
Graphic design application statistics
From websites to social media, visuals are key to engaging audiences and boosting brand impact. This section highlights statistics that showcase how graphic design is essential for marketers, advertisers, content creators, and business owners.
81%
of businesses reported using graphic design in various formats
Source: Piktochart
- 19% of businesses don’t use graphic design.
- Almost 40% of companies face a challenge in consistently creating aesthetically engaging designs.
- 22.9% of marketers spent 20-50% of their budget on producing visual content.
- 67% of companies that don't use graphic design would if there were a quicker, less expensive way to create graphic design materials.
- 37% of companies would like to automate the process of creating consistently visually appealing content.
- Around 51% of business-to-business (B2B) marketers prefer using visual assets in content marketing.
- 35.5% of content marketers use online tools to create graphics.
- Up to 68% of marketers say they will use more visual content in the future
- 93% of people agree that an object's visual dimensions influence their purchasing decisions.
- Full-color ads had 40% more viewership than plain ads
- 50% of internet users say website design shapes their brand opinions.
- 46% of people decide the credibility of a business or company based on its website designs.
- 73.1% of web designers say non-responsive design drives visitors away.
- While 85% of organizations have brand design guidelines, only 30% are enforced.
Feeling drawn to design?
As brands increasingly rely on strong visual identities to engage consumers, the role of graphic design has evolved beyond simple aesthetics to become a strategic asset.
Companies are investing more in design-driven approaches to enhance customer experiences, improve brand recognition, and communicate messages effectively.
In this environment, staying ahead of design trends and building a team of highly skilled designers is critical to maintaining a competitive edge.
Ready to elevate your brand's visual identity? Discover the top free graphic design tools to realize your visions.