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The State of Design Careers 2026
Compensation, job market confidence, AI adoption, and how design's role is changing inside organizations.
What is your current role?
*
How many years of professional design experience do you have?
*
What is your current employment status?
*
What is your current employment status?
A
Employed full-time
B
Employed part-time
C
Contract / freelance / independent
D
Actively job searching
E
Casually exploring opportunities
F
Taking a career break
G
Student / Transitioning into design
H
Unemployed and looking
I
Unemployed and not currently looking
What industry is your organization primarily in?
*
What industry is your organization primarily in?
A
Technology / SaaS
B
Financial services / fintech
C
Healthcare
D
Retail / e-commerce
E
Media / entertainment
F
Education
G
Government / public sector
H
Agency / consultancy
I
Nonprofit
J
Other
K
Not applicable
What is the size of your organization?
*
What is the size of your organization?
A
1
B
2–10
C
11–50
D
51–200
E
201–1,000
F
1,001–5,000
G
5,001–10,000
H
10,000+
I
Not applicable
Where are you primarily based?
*
What is your current work arrangement?
*
What is your current work arrangement?
A
Fully remote
B
Hybrid (1–2 days in office)
C
Hybrid (3–4 days in office)
D
Fully on-site
E
Not applicable
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