Mobile Menu

Specialised Design Services in Australia - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

Ryan Tan Ryan Tan Melbourne, Australia Last Updated: October 2024 ANZSIC M6924

Revenue

$5.4bn

2024-25

$5.4bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$XXX.Xm

Employees

40,192

Businesses

16,738

Wages

$X.Xbn

Specialised Design Services in Australia industry analysis

Design firms and freelance designers have depended on advertising companies' and other companies' internal marketing departments to outsource visual design work. Over the past few years, in-house design teams have flattened industry revenue, especially as design templates and computer design software become more widespread and easier to use. The falling popularity of home renovations has stunted demand for interior design services. Falling dwelling commencements and volatile discretionary incomes have reduced demand for interior design services in recent years. Overall, industry revenue is expected to plunge at an annualised 4.8% over the five years through 2024-25 to $5.4 billion. This trend includes an estimated 3.0% fall in the current year, as design firms have been slow to bounce back.

Trends and Insights

  • Freelance marketplaces have significantly impacted the industry. While they have helped smaller designers establish a more robust presence, they also put designers in direct competition with global talent, as clients can easily outsource work to designers outside of Australia.
  • The increasingly competitive manufacturing industry is pushing demand for specialised design services. Manufacturers use design in product packaging, development and advertising to differentiate from competitors and appeal to a broader consumer audience.
  • Australia's two largest states, New South Wales and Victoria, are both overrepresented compared with their respective populations. Most of the nation's largest newspapers and magazines publishers are located in New South Wales, feeding into its dominance.
  • Designers strive to offer high-quality, timely services at competitive prices. Designers with a strong reputation, technical expertise and the ability to offer various services get to the front of the pack.

Access hundreds of analysis and data

  • Market estimates from 2014-2029
  • Critical performance data and rankings
  • Detailed analysis of competitive forces and the external environment
  • PDF report or online database with Word, Excel and PowerPoint export options
  • 100% money back guarantee

Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 4.8 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $5.4bn in 2024.

Trends and Insights

The surge of freelance marketplaces is a double-edged sword for service providers

  • Technological advancements and the proliferation of the gig economy in Australia have contributed to the growing usage of platforms like Fiverr, facilitating industry expansion as smaller designers enjoy a more well-established presence and can easily expand their reach.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Specialised Design Services in Australia
Revenue (2014-2029)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Designers will fight to stave off competition from artificial intelligence

  • Client businesses working in-house and advertising agencies will compete aggressively to secure consumer business as the economy globalises.

Biggest companies in the Specialised Design Services in Australia

Company
Market Share (%)
2025
Revenue ($short_0)
2025

There are no companies that hold a large enough market share in the Specialised Design Services in Australia industry for IBISWorld to include in this product.

Products & Services Segmentation

Specialised Design Services in Australia
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Graphic design services, Signwriting services and Interior design services. Graphic design services is the largest segment of the Specialised Design Services in Australia.

Trends and Insights

Graphic design services are battling to hold onto clients as software developments heighten competition

  • Graphic design services involve designing and producing images for clients.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

Service providers plan, design and manage the production of printed materials, digital content, packaging, signage systems and branding. The industry includes graphic designers who exclusively generate drawings and illustrations that require technical accuracy or interpretative skills.

What's included in this industry?

Graphic design servicesSignwriting servicesInterior design servicesJewellery, textile and web-based design services

Companies

Purchase this report to view all major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

BRANDINGCROWDSOURCINGFREELANCE MARKETPLACE

Industry Code

ANZSIC 2006

ANZSIC 6924 - Specialised Design Services in Australia

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

Freelance marketplaces have significantly impacted the industry. While they have helped smaller designers establish a more robust presence, they also put designers in direct ...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

The increasingly competitive manufacturing industry is pushing demand for specialised design services. Manufacturers use design in product packaging, development and advertis...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

Australia's two largest states, New South Wales and Victoria, are both overrepresented compared with their respective populations. Most of the nation's largest newspapers and...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across Asia Pacific, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Designers strive to offer high-quality, timely services at competitive prices. Designers with a strong reputation, technical expertise and the ability to offer various servic...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

The industry exhibits a high degree of fragmentation. Sole-proprietors find it easy to start-up their businesses given the lack of barriers to entry. Larger design service pr...

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2020 through 2024
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2024

Detailed analysis

    External Environment

    Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

    Analyst insights

    Graphic designers can be in high demand when the advertising industry expands. Design is an integral part of the marketing and advertising strategies that fuel advertisements...

    In this chapter

    • External Drivers
    • Regulation & Policy
    • Assistance

    Key metrics

    • Regulation & policy level and trend
    • Assistance level and trend

    Charts

    • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 
    • Assistance historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 

    Detailed analysis

    • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
    • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
    • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

    Financial Benchmarks

    View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

    Analyst insights

    The industry is labour-intensive and characterised by many small-scale design firms. Wage costs as a share of revenue have skyrocketed in the face of labour shortages and the...

    In this chapter

    • Cost Structure
    • Financial Ratios
    • Key Ratios

    Key metrics

    • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
    • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
    • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
    • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

    Charts

    • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
    • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
    • Investment vs. share of economy

    Data tables

    • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
    • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
    • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
    • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
    • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
    • Average Wage (2014-2029)
    • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
    • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
    • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
    • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
    • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

    Detailed analysis

    • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

    Key Statistics

    Industry Data

    Data Tables

    Including values and annual change:

    • Revenue (2014-2029)
    • IVA (2014-2029)
    • Establishments (2014-2029)
    • Enterprises (2014-2029)
    • Employment (2014-2029)
    • Exports (2014-2029)
    • Imports (2014-2029)
    • Wages (2014-2029)

    Top Questions Answered

    Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

    What is the market size of the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia in 2024?

    The market size of the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia is $5.4bn in 2024.

    How many businesses are there in the Specialised Design Services in Australia industry in 2024?

    There are 16,738 businesses in the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia, which has grown at a CAGR of 1.4 % between 2019 and 2024.

    Has the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia grown or declined over the past 5 years?

    The market size of the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia has been declining at a CAGR of 4.8 % between 2019 and 2024.

    What is the forecast growth of the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia over the next 5 years?

    Over the next five years, the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia is expected to grow.

    What does the Specialised Design Services in Australia include?

    Graphic design services and Signwriting services are part of the Specialised Design Services industry.

    How competitive is the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia?

    The level of competition is high and increasing in the Specialised Design Services industry in Australia.

    Related Industries

    Widen your competitive advantage with related industries

    Competitors

    • There are no industries to display.

    Complementors

    • Architectural Services in Australia
    • Engineering Consulting in Australia
    • Computer System Design Services in Australia
    • Public Relations Services in Australia
    • Advertising Agencies in Australia

    International industries

    • Global Architectural Services
    • Global Graphic Designers
    • Interior Designers in the US
    • Industrial Designers in the US
    • Graphic Designers in the US

    View all industries in Australia

    Methodology

    How are IBISWorld reports created?

    IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

    Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

    IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

    What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

    Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

    Key data sources in Australia include:

    • Australian Bureau of Statistics
    • Australian Taxation Office
    • Australian Securities & Investments Commission

    Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

    These sources include:

    • Industry and trade associations
    • Industry federations or regulators
    • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

    Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

    How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

    IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

    IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

    Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.