Graphic Design Services NAICS 541430

May 19, 2025 - Employment Down, Wages Up

• Employment in the graphic design industry fell in March 2025 while wages increased, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicating that there is still high demand for talent in an industry grappling with transformative AI technology. Employment was down 5.6% while average wages for non-supervisory employees rose 5.3% to $43.08 per hour. With generative AI increasingly taking over many of the mundane tasks of graphic design, industry leaders acknowledge that it lacks effectiveness when it comes to tasks requiring creative-thinking skills. The World Economic forum lists graphic design as one of the world’s fastest declining jobs, but those numbers mask a shift in demand to other aspects of design work such as usability and interface design rather than a wholesale drop in the need for human designers. Such jobs require more technically-inclined - i.e. higher paid - talent.
• A recent survey by recruiting firm Robert Half highlights the hiring and compensation trends of creative professionals. About 43% of creative managers say applicants are more likely to negotiate compensation today than a year earlier. Nearly half (45%) of creative managers expect continued challenges meeting job seekers’ salary expectations. The positions most likely to command salary increases include graphic design, creative development and art direction, UX and UI design, and content strategy. Artificial intelligence (AI) is also impacting hiring trends. Nearly 70% of marketing and creative managers report that AI and automation have altered the types of skill sets required of new hires.

• A recent Creative Boom article highlighted what some graphic design industry insiders believe will be the top industry trends in 2025. Adoption of AI topped the list as some design professionals expect AI to move from a behind-the-scenes ideation aid for processes and sketches to an execution tool that can generate brand assets in real-time. As AI proliferates, some industry observers believe demand for more human-created, in-real-life (IRL) brand experiences will emerge in response to it. The trend of more physical displays is expected to be strongest in the retail sector as brands try to connect via IRL experiences. Digital saturation and mass production are also projected to inspire more craft-focused and heritage design as consumers demand more personalization and handmade items.
• The graphic design services industry is expected to see sales growth weaken in 2025 after revenue softened significantly in 2024. The industry’s year-over-year sales growth declined to 6.2% in 2023 after posting 13.2% growth in 2022, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. Graphic design sales growth is estimated to have slowed further to 3.8% in 2024 and is projected moderate to 3.6% in 2025, then grow by an average annual rate of about 4.5% through 2028, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.