Design business growth on the rise, survey shows

The 2014 DBA Charge Out Rates and Salary Survey shows that 80 per cent of DBA member consultancies surveyed said their business was growing or stable.

This compares to last year’s figure of 73 per cent.

The report also shows that 76 per cent of consultancies anticipate a growth in income next year and 69 per cent intend to take on more staff to cope with demand.

While average pay rises of 1-3 per cent are expected across the industry, the report shows that many equity owners and statutory directors are likely to face a wage freeze as they move to keep a tight rein on costs.

Deborah Dawton, chief executive of the DBA, says ‘These figures demonstrate that after the lean years of the recession, business confidence is improving.’

She adds, ‘Investment in design has been demonstrated to be a strong signal of business confidence – effective design has been proven time and time again to be a key tool in securing competitive advantage and engaging consumers. We are delighted to see that our members are seeing this investment boosting their growth targets and staff numbers.’

The 2014 Charge out rates and salary levels written report will be sent exclusively to DBA members in October.

The latest edition of the Marketing Monitor survey, by accountant KingstonSmithW1, shows that design consultancy productivity is at its highest level for 18 months.

The report’s authors add, ‘Further opportunities to advance performance should present themselves with the general state of the economy improving and the appearance of some long awaited “green shoots”.’