What Is New in Graphic Design 2015

From corporate branding and promotional items to web design and print production, there is always an element of graphic design in virtually every business aspect. As such, graphic design is an imperative skill for advertisers, designers, and business owners alike. In fact, graphic design statistics have revealed that this creative art is increasingly becoming an indispensable factor in the success of today's businesses.

There is no denying it, visual graphics elicit specific emotions and can help your business appeal to the largest audience possible. However, you'll need to have a good eye for visual aesthetics and use the best graphic design software to reap the benefits. And not just that, you'll also need complete knowledge of key industry trends to derive meaningful benefits.

In this article, we've compiled the most important graphic design statistics you must know. The stats unearth vital details about consumer feedback, color perception, software usage, and reading habits. The goal is to help you discover new ways to use graphics to convey your idea and develop brand awareness.

1. Graphic Design Industry Statistics

Generally, the graphic design industry is constantly shifting, thanks, in part, to the disruptive force of new technologies. Besides, there are a lot of meaningful movements taking place within the subgroups of this industry. However, even with the numerous micro-changes, the industry has registered unabated growth. The statistics below pinpoint the numbers behind industry growth, salary, career, and business engaged in graphic design.

Industry Growth

• $45.8 billion – global graphic designers market size in 2021. (IBISWorld, 2020)
• 2.2% – global graphic designers market size growth in 2021. (IBISWorld, 2020)
• 2.8% – global graphic designers annualized market size growth 2016–2021. (IBISWorld, 2020)
• $12.7 billion – US graphic designers market size in 2021 (IBISWorld, 2020)
• 4.1%  – graphic designers in the US market size growth in 2021 (IBISWorld, 2020)
• -1.6% – graphic designers in the US annualized market size growth 2016–2021 (IBISWorld, 2020)

Business

• According to graphic design market analysis, the number of businesses in the US graphic and design industry by June 2019 was 16,823. (IBISWorld, 2020)
• The specialized design service (19.12%) has the highest level of employment in the graphic design industry. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)
• There are 400,258 businesses working in the graphic design field in 2020. (IBISWorld, 2020)

Career

• Freelance graphic designers account for approximately 90% of the total industry participation. (IBISWorld, 2020)
• Owing to the growing graphic design market size, there were 281,500 graphic designer jobs in the US in 2019. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)
• The graphic design industry growth rate during the 2019 and 2029 period will decline by 4%. This means the industry will lose around 10,700 jobs during the said period. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)
• The employment of graphic designers in directory, book, periodical, and newspaper publishers is expected to decline by 4% from 2019 to 2029. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)
• On the other hand, the employment of graphic designers in the computer systems design field and related areas will increase by 20% from 2016 t0 2026. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)
• In the US alone, the total percentage change in employment is projected to be 7%. Interestingly, the percentage of change in graphic design employment is projected to be 4% over the same period. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)
• The average age for workers in the graphic design field is 40.5. (Eksposure, 2020)
• For male graphic designers, the median age is 41.3. (Eksposure, 2020)
• For female designers, the median age is 39.8. (Eksposure, 2020)

Salary

• The average annual salary for graphic designers in the US in 2014 was $54,680. (>Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)
• Three years hence, 10% of the highest salary earners take home approximately $77,000. On the other hand, the lowest 10% of the salary earners get less than $27,000. (Brandon Gaille, 2017)
• The average base pay for freelance graphic designers today is $58,614 per year. Overall, web/graphic designers earn an average of $59,000 per year. (Glassdoor, 2021)
• The average hourly wage for graphic designers is $26. (ZipRecruiter, 2021)
• Meanwhile, freelance graphic designers earn $20 to $150 per hour. (Eksposure, 2020)

Whether you are a designer or a business owner, it pays to stay abreast of these key industry changes. In fact, staying up-to-date on the current trends gives you a competitive edge and empowers you to stay relevant in the industry where change is on high gear.

The graphic design data above can help you flex your policies to rhyme with the overarching trends. For example, you may want to adjust your hiring policies to resonate with the modern workforce. This is because, as statistics have shown, graphic designers are ready to ditch the corporate culture for freelance or remote lifestyle. However, you'll have to implement robust remote workforce management tools to get the best out of every graphic designer.

2. Website and Graphic Design Statistics

Graphic design is a wide-ranging industry that covers many activities. Essentially, it includes identity branding, corporate branding, and print production. Most importantly, graphic design is a vital tool used to add a dash of contemporary flair to a website. Simply put, the way to an attractive website is primarily through graphic design. The following data shows how graphic design impacts the perception of visitors on your website.

Web Design Statistics

• 94% of consumers will leave a website with poor graphic design. (Red Website Design, 2018)
• The normal attention span for web users is 6.8 seconds. However, the use of visual assets can improve the attention span by approximately 50 milliseconds. (Red Website Design, 2018)
• It takes 50 microseconds for a website visitor to register a visual appeal. (Red Website Design, 2018)
• Besides, more than 46% of website visitors relate the website design to the credibility of the brand/company.
• Even more, 80% of small business owners think graphic design is very important or moderately important to the success of their business. (Visually)

Logo Statistics

• The human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than it processes text. This is the reason why many brands add a visual or a glyph to their logo. (Crowdspring, 2017)
• It takes a website visitor 10 seconds to form an impression of your brand logo. However, it can take up to seven impressions for the visitor to recognize the logo. (Crowdspring, 2017)
• Also, 18% of small businesses are ready to spend up to $1,000 for a logo design. On the other hand, a whopping 67% of small businesses are ready to spend up to $500 for a logo design. (Red Website Design, 2018)

How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Very Important: 49%

Very Important

49%

How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Moderately Important: 31%

Moderately Important

31%

How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Neutral: 10%

Neutral

10%

How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Slightly Important: 7%

Slightly Important

7%

How SMB Owners Rate the Importance of Graphic Design to Their Business Success
Not Important : 3%

Not Important

3%

Source: 99Designs Survey

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Gone are the days when great content alone convinced online users to stay on your website. Nowadays, you need more than words; your website must be visually appealing to keep website visitors engaged. To achieve this, you definitely need a combination of a reliable website builder software and an efficient graphic design tool.

So, how good is your website? Does it include attractive visual graphics? Does your business logo include a visual or a glyph? You need to find definitive answers to these questions and take the right course of action. This because; when it comes to web design, tasteful visual graphic creates an appealing outlook of a website.

Top Graphic Design Software

1. Adobe Photoshop CC. A graphic design editing platform with comprehensive tools including different pen options, 360 panorama workflows, and color range masking.
2. Adobe Illustrator CC.A platform that comes with advanced graphic design functions such as perspective drawing enhancements and shape builders, making it great for creating websites, video games, and other promotional materials.
3. Adobe InDesign CC. A publishing software that can be used to layout your promotional materials like webpages, magazines, newsletters, and reports.
4. Canva. A platform equipped with basic graphic design tools, allowing users to create beautiful designs without much technical know-how.
5. GIMP.A free and open-source editing program with easy-to-use tools for digital retouching and photo enhancement, making it ideal for newbie graphic designers.

3. Graphic Design in Marketing Statistics

How does graphic design relate to marketing? This is a critical question for every marketer and graphic designer looking to scale the heights of digital marketing successfully.

But, before you dive into the key graphic design in marketing statistics, you need to deliberate about the following. One, you should know that you only have one, if not half a chance to grab the attention of your audience. Secondly, your target customers are exposed to more than 5,000 ads and brands daily. Surprising, only 12 of these ads leave a striking impression on the customer.

Furthermore, the marketing landscape has gone digital, print design is on a downhill trend, and consumers are now more visually persuaded than ever before. Therefore, today, marketing is such a daunting undertaking that without a proper strategy, marketing goals can't be achieved. Even worse, it's not easy to appease modern consumers without implementing the beliefs of relevant visual elements. Luckily, the pervasive art of graphic design is here for your rescue, and the statistics below speak volumes.

Use of Visual Graphics in Marketing

• 68% of digital marketers have plans in place to increase the use of visual assets in future content activities. (Social Media Examiner, 2019)
• At 51%, B2B digital marketers value the use of visual assets in content marketing. (Social Media Examiner, 2019)
• Interestingly, 62% of marketers use visuals for the landing pages of a website or as part of blog content. (Venngage, 2020)
• In terms of the most frequently used visual asset, stock photography leads at 40%. Original graphics (34%) come second, followed by charts & data visualization (12%), video & presentations (14), and Gifs & Meme (4%).  (Venngage, 2020)
• Besides, 86% of marketers said that 81% of their blog post contained at least one visual. (Venngage, 2020)
• For 88% of marketers, visuals are a must for 50% of web articles. (Graphicszoo, 2020)

Benefits of Visual Graphics in Digital Marketing

• In terms of visual content marketing, 32% of digital marketers claim visual images are the most important type of content. Blogging comes second at 27%, followed by videos (24%), live video (9%), and podcasting (1%). (Social Media Examiner, 2019)
• Interestingly, when people hear a message, they are most likely able to remember 10% of the information relayed three days later on. However, when the same message is coupled with a visual graphic, people can remember 65% of the information three days later. (Brain Rules)
• 60.8% of digital marketers say that visual assets are imperative to successful marketing. (Red Website Design, 2018)
• There is a 2.5% increase in sales for every 2000 business cards passed to consumers. (Graphicszoo, 2020)
• Interestingly, in terms of performance, digital marketers said that original graphics (40%) performed best and delivered the most engagement. Videos & presentations (24%) account for second followed by stock photos (13%) and charts and data visualization (9%). (Venngage, 2020)
• Even more, 49% of digital marketers said that visuals are very important to their marketing strategies. (Venngage, 2020)
• Also, 65% of digital marketing executives claim visual assets like images, infographics, illustrations, and videos are imperative to brand story communication. (CMO Council, 2015)
• Besides, visual presentations are more persuasive than non-visual presentations. (Carlson School of Management)

Visual Graphics and Social Marketing

• A graphic design report revealed that 80% of digital marketers say they use visual assets in social media marketing. (Social Media Examiner, 2019)
• Better still, social media posts that feature visual assets like images deliver a 650% higher engagement rate than plain text posts. (Red Website Design, 2018)
• Particularly, tweets with visual assets generate 150% more retweets, whereas Facebook posts with images deliver 230% more engagement. (Red Website Design, 2018)
• Most importantly, blog articles with more visual assets generate 2x more social media shares compared to articles without images. (Red Website Design, 2018)

From the stats above, we can state without fear of doubt that graphic design is a must-know skill for marketers and advertisers. The skill is becoming increasingly integral for businesses seeking to create brand awareness and excel in digital marketing.

As you can see, good visuals are not just about delivering a remarkable first impression. Rather, the importance of impressive visual graphics transcends the digital marketing scope. Of course, graphic design is integral to successful digital marketing. However, a look beyond these benefits reveals that visuals graphics reflect your company culture and represent your brand image. Besides, they can improve the attention span of the average online user, which in turn can have a telling impact on your sales.

4. Color Use in Graphic Design Statistics

Color is an important element that carries a powerful psychological impact on the human brain. Primarily, color can communicate action, speak to your target audience, and convey unique emotions and tone. For this reason, you don't just pick a color that decorates your website or visual graphics. Instead, you need to pick the color with intention and on purpose, and eyes firmly fixed on the action you want to trigger. The stats below show how the color of your graphic design can influence customer perception.

General Color Statistics

• 92.6% of consumers say that color dimension is the key factor affecting their purchase decision. (Kissmetrics)
• Besides, 80% of website visitors perceive brand enhancement based on colors. (Neil Patel)
• Colored adverts had 40% more viewership rates than plain ads.
• Besides, color improves readership by 40%, comprehension by 73%, and learning by up to 78%. (Color Com)
• Color is a key factor in brand recognition. For example, the use of a signature color can increase brand recognition by 80%. (Crowdspring, 2017)

The Color of Success

• Amazingly, 57% of consumers links blue to business success. Besides, 43% associate this color with reliability, 34% with trust, and 28% with security. (Visually)
• The effectiveness of the color blue is the reason 33% of the top 100 brands include it in their logo. (Crowdspring, 2017)
• 85% of people are attracted to brands that make use of visual graphics. (Graphicszoo, 2020)
• Additionally, 76% of consumers associate red with speed. (Joe Hallock)
• According to graphic design research, 28% of consumers associate orange with fun, while 26% of consumers associate the color with cheap. (Joe Hallock)
• 94% of consumers leave a website with poor graphic design. (Graphicszoo, 2020)
• Compared to black and white images, colored images catch the attention of viewers by 2 seconds more.
• According to HubSpot, when Performable changed the color of its CTA button from green to red, there was a 21% increase in conversion. (Hubspot)
• Additionally, when asked to select the color they associate with success, 57% of small business owners picked blue. Other colors included green (35%), white (32%), black (29%), red (21%), yellow (14%), orange (12%), gray (12%), and purple (10%). (Visually)

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
Blue: 57%

Blue

57%

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
Green: 35%

Green

35%

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
White: 32%

White

32%

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
Black: 29%

Black

29%

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
Red: 21%

Red

21%

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
Yellow: 14%

Yellow

14%

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
Orange: 12%

Orange

12%

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
Gray: 12%

Gray

12%

The Most Popular Color Used on Small Business Websites
Purple: 10%

Purple

10%

Source: 99Designs Survey

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The color you use in graphic design plays an important role in brand recognition. It's inarguably the most powerful element when it comes to graphic design. But, great color choice takes sound and purposeful planning. In turn, when colors are picked accurately, they can influence how web visitors perceive your website.

Amazingly, your color schemes stir visitors' emotions and can subconsciously spur them to click your CTA button. Because of this, you should be careful not to implement a palette that contradicts your brand philosophy. Ideally, the color schemes should be easy on the visitor's eye and relevant enough to evoke emotions that ignite positive actions from the visitor.

5. Graphic Design Software Usage Statistics

As mentioned earlier, it takes gripping content and intriguing visuals to capture the attention of online users. You might not necessarily need to formally study graphic design to qualify as a graphic designer. However, regardless of your training, you need a robust graphic design tool or the best drawing software with a suite of fancy features to create eyecatching visual graphics. The stats below reveals some of the tools used by graphic designers.

• 36% of digital marketers say that they use online tools or graphic design software to create visual content. On the other hand, 29% use in-house designers, 19% use on-premise software like Adobe suite or numerous other tools and professional help, and 15% rely on freelance designers. (Venngage, 2020)
• In terms of hours spent creating visuals, 28% of digital marketers spend less than 2 hours every week. Additionally, 22% spend 2-5 hours, 22% spend 5-10, 9% spend 10-15 hours, and 11% spend more than 15 hours every week. (Venngage, 2020)
• More importantly, 43% found consistency in creating engaging visuals to be the biggest challenge. Other challenges include producing great designs (22%), sourcing good data for graphics (22%), and getting a wide enough reach (12%). (Venngage, 2020)

As you can see, the expensive tech-heavy industry has all the software you need to improvise images, texts, and models to render an appealing look to your website. What you need to know, however, is that it takes time to create an amazing art of work. Therefore, take your time, source authentic data for the graphics, and always strive to deliver great graphics. You can have a look at Adobe Photoshop CC and its alternatives to get a taste of the available graphic design software.

How Can You Use These Statistics to Your Advantage?

There you have it, a compilation of key graphic design statistics you can't ignore. To recap briefly, the graphic design industry is poised for rapid growth. Clearly, graphic designers will always be needed as their skills carry the exceptional potential to drive different aspects of your business.

Even more, graphic design is crucially needed in web design, especially for ecommerce websites. Remember, a visually appealing website that features intriguing visuals renders a professional look to your brand. Ultimately, the professional look improves your brand's credibility, hence, building goodwill, loyalty, and trust.

Besides, graphic design boosts your marketing and brand messaging via visual communication. Particularly, it spurs your marketing strategy, giving it immense power to educate, inform, and even persuade your target audience. Most importantly, graphic design provides the platform your business needs to establish its footprints and communicate what it does to the general audience.

All these and many more benefits are achievable thanks, in part, to graphic design. Unfortunately, the benefits are not served on a silver platter. You will need to build a team of graphic designers who can think creatively and come up with authentic concepts. Above all, you'll need every designer to put their best foot forward and collaborate with colleagues more effectively. You can read our article on the best collaboration software you can use to manage your remote designing team.

References:

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019). Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
   OEWS OEWS Program Links. Retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019). Occupational Outlook Handbook: Graphic Designers. Retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. Carlson School of Management (n.d.). MIS Research Center. Retrieved from Carlson School of Management
4. CMO Council (2015). From Creativity to Content: The Role of Visual Media in Impactful Brand Storytelling. Retrieved from CMO Council
5. Eksposure (2020). 34 Graphic Design Statistics And Surprising Facts in 2021. Retrieved from Eksposure
6. Eksposure (2020). Graphic Design Pricing – How Much Do Designers Make?. Retrieved from Eksposure
7. Glassdoor (2021). Freelance Graphic Designer Salaries. Retrieved from Glassdoor
8. Graphicszoo (2020). Importance Of Graphic Design In Digital Marketing. Retrieved from Graphicszoo
9. IBISWorld (2020). Global Graphic Designers – Market Size 2003–2025. Retrieved from IBISWorld
10. IBISWorld (2020). Graphic Designers in the US – Market Size 2001–2026. Retrieved from IBISWorld
11. IBISWorld (2020). Graphic Designers Industry in the US – Market Research Report. Retrieved from IBISWorld
12. Joe Hallock (n.d.). Colour Assignment. Retrieved from Joe Hallock
13. Khoja, N. (2020). 14 Visual Content Marketing Statistics to Know for 2020 [Infographic]. Retrieved from Venngage
14. Kimbarovsky, A. (2017). 20 Statistics About Branding Every Entrepreneur and Marketer Should Know. Retrieved from Crowdspring
15. Kissmetrics (n.d.). How Colors Affect Conversions. Retrieved from Kissmetrics
16. Neil Patel (n.d.). How Do Colors Affect Purchases?. Retrieved from Neil Patel
17. Porter, J. (n.d.). The Button Color A/B Test: Red Beats Green. Retrieved from HubSpot
18. Red Website Design (2018). 20 Graphic Design Stats & Facts to Guide Your Marketing Strategy [Infographic]. Retrieved from Red Website Design
19. Stelzner, M. (2019). 2019 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Retrieved from Social Media Examiner
20. Visually (n.d.). Does Design Matter?. Retrieved from Visually
21. ZipRecruiter (2021). How Much Do Graphic Designer Jobs Pay per Hour?. Retrieved from ZipRecruiter

By Allan Jay

Allan Jay is FinancesOnline's resident B2B expert with over a decade of experience in the SaaS space. He has worked with vendors primarily as a consultant in the UX analysis and design stages, lending to his reviews a strong user-centric angle. A management professional by training, he adds the business perspective to software development. He likes validating a product against workflows and business goals, two metrics, he believes, by which software is ultimately measured.

What Is New in Graphic Design 2015

Source: https://financesonline.com/graphic-design-statistics/

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