Different design disciplines In the year to March 1998, fees earned by design consultancies rose to £343 million on a turnover of £526 million, compared to £275 million on a turnover of £397 million the year before, an increase of nearly 25%, and the biggest year-on-year rise since the 1980s. Source: Design Week, 'Top 100 design groups', 27 March 1998 The number of product designers in the UK may have doubled in the past five years and this is likely to continue. This reflects a similar trend in the US where the number of industrial designers is estimated to have increased by 25% during the last year, by nearly 50% over the preceding five years, and is predicted to grow by as much as 84% to the end of 2000. Source: Design Week, 17 July 1998