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Graphic Designers in Canada - Market Research Report (2015-2030)

Brendan McErlaine Brendan McErlaine New York, United States Last Updated: July 2025 NAICS 54143CA

Revenue

$1.8bn

2025

$1.8bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$XXX.Xm

Employees

20,206

Businesses

11,284

Wages

$XXX.Xm

Graphic Designers in Canada industry analysis

Demand for Canadian graphic designers’ services has been impacted by various factors in recent years. Shifting economic conditions have significantly bolstered revenue volatility for providers, whose fortunes are closely tied to advertising expenditure and corporate profit. COVID-19 led to a steep drop in demand in 2020, as advertising budgets and business income were negatively affected. Although there was a rebound in 2021 due to relaxed restrictions, lingering economic uncertainty curbed a more robust recovery. In 2022, high inflation prompted spending cuts on discretionary services like graphic design, causing another substantial revenue drop. As inflation eased in 2023, spending and demand rebounded, but recessionary fears caused by rising interest rates in 2023 and 2024 pressured clients to further reduce spending, leading to a moderate drop in demand in 2024.

Trends and Insights

  • Canadian graphic designers have experienced heightened revenue volatility because of swings in advertising spending and corporate profit. When the economy and ad budgets dip, these designers' incomes can plummet, but rebounds are possible as conditions improve, making stability a challenge in the industry.
  • An expanding online world means businesses increasingly need sleek, user-friendly websites, boosting demand for digital design expertise. The digital shift accelerated by the pandemic has given this service segment a steady upward trajectory in recent years.
  • Ontario’s massive population and dense network of ad agencies create high demand for graphic designers, boosting both job prospects and revenue. However, slow population growth and unaffordable housing threaten the province's dominance and future expansion.
  • Graphic designers face significant internal competition. Moderate barriers to entry and the prevalence of freelance graphic designers exacerbated competition for graphic design services, with companies prioritizing cost-efficiency.
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2015-2030)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 0.4 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $1.8bn in 2025.

Trends and Insights

Shifting economic conditions have substantially enhanced volatility for Canadian graphic designers

  • Graphic designers are heavily reliant on advertising expenditures to ensure demand for their services remains steady, since various clients typically seek the industry's services when engaging in various advertising campaigns. Additionally, high corporate profit enables businesses to spend more heavily on graphic design services, which also benefits the industry. In recent years, fluctuations in these drivers have enhanced revenue volatility for Canadian graphic designers.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Graphic Designers in Canada
Revenue (2015-2030)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2025-2030)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Steady economic growth will boost long-term demand for graphic designers

  • Despite recent challenges related to recessionary fears, Canada's GDP is anticipated to rise steadily over the next five years due to higher productivity and the lack of any substantial economic disruptions. This will bolster corporate profit for many companies throughout Canada, giving them more expenditure to invest in graphic design services, which will ultimately raise revenue for the industry.

Biggest companies in the Graphic Designers in Canada

Company
Market Share (%)
2025
Revenue ($short_0)
2025
Profit ($short_0)
2025
Profit Margin (%)
2025

There are no companies that hold a large enough market share in the Graphic Designers in Canada industry for IBISWorld to include in this product.

Products & Services Segmentation

Graphic Designers in Canada
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Printing services , Corporate and organization image design and Advertising and promotional design . Printing services is the largest segment of the Graphic Designers in Canada.

Trends and Insights

The growth of new businesses bolsters corporate and organizational image design services

  • Corporate and organization image design services involve assisting corporations and organizations with building consumer brand recognition through areas such as logo development, trademarks and stationery sets such as business cards and letterheads. This is the largest product segment, comprising more than one-quarter of revenue.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

This industry plans, designs and manages the production of visual communication to convey specific messages, clarify complex information or project visual identities. Services include design for printed materials, sales displays, packaging and corporate identification.

What's included in this industry?

Products and services covered in the Graphic Designers industry in Canada include Printing services, Corporate and organization image design, Advertising and promotional design , Publication design, Commercial illustration design, Website and internet presence design and Photography services.

Companies

Companies covered in the Graphic Designers industry in Canada include .

Purchase this report to view all major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

Related terms covered in the Graphic Designers industry in Canada include freelancer, in-house and printed media.

Industry Code

NAICS 2007

NAICS 541430 - Graphic Designers in Canada

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

Canadian graphic designers have experienced heightened revenue volatility because of swings in advertising spending and corporate profit. When the economy and ad budgets dip,...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Employees, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Businesses, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Profit, including historical (2015-2025)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

An expanding online world means businesses increasingly need sleek, user-friendly websites, boosting demand for digital design expertise. The digital shift accelerated by the...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2025
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2025
  • Major market segmentation in 2025

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

Ontario’s massive population and dense network of ad agencies create high demand for graphic designers, boosting both job prospects and revenue. However, slow population grow...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each province
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2025

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each province in 2025
  • Number and share of revenue each province accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of wages each province accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of employees in each province in 2025

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across North America, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Graphic designers face significant internal competition. Moderate barriers to entry and the prevalence of freelance graphic designers exacerbated competition for graphic desi...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2020-2025
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

Graphic designers endure low concentration due to the proliferation of small, independent designers. A diverse array of demand niches enable a fragmented market with little d...

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2021 through 2025
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2025

Detailed analysis

    External Environment

    Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

    Analyst insights

    Government programs like the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) provide a crucial financial lifeline to graphic designers during tough economic times. Covering up to 75.0...

    In this chapter

    • External Drivers
    • Regulation & Policy
    • Assistance

    Key metrics

    • Regulation & policy level and trend
    • Assistance level and trend

    Charts

    • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 
    • Assistance historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 

    Detailed analysis

    • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
    • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
    • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

    Financial Benchmarks

    View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

    Analyst insights

    Wages are the biggest expense for Canadian graphic designers, but average pay remains modest. Despite the emphasis on technical skills and specialized software, most designer...

    In this chapter

    • Cost Structure
    • Financial Ratios
    • Key Ratios

    Key metrics

    • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
    • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
    • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
    • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

    Charts

    • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
    • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
    • Investment vs. share of economy

    Data tables

    • Liquidity Ratios (2018-2023)
    • Coverage Ratios (2018-2023)
    • Leverage Ratios  (2018-2023)
    • Operating Ratios (2018-2023)
    • Assets (2018-2023)
    • Liabilities (2018-2023)
    • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2015-2030)
    • Revenue per Employee (2015-2030)
    • Revenue per Enterprise (2015-2030)
    • Employees per Establishment (2015-2030)
    • Employees per Enterprise (2015-2030)
    • Average Wage (2015-2030)
    • Wages/Revenue (2015-2030)
    • Establishments per Enterprise (2015-2030)
    • IVA/Revenue (2015-2030)
    • Imports/Demand (2015-2030)
    • Exports/Revenue (2015-2030)

    Detailed analysis

    • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

    Key Statistics

    Industry Data

    Data Tables

    Including values and annual change:

    • Revenue (2015-2030)
    • IVA (2015-2030)
    • Establishments (2015-2030)
    • Enterprises (2015-2030)
    • Employment (2015-2030)
    • Exports (2015-2030)
    • Imports (2015-2030)
    • Wages (2015-2030)

    Top Questions Answered

    Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

    What is the market size of the Graphic Designers industry in Canada in 2025?

    The market size of the Graphic Designers industry in Canada is $1.8bn in 2025.

    How many businesses are there in the Graphic Designers industry in Canada in 2025?

    There are 11,284 businesses in the Graphic Designers industry in Canada, which has grown at a CAGR of 3.5 % between 2020 and 2025.

    How may import tariffs affect the Graphic Designers industry in Canada?

    The Graphic Designers industry in Canada is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

    How may export tariffs affect the Graphic Designers industry in Canada?

    The Graphic Designers industry in Canada is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

    Has the Graphic Designers industry in Canada grown or declined over the past 5 years?

    The market size of the Graphic Designers industry in Canada has been growing at a CAGR of 0.4 % between 2020 and 2025.

    What is the forecast growth of the Graphic Designers industry in Canada over the next 5 years?

    Over the next five years, the Graphic Designers industry in Canada is expected to grow.

    What does the Graphic Designers industry in Canada include?

    Printing services and Corporate and organization image design are part of the Graphic Designers industry in Canada.

    How competitive is the Graphic Designers industry in Canada?

    The level of competition is high and increasing in the Graphic Designers industry in Canada.

    Methodology

    How are IBISWorld reports created?

    IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

    Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

    IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

    What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

    Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

    Key data sources in Canada include:

    • Statistics Canada
    • Industry Canada
    • Canadian Business Patterns

    Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

    These sources include:

    • Industry and trade associations
    • Industry federations or regulators
    • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

    Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

    How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

    IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

    IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

    Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.

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