Summary
Company Types and Sectors
- Startup and digital sectors lead (30.3% startups, 32.8% tech sector)
- Strong service sector presence (22.7% in agencies/consulting)
- Limited public sector representation (4.9%)
Financial services maintain significant design presence (14.8% combined) after tech sector, highlighting the importance of the 2 industry accounting for close to half of the design hires.
Agency sector holds a sizable market (22.7%) indicating a strong service-based design ecosystem around the region.
Design Team Structure
- Lean teams prevail with 81.9% under 10 people
- Small teams (2-10 people) dominate at 59.3%
- Solo designers represent 22.6% of respondents
- Large teams (50+) primarily in enterprises at 4.4%
Enterprise-level companies show most diverse team compositions, yet maintain predominantly lean structures even at scale.
Work Arrangements
- Traditional office setup remains dominant (60.1% at headquarters)
- Mixed work models emerging (39.2% fully onsite, 24.9% fully remote)
- 3-day office model leads hybrid arrangements (13.6%)
- Significant regional office presence (29.6%)
Nearly one-third of design teams operate from regional offices (29.6%), suggests strategic regional market expansion despite headquarters-centric operations.
Company Types
Commercially-driven design industry shape the industry landscape, with startups (30.3%) leading the way, hinting design being part of a strong appetite for innovation in Southeast Asia.
Key Statistics
- Startup dominance: 30.3%
- Agency/Consulting: 22.7%
- Large enterprise: 20.8%
- SMEs: 16.0%
- Public/Education sector: 4.9%
Notable
- Commercial sector dominance (89.8% combined)
- Limited public sector representation (3.7%)
- Strong presence of independent design services
Industry Sectors
.png%3Ftable%3Dblock%26id%3D1526c758-730e-8052-979b-cceacaafa5df%26cache%3Dv2?width=1500&optimizer=image)
Technology sector leads (32.8%), with financial industry emerging as a significant employer (14.8% combined financial services).
Key Statistics
- Technology & Telecommunications: 32.8%
- Financial Services (combined): 14.8%
- Consumer Products: 7.3%
- Essential Services (Healthcare/Education): 8.3%
- Traditional Industries: <1% each
Notable
- Clear digital transformation focus
- Strong fintech presence
- Limited traditional industry representation
- High "Other" category (18.1%) suggests diverse/emerging sectors
Design Team Structures
.png%3Ftable%3Dblock%26id%3D1526c758-730e-8039-8f05-dd9c99a6b46b%26cache%3Dv2?width=1500&optimizer=image)
Southeast Asian companies favour lean design teams regardless of company size, with 81.9% maintaining teams under 10 people.
Key Statistics
- Small teams (2-10 people): 59.3%
- Solo designers: 22.6%
- Mid-size teams (11-50): 13.7%
- Large teams (>50): 4.4%
Notable
Small team dominance
- Highest concentration in 2-10 person design teams (59.3% total)
- Peak in mid-sized companies (51-200 employees) with 18.3%
- Common in smaller companies (11-50) at 17.8%
Solo designers
- Notable presence in small companies (1-10: 5.7%, 11-50: 8.8%)
- Decreases as company size increases
- Rare in large enterprises (>1000 employees: ~2%)
Larger design teams
- Teams of 11-50 most common in companies of 201-1000 (3.7%)
- Large teams (>50) primarily in enterprises (>1000 employees)
- Very large teams (>100) rare, only 2.3% total
Interesting patterns
- Small companies (1-10) maintain diverse team sizes
- Mid-sized companies prefer 2-10 person teams
- Enterprise-level companies (>10,000) show most varied team sizes
- Sweet spot appears to be 2-10 designers across most company sizes
Headquarters vs Regional Structure
.png%3Ftable%3Dblock%26id%3D1526c758-730e-8028-a663-ecb684402dd7%26cache%3Dv2?width=1500&optimizer=image)
Centralised structure in HQ still dominant in Southeast Asian design industry, while more than a quarter have regional presence with design teams.
Notable
- Majority (60.1%) work at company headquarters
- Significant portion (29.6%) in satellite/regional offices
- 10.4% "Not applicable" likely freelancers/consultants
Work Arrangements
.png%3Ftable%3Dblock%26id%3D1526c758-730e-8005-b0f4-d95d64021936%26cache%3Dv2?width=1500&optimizer=image)
The 3-day office models (13.6%) is the preferred hybrid arrangement, whilst fully in-office remains the most popular (39.2%). Overall, the market lean towards a flexible model with around 60% opted for some capacity of remote work.
Key Statistics
Traditional vs Remote
- Fully onsite: 39.2%
- Hybrid arrangements: 36.0%
- Fully remote: 24.9%
Hybrid variations
- 3 days onsite: 13.6%
- 2 days onsite: 9.1%
- 4 days onsite: 8.8%
- 1 day onsite: 4.5%
Notable
- Clear polarisation between fully remote or fully on-site
- 3-day office model emerging as preferred hybrid arrangement
- Limited adoption of minimal office presence (1-day) model
🎙️ Commentary
How design teams are structured in companies suggest
- Most design teams (81.9%) are small, with fewer than 10 people - this might reflect both planned choices and budget cuts
- Most designers (60.9%) prefer working remotely or in a mix of home and office, though some companies are pushing for office return to save costs
- Digital companies make up most of our data (63.1%), but we're seeing new ways of working, like part-time design leaders and design agencies offering subscription services
- Many companies (29.6%) work across different countries, showing both growth and a way to manage costs through remote hiring
What This Means For You
If you're a designer:
- How do you balance being a generalist while keeping your specialist skills sharp?
- Could you benefit from new work models, like being a part-time design leader for multiple companies?
If you're leading a team:
- Check if doing more with less is sustainable - what might suffer?
- How can you keep your team working well together when some are at home and others in the office?
If you're running an organisation:
- Are you measuring how smaller teams affect design quality and business results?
- What really drives your decisions about office work - is it what employees want, costs, or office space?
Questions Worth Exploring
- Will design teams grow larger like they have in Western countries?
- How will part-time leadership and subscription services change traditional jobs?
- What happens when designers become generalists instead of specialists?
- Who should make sure hybrid work actually works - design teams or someone else?
Additional reading and references
Jump to
Overview
DemographicsRoles and ExperiencesCompensationCompanySentiments and Perceptions
Offer and NegotiationCareer ProgressionValue of DesignJob Market and OpportunitiesSupport this community initiative
Help grow our impact:
- Share this report with your networks and tag us at #DesignPayAsia
- Share your story on social media using #DesignPayAsia
- Contribute to our open pay database, especially if you're based in Southeast Asia
- Take part in future research to strengthen our understanding of the regional design industry
Your input helps create transparency and enables better career decisions for designers across the region.
