To find out how creative professionals really feel about their jobs, companies and career prospects, The Creative Group partnered with AIGA, the professional association for design, to conduct a survey of more than 1,000 industry practitioners. Get a look at highlights and key takeaways from the research.

1. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
THE CREATIVE WORKPLACE

2. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
We surveyed more than 1,000
creative professionals to find out
how they really feel about their
careers and companies.
Here’swhat they
shared …
2

3. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Open-concept office: 31%
Individual workstation or cubicle: 30%
Private office: 17%
Shared office: 14%
Home office: 7%
Coworker space: 1%
STICKING TO TRADITION
Creative professionals generally conform to the norm in terms of when and where they work.
On average, creative professionals
complete 89% of their work during
normal business hours (9 a.m. to
5 p.m.).
In what type of office space do you most often work?
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4. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
In-person meetings: 49%
Team chat and instant messaging: 25%
Email: 17%
Phone calls: 4%
Video conferencing: 4%
Internal social network: 1%
TORN OVER THE BEST WAY TO WORK
Creative professionals want to work remotely more often yet feel in-person interactions are best.
While 30% of creative professionals
prefer to always go into the office,
69% wish they could work from home
or another non-company site more
frequently than they currently do.
36% of creative professionals said
their company doesn’t allow
employees to work remotely.
What is the most effective method for
communicating with your teammates?
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5. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
TURNING TO FREELANCERS
37% of creative teams will rely more heavily on freelancers in the next three years.
Top reasons creative teams
hire freelancers:
1. To help with heavy workloads (46%)
2. To access skills that don’t exist internally (23%)
3. To gain cost efficiencies (8%)
Top areas for hiring freelancers:*
*Multiple responses were permitted. Top responses are shown.
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1. Graphic and web design (51%)
2. Video production and photography (44%)
3. Production design (23%)
4. Interactive and multimedia design (21%)
5. User experience research and design (17%)

6. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE
Will new technology create more
or less demand for your skills in
the next three years?
How challenging do you think it will
be to keep your skills up to date as
you advance in your career?
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Much more: 11%
Somewhat more: 34%
No change: 40%
Somewhat less: 11%
Much less: 4%
Very challenging: 21%
Somewhat challenging: 67%
Not challenging: 12%
Creative professionals think technology will generate greater employment opportunities,
but staying marketable will be a challenge.

7. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SEEKING SKILLS TRAINING
Creative professionals aspire to acquire new skills, but many aren’t getting enough support
from their employer.
Top technical skills creative
professionals would like to develop:
1. Web and user experience design (24%)
2. Content creation and content marketing (8%)
3. Data visualization (8%)
4. Video production (8%)
5. User interface design (7%)
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45% of creative professionals said their
company is slow to adopt new technology
and 70 % rate their company’s efforts to
prepare employees for new technology
adoption fair or poor.

8. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SEEKING SKILLS TRAINING
Creative professionals aspire to acquire new skills, but many aren’t getting enough support
from their employer.
How would you rate the training resources and opportunities your company provides to
help you develop your skills?
Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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Poor: 25%
Fair: 33%
Good: 30%
Excellent: 11%

9. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Creative professionals are more confident in their career prospects.
Are you more or less confident in your overall career prospects now compared to one year ago?
Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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Much more: 21%
Somewhat more: 40%
No change: 22%
Somewhat less: 10%
Much less: 6%

10. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Creative professionals are more inclined to explore their options.
How likely are you to look for a new job in
the next 12 months?
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Professionals who work in-house are more
likely to pursue a new opportunity than those
employed at agencies or who freelance.
Very likely: 35%
Somewhat likely: 25%
Somewhat unlikely: 16%
Very unlikely: 20%
Don’t know: 4%

11. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Top reasons creative professionals are considering a career move:
1. Limited opportunities for career growth (29%)
2. Unhappiness with management (16%)
3. Job boredom (13%)
4. Inadequate compensation and benefits (10%)
5. Excessive work (4%)
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12. © 2018 The Creative Group. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For hiring and retention advice,
visit creativegroup.com.