20 Insightful Digital Design Stats You Must Know

Here are some proven statistics and facts behind good digital design that will help you create more effective graphical assets for your business.

Great design is usually backed by data: whether it’s the exact demographics of your target audience or the statistics behind how people react to visual content.

Your marketing strategy should be based on market insights and the data you collect in the course of your own research. However, if you also want to know some general insights into the best practices of design and the state of the industry, we’ve collected some of the most useful statistics.

We’ve split them into industry data and specific design trends to note in 2021.

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Graphic design industry data

Let’s start with some general industry data that will help you understand that design is very important for business success, as well as where you might find a designer to work with.

The graphic design industry is growing (ibis World)

In 2021, the graphic design industry was valued at $45.8 billion, with an impressive growth of 4.1% this year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this industry employed around 254,000 people.

90% of graphic designers work as freelancers (ibis World)

Paying a full-time employee can be costly and requires a lot of administrative work. That’s why many businesses are switching to working with freelancers, since this gives you the flexibility to get the best skills for each type of graphic design job.

However, if you want this kind of flexibility without billable hours piling up, be sure to check our unlimited graphic design service and get instant access to tons of qualified freelancers for a flat monthly salary!

Human brain process visual data 60,000 times faster (MIS)

With an average attention span of about 8 seconds, you really can’t afford to lose time online. Since visual data is processed at a staggeringly larger speed, visuals are definitely the best way to communicate with digital audiences.

94% of first impressions are design-related (Research Gate)

You can come up with as many catchy slogans as you like, if your design is poor, people will likely turn away from your business. Some of the factors that are considered as bad design are busy layouts, small fonts, boring design and use of color.

73% of businesses invest in design to stand out from the competition (Adobe)

Since design can make such a powerful first impression, it’s no surprise most businesses also see design as the best tactic for beating the competition. In other words, if you want to have a fighting chance competing with dozens of similar websites, brands and marketing assets, your design needs to be on point.

Web design statistics

Website design is one of the most important aspects of your design and marketing strategies. In most cases, it’s where potential clients will look for information about your business and decide whether they want to purchase from you or not. Good design can make or break such decisions and here are a few stats to prove it.

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55% of global website traffic comes from mobile devices (Statista)

With over half of the world’s population browsing on their phones and other portable gadgets, you really can’t afford not to optimize your website for mobile devices.

Moreover, close to 54% of all retail ecommerce is expected to come from mobile devices by the end of 2021. If you’re using a website builder to create your site, usually these will include a mobile-friendly version as well. However, you might also consider creating an app, should you want to provide a custom mobile experience for your clients.  

Images and color are the most important visual elements of a website (Top Design Firms)

Research found that most people (40%) find images and color (39%) to be the elements people notice the most in web design. Although videos can make your site more interesting, be sure to focus on these key elements first in order to create a coherent brand image and create a sense of professionalism and trust.

87% of designers believe crowded design is the most common design mistake (GoodFirms)

Non-designers are often inclined to fill every possible inch of space with content. But remember, white space helps improve user experience, as it allows visitors to focus on the important points. If you’re unsure about whether your UX/UI is on point, a good rule of thumb is to keep it as simple as possible.

There’s no right type of color scheme (Top Design Firms)

When it comes to choosing a color palette, consumers seem to be split: 26% of them prefer a primary color scheme, 21% would go for complementary colors and 20% analogous.

Bearing this in mind, you can see how it’s most important to stick to your brand guidelines and instead of appealing to a certain trend, just make sure your website is uniquely yours.

85% of online shoppers say pictures and product information are important (Google/Ipsos)

It probably comes as no surprise that most people who shop online want to have a clear idea of the product they’re about to purchase. If you run an online store, you must include high-quality product shots (of course make sure they’re optimized for the web so as not to slow down loading time), as well as appropriate copy that covers the products’ key features.

Logo design facts

Here are some notable facts on other key graphic designs such as logos and social media graphics.

60% of customers avoid companies with unattractive logos (Study Finds)

You might think that non-designers don’t think much about logo design, but a recent survey shows that 78% of consumers think logos are works of art! Moreover, well over half of them admit to avoiding companies with unappealing logos, even if presented with positive reviews. So a visually appealing logo is absolutely essential for attracting clients and establishing a connection between them and your brand.

33% of the top brands use blue in their logos (Design Buddy)

According to common color psychology findings, blue is said to inspire a sense of calm and trust with people. That’s why it’s no surprise it’s one of the most common logo colors, and one most often used by top-performing brands, such as Visa, Samsung, IBM and more.

Colored logos have an 80% higher chance of increasing brand recognition (Ragan)

Some brands such as iconic fashion logos are famous for their elegant monochromatic wordmarks. However, as a small business struggling to get noticed in a sea of competitors, you’re probably better off choosing a logo with a splash of color.

Of course, you should always make the final decision based on market research and your own brand strategy, but as a rule of thumb, colored logos will likely gain more attention.

95% of brands use up to two colors for their logo (iMeet Central)

So while color can help your brand recognition, it’s also important not to overdo it. Very colorful and busy designs will fail to create a cohesive brand image, which is why an overwhelming majority of brands use just one or two colors in their logo design.

47% of logos have all caps letters (Website Planet)

Looking at Fortune 500 logos, all caps lettering is definitely most popular with close to a half of the share. The next one is title case with 33%, followed by combination (12%) and lowercase (7%).

Although it makes sense that uppercase letters demand attention, as a small business, you also need to think about what makes sense for your brand identity. If you’re a young, modern startup, then a lowercase logo might give you that edgy, approachable look that fits well.

Visual content in digital marketing

From social media to content marketing, visuals play a critical role in the realm of digital marketing. Here are just a few numbers to convince you that investing in quality visuals will greatly improve your digital marketing game.

64% of marketers say visual content is essential (Venngage)

An overwhelming majority of marketers understands that design plays a pivotal role in any marketing strategy. 64% of them claimed visuals to be very important or essential for their marketing efforts, while only about 21% said visuals are somewhat or not at all important.

Original graphics are used most frequently (Venngage)

While it’s a close call between original graphics (32.5%) and stock photo (29.5%), it’s clear that an increasing number of digital marketers are recognizing the importance of creating visuals that are custom and original, since a majority of them (40%) also claimed that it was custom graphics that mostly helped them achieve their marketing goals.

65% of B2B marketers are using infographics (Content Marketing Institute)

Infographics are a great way to break down complex data and processes in an accessible and understandable way. And according to this Content Marketing Institute study, most B2B businesses are aware of the benefits of this type of visual asset. On a more general level, infographics are the most shared type of content and can help increase web traffic by 12%.

80% of marketers use visuals in social media marketing (Social Media Examiner)

If you’ve had a hunch that design is especially important in SMM, you’re right! On Facebook, still the biggest social media channel, graphics receive 105% more engagement than links alone, and generally, posts with photos receive 2.3 times more engagement. Even a text-dominated platform like Twitter has proven this point, as tweets with images have a 35% boost in retweets.

People are twice as likely to share video content over any other type of content (Wyzowl)

Video content can be time-consuming and costly to produce but it can definitely yield good results     when it comes to engagement with your brand. Moreover, close to 70% of this survey’s respondents said they’d prefer to watch a short video to learn about a product or service, and an impressive 96% have watched such a video.