Confidence index
In April 2005, AIGA began conducting a quarterly survey of
design leaders to assemble an authoritative statement on the
current conditions within the design economy.
This Design Leaders Confidence Index is modeled on the
confidence indices developed by the Conference Board for private
sector corporate leaders.
Each quarter we obtain the answers to a few simple questions
from several hundred design leaders-the possible responses to the
following questions are: substantially better, moderately better,
same, moderately worse or substantially worse.
- How do you rate present business conditions for the economy as
a whole, as compared with six months ago?
- How do you rate present business conditions for design, as
compared with six months ago?
- In looking ahead six months as compared with today, do you
think business conditions for the economy as a whole will be:
- In appraising the prospects for design, do you think business
over the next six months, as compared with today, will be:
- Compared to [three months ago], are the chances of hiring
additional staff:
- Compared to [three months ago], are the chances of purchasing
additional hardware and software:
Over time, the responses enable AIGA to develop a confidence
index of conditions in the profession that will be helpful to
members and their colleagues in judging current conditions
nationwide. The index will also help us in advocating the interests
of the design community in Washington and with sponsors.
Most recent results
AIGA’s Design Leaders Confidence Index was unchanged for the first quarter of 2013, at 101.62 compared to the previous quarter’s 101.72. While the aggregate number is not statistically different, there is optimism in the details: responses to specific questions within the survey suggest confidence that both the
general economy and the design economy are improving.
Only 6.1 percent of respondents believe the economy as a whole has worsened in the past six months, with slightly more (6.7 percent) estimating that the design economy was worse in March than it had been in October. More than half of respondents (56 percent) believe the general economy has improved moderately or substantially, while 51.3 percent provided the same positive assessment of the demand for design.
Looking ahead, 59.8 percent of respondents believe the national
economy will improve moderately or substantially over the next six months; only
2.8 percent feared it would worsen. As for design, nearly as many felt the
demand for design services would also improve by October (55.6 percent). Only
3.4 percent thought it would worsen, and then only moderately.
In terms of hiring and growth, those professing the same or an increased likelihood of hiring additional staff today (compared with three months ago) is nearly universal at 88.8 percent. Roughly 93 percent believe their likelihood of investing in hardware and software is also the same or better.