A current industry report by the Professional Association of Communication Designers (BDG) paints a bleak picture of the coming months. The third wave, according to the BDG’s evaluation, is also having a full impact on communication design.
One third of the participants in the survey, which was conducted for the eighth time since the beginning of the pandemic, believe that the crisis in the design industry will last at least until the end of this year. Just over a quarter (26 percent) even fear that the next few months will be more difficult than last year.
And many are struggling to survive: Every third designer has to cope with sales losses of 25 to 75 percent from 2020 — with no prospect of an improvement in the near future. On the contrary, experience shows that economic crises do not hit designers any less hard than other industries, only with a time delay.
This is the crisis in the design industry, which will have a much more massive impact. It will greatly change the design industry and probably also make it smaller. According to the BDG, the sluggish adjustment of assistance benefits for solo self-employed workers plays a not insignificant role in this.
From February 19 to March 19, the BDG conducted its industry monitoring on the economic consequences of the pandemic. This time, 146 communication designers* participated. The results further consolidate the picture that has already emerged in previous monitoring surveys. The bdg has published the detailed results of the survey (in German) on its website.
There is also a continuously updated overview of nationwide and state-specific assistance for designers (in German).
Graphic: Susanne Breitfeld / BDG