Design Isn’t Dead, It’s Becoming Accountable

The recently released Design Market Forecast 2026–2035 report made for very interesting reading. It says that the global design market, including services like graphic, industrial, and UX/UI design, was valued at approximately USD 66 billion in 2025 and is growing steadily, with projections of it reaching USD 98 billion by 2035.

So why is there a feeling of challenging conditions for jobs and agency stability in the design industry? The design market is growing, but much of that growth is being absorbed outside the traditional agency model. Job losses are occurring, particularly in design roles within larger organisations that are undergoing restructuring or cost reductions. Anecdotally, design grads are having a really hard time landing entry-level roles. I can see this in my work with the UX Tree Mentorship Program. It’s a very confusing and mixed picture with no clear outlook.

Design Has a Value Communication Problem

So why the shift? It is, of course, AI, but I get the feeling it’s more than just that. Is it that clients are not seeing the ROI in design? Sure, we are selling intuitive experiences, brands, and comprehensive design systems that create consistency, user satisfaction, and engineering efficiency, but that is all expected, it’s no longer a value proposition.

During the design and engineering gold rush that we witnessed during covid, clients were scrambling to up their game in terms of design quality and standards, but the post-pandemic AI world is very different, and design has to add measurable value and ROI. Clients’ perception of design value is changing. Designers often find beautiful solutions that don’t solve problems or at least they can’t articulate how they solve a problem and where it adds real value. If clients can’t see the value of design expertise, they will find cheaper ways of getting things done.

Clients increasingly view AI-generated content and design as “good enough” and are realising that on the odd occasion where “good enough” isn’t enough, they can then call in the experts. Agencies can bitch and moan as much as they like, but it’s not going to change the fact that the old agency model of being an external “creative resource” is fast becoming obsolete. For an agency to show real value, they need to be strategic partners that go beyond pixel pushing.

From User Satisfaction to Business Outcomes

Designers and design agencies have always had a difficult relationship with communicating value, it’s not something they teach us in art college. We have become complacent in how we articulate the benefits of what we do, and we assume that if a client wants something done, they must understand the value of doing it – a big mistake. This gives clients a good reason to opt for the ‘good enough’ approach and lean into AI – it still won’t articulate the value, but it costs almost nothing. AI devalues everything we do – its our job to articulate the value of not leaning too heavily on AI.

If design agencies want to keep clients – especially the ones who see AI as ‘good enough’ we need to become accountable for business outcomes, not just user satisfaction. Designers have to stop viewing themselves as the gate keepers of a brand or interface and start acting as strategic curators and facilitators. We need to identify business problems before they become crises. This shift isn’t something new, it was often seen as the gold standard but it’s quickly becoming essential for survival.

Stop Selling Usability, Start Selling ROI

We’re no-longer selling design; we’re selling return on investment. Executives don’t buy usability, they buy outcomes. If designers can’t link their work to revenue growth, cost reduction or risk mitigation using data, the work will be seen as discretionary, not strategic. Pushing back means replacing opinion with proof. If a design choice can’t be justified by user behaviour or performance data, it shouldn’t survive the conversation. Design expertise only has value if it is used to challenge bad ideas, not decorate them.

A Practical Model: Integrating UX and Performance

At Friday, we’ve found that separating User Experience from Performance Marketing creates blind spots. Design decisions only matter if they change behaviour, and marketing only works if the experience holds up. So we approach both as part of the same problem, understanding user intent, defining success metrics, and iterating based on real performance data. Over time, this has shifted our role from delivering discrete pieces of work to acting as long-term partners, helping clients connect experience, measurement and growth in a way that actually holds up under scrutiny.