Our 2025 Salary Report Is Here.

A first look at what's changed from 2024 to 2025.

The TwentyOne Twelve 2025 Salary and Sentiment Report is now live. Every year, we speak to studios and candidates across the UK to find out what's actually happening in the design industry. Not assumptions. Not projections. Real conversations about pay, priorities, and what people want from work.

This year's findings show some clear shifts. Here's what's changed since 2024.

Creatives Are Back in Demand

Last year, studios leaned heavily on technical and delivery roles. In 2025, that's flipped. Creative briefs are back, with renewed investment in brand, storytelling, and strategy. Studios that paused creative hiring in 2024 are building teams again, and competition for strong conceptual talent is rising.

Permanent Roles Are Becoming the Safer Bet

Freelancer day rates keep climbing, but client fees haven't followed. That gap is pushing studios to rely more on permanent hires to keep teams steady and margins healthy. It's a sharper version of what we saw in 2024, with studios now balancing freelance and permanent talent far more intentionally.

Salaries Have Lifted Across Almost Every Discipline

The rise in the National Minimum Wage has pushed up graduate and junior salaries, and that ripple has carried through to midweight and senior levels. We're seeing clear increases across interiors, branding, digital, strategy, and client services.

The full report breaks down every salary band, role, and day rate so studios can benchmark with accuracy.

Flexibility Is Now Non-Negotiable

Hybrid working has shifted from a preference to a dealbreaker. Even with great projects on the table, candidates are turning down roles that don't offer flexibility. Salary and hybrid now stand as the top two motivators when people consider a move.

A More Positive Market Outlook

There are still challenges around junior and very senior roles, but overall sentiment is more optimistic than it was a year ago. Respondents noted more flexibility across studios, stronger sustainable practices, and a healthy return of the creative work that dipped in previous years.

If you'd like the full breakdown, including salary tables, day rates, and market sentiment from designers and studios across the UK, get your copy here.

Creative Industry Trends 2025: What's Shaping London's Design Market.

The UK’s creative industry is booming, driven by exciting digital innovations and a surge in demand. From virtual reality to AI-powered design, companies are looking for skilled creative talent to lead the way and deliver standout work that captures the imagination of clients and consumers.  

Since February 2020, the UK’s creative sector has grown by an impressive 9% - far outpacing the broader economy’s 1.6% growth. It's an incredibly exciting time to ride this creative wave, whether you're a creative professional, a business owner, or a specialist in design recruitment! 

Let’s dive into some key stats and trends that highlight where the buzz is strongest and what it means for jobs.   

Rising Demand for Creative Professionals  

The UK’s design economy is booming, and nowhere is this growth more evident than in London. From Architecture and Interior Design to Graphic and Digital Design, the demand for creative professionals is soaring. Between 2010 and 2019, the design economy grew at twice the rate of the UK economy, and all signs point to this momentum accelerating in 2025.   

Our 2024 Market Review and Salary Report highlights rising hiring and salary trends across key fields like Interior Design, Digital Design, Architecture, and Client Services. London, the epicentre of the UK’s design economy, hosts nearly 30% of design jobs and a third of all design businesses. As Deloitte forecasts 4.3 million creative jobs by 2030, there’s no better time to be part of this vibrant and rapidly expanding sector. If you’re looking for opportunities in design, London is calling! 

Growing Competition for Creative Talent   

When you’re looking to hire someone for a design, digital or creative strategy role, you’re likely to find competition for good talent is rather tough. And the fact is, it’s not going to get easier in 2025. Whilst there is strong revenue growth evident for creative economy businesses, profitability is getting squeezed by increases in salaries and pay rates, as companies race to snap up skilled talent.  

The challenge for employers is to demonstrate why their business is a great place to work – by articulating their employee value proposition (EVP). Companies with strong EVPs will cover the essentials of attracting talent, like a competitive base salary. But it’s just as important to emphasise other factors that make your company an attractive place to work. Flexible work arrangements, for example, have become increasingly valued by candidates in recent years – and we see no sign of that desire abating! 

Creative professionals are also flocking to roles that offer autonomy and opportunities to work on inspiring projects and innovations. The most sought-after candidates want to work for companies that provide genuine career development and invest in their people for mutual growth. With that said, as an employer, you can differentiate by offering clear career growth paths and support for upskilling.  

Investing in training and development may become increasingly essential rather than optional for employers in the creative industries, as there are warning signs of a dwindling pool of fresh graduate talent. The number of students taking Design and Technology (D&T) at GCSE has halved over the last decade, indicating that fewer young people are gaining foundational skills in creative disciplines.  

AI Everywhere? 

Generative artificial intelligence is by far the biggest headline story in several industries, particularly creative fields like design and digital. From graphic design, and 2D design to video and coding, AI has upped the ante for creative work. Now, the challenge is to see who can do the most interesting stuff with it! 

Can we expect AI to replace many design jobs? Whilst it’s too early to make that call, we’ve seen numerous examples of gen AI lifting productivity for designers in multiple disciplines. Considering that the rate of AI adoption has at least doubled over the past five years, demand for designers shows no signs of slowing down.  

 In 2025, we could expect human skills and talent to come at an even higher premium, as AI use becomes increasingly mainstream. Professionals with a strong grounding in design disciplines will be highly sought after for their ability to combine creativity with strategic thinking.  

Sensory Experiences 

In 2025, we may firmly find ourselves in the realm of the senses, at least when it comes to design innovations. More interior design and architecture projects will involve creating multi-sensory spaces that blend digital and physical experiences. As Dentsu highlights, there’s a growing demand for immersive sensory activations, where elements like touch, sound, light, scent, and gesture converge to captivate audiences.  

Engaging senses all five senses requires design and creative professionals with a multi-disciplinary mindset, who can meld the digital with the experiential.  

Industries such as hospitality, retail, and cultural institutions are hunting for new ways to engage consumers with a multi-sensorial feast of sound, colour, light, touch and scent.  From hotels incorporating haptic feedback into guest rooms to museums designing exhibits with interactive light and sound, the emphasis is on creating environments that stimulate and inspire – and look amazing on social ! 

Nostalgia Vibes 

From the aesthetics of nostalgia (90’s fashion revival, music on vinyl, vintage cameras) to the growing desire to disconnect from digital technologies (at least once in a while), nostalgia will be a powerful force for creative professionals and consumers alike in 2025.  

For built environment professionals (interior designers, architects), nostalgia will inspire the creation of spaces that evoke the vibes and memories of a bygone era – whether it be brutalism or mid-century modernism.  

On the digital front, graphic designers will draw on forgotten visuals like the pixelated, DIY look of early MySpace pages or the grainy, low-res charm of flip phone photography. By remixing these tiny slices of history, brands can be sure to capture attention with a playful feel. 

The Rising Tide for Creative Recruiters 

With creative sectors set for a bumper year in 2025, people with a background in recruitment for creative sectors are going to see their boats lifted by the same tide. 

As the creative sectors continue to expand, recruiters with experience in or passion for these industries will be instrumental. After all, creative businesses need help in identifying the talent that brings these trends to life. If that sounds like your kind of thing, we’d love to chat with you about our internal opportunities. Please feel free to send us a message to introduce yourself and pop your CV over to us! 

Connect with the Creative Recruitment Specialists 

Ready to add a team member or two, or planning your next career move for 2025? Twenty One Twelve’s creative and design recruitment specialists can help you get sorted with a solution or role that’s right for you.  

Contact us today for support in growing your team or finding your next role.  We’d love to chat with you!