How to Calculate ROI from Graphic Design Services

TLDR: Figuring out the ROI of your graphic design services will tell you if your investment is worth it. Using a subscription service like Penji to outsource work can save you up to 30% on costs and get things done faster.

Are you having trouble showing how much your graphic design spending is worth? You’re not the only one. It’s hard for many business owners, marketers, and agency leaders to figure out how their design investments are affecting their bottom line, which makes it hard to justify budgets.

The good news? It turns out that figuring out the ROI from graphic design is easier than you might think. You can clearly show how design affects results once you know the formula and the most important numbers.

This guide will show you how to figure out your return on investment (ROI) step by step, find the metrics that matter, and show you how to get the most out of your money by hiring an on-demand graphic design service. Let’s get started.

What does ROI mean in graphic design?

Return on Investment (ROI) is a way to see how much money you make compared to how much you spend. In graphic design, ROI helps you decide if spending money on logos, marketing materials, social media graphics, or website designs is worth it by looking at things like more sales, lower costs, better customer engagement, or more brand recognition.

The formula is simple to use:

ROI (%) = (Total Benefits – Total Costs) / Total Costs x 100

For example, spending $5,000 on design services that generate $15,000 in revenue gives you a 200% ROI.

A lot of people think design is just a “nice-to-have,” but research from the Design Management Institute shows that companies that focus on design make 228% more money than their competitors. This is a clear effect that should be noted.

If you know your return on investment (ROI), you can make smart choices about how to spend your money. Let’s find out why it matters.

Why Should You Measure ROI from Design Services?

It’s not just about the numbers when you track ROI from graphic design services. You also need to show your team, stakeholders, or clients how valuable design is.

This is why it matters:

• Makes sure that design fits with business goals. Measuring ROI links design directly to sales, conversions, or cost savings, making sure that your work has real effects.
• Gives your budget a reason. Do you need to get your CEO to put money into design? ROI data shows that your investment will make money, which is real proof.
• Makes it easier to make decisions. Should you hire a designer to work for you or use a subscription service? ROI helps you look at all your options and pick the one that costs the least.
• Finds out what works. Tracking ROI shows you which design projects have the biggest effect, so you can do the same thing again.

If you don’t measure ROI, you’re in the dark. You might be spending too much on designs that don’t work or not enough on designs that do. You can take back control by measuring ROI.

How Do You Calculate ROI for Graphic Design Services?

You can easily find out the ROI for graphic design service by following these four steps. Follow these steps to get results that are right and helpful.

Step 1: Make a List of your Design Goals

Before you start figuring things out, make sure you know what you want your design to do.

Are you trying to get more people to buy things from your site? Want more people to talk to you on social media? Want to get more people to know about your brand? You need different metrics for different goals.

Here are some common design goals and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that go with them:

• Earn more money: Keep an eye on sales, how many leads turn into customers, and the average order value.
• Lower your costs: Count how much time you saved, how much less you spent on printing, or how many fewer changes you had to make.
• Get more people to come to your site and take part.
• Surveys that ask people what they think of your brand, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), or feedback from customers.

When you have clear goals, it’s easier to tell how well you’re doing.You won’t know if your design investment is paying off without them. You can start figuring out costs now that you know what you want to do.

Step 2: Figure out How Much Design Services will Cost

You need to know how much you’re spending to figure out your ROI. 

Costs for design usually include: 

• Designer fees can be charged by the hour, by the project, or by subscription. 
• Licenses for software like Adobe Creative Suite or Canva Pro are examples of software and tools. 
• Training and onboarding: Time spent getting staff up to speed or training them. 
• Changes and edits: Costs for making changes or improvements. 

A design subscription service like Penji lets you know how much you’ll have to pay each month for unlimited requests, so you won’t have to worry about unexpected costs. In-house teams give you more control, but they also cost more because of things like salaries, benefits, and equipment. 

Now that you know how much things cost, let’s see how much they help.

Step 3: Find out How Much Design Projects Help

This is where ROI gets exciting. Benefits can be both quantitative (hard numbers) and qualitative (softer metrics).

Quantitative benefits:

• Increase in sales: Did your new landing page help you make more money? 
• Cost savings: Did hiring full-time save more money than outsourcing? 
• Lead conversions: Did the graphics in the email campaign make more people sign up? 
• Customer retention: Did a new design lower the number of people who left? 

Qualitative benefits:

• Brand awareness: Are more people becoming aware of your brand? 
• Customer satisfaction: Are customers giving your brand better ratings? 
• Employee morale: Is better branding bringing in the best workers? 

It’s easier to measure quantitative metrics, but qualitative ones are important too. A strong brand brings in money over time, even if the effect isn’t immediate. 

You can keep an eye on these numbers with tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or social media insights. The more information you have, the more accurate your ROI calculation will be. Now that you have the costs and benefits, you can use the formula.

Step 4: Use the ROI formula

It’s time to do the math. 

You paid $3,000 to a graphic design service that works on demand to redesign your website. Conversions went up by 20% over three months, which brought in an extra $12,000 in sales. 

ROI (%) = ($12,000 – $3,000) / $3,000 x 100 = 300% 

That’s a 300% return on investment. Not bad, right? 

If your ROI is negative, it means that you are spending more money than you are making. This means you need to rethink your design plan or look for cheaper options. 

Tracking is easier with tools like Google Sheets, ROI calculators, and analytics dashboards. A lot of design-as-a-service platforms also have reporting tools that let you see how things are going. 

Let’s look at the differences between outsourcing design and doing it in-house now that you know how to figure out ROI.

What are Some Common Mistakes People Make when Figuring out Design ROI?

It’s easy to get the wrong answer even when you use the right formula. The most common mistakes are:

• Overestimating the benefits. Be honest about how design will affect things. Not every project will bring in twice as much money.
• Not thinking about how much things will cost. Don’t forget about hidden costs like revisions, software, or the time you spend managing designers.
• Not taking into account intangible benefits. Brand awareness and customer satisfaction don’t show up in sales right away, but they are still important.
• Not keeping track of ROI over time. Calculations that are only done once aren’t enough. Keep an eye on ROI across several projects to spot patterns.
• Not making sure that design goals are in line with business goals. You won’t be able to figure out a meaningful ROI if your design project doesn’t help you reach a measurable business goal.

If you don’t make these mistakes, your ROI calculations will be correct and useful.

Now, let’s look at some tools that can help you keep track of your return on investment (ROI).

What Tools Can Help You Measure Design ROI?

With the right tools, you can keep better track of ROI and get more information.

Here are some good choices:

• You can use Google Analytics to see how changes to the design of your website affect how many people visit it, how many people buy something from it, and how they use it.
• HubSpot lets you track email campaigns, landing pages, and lead generation so you can see how design affects conversions.
• Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn show you how many people clicked on your post, how far it reached, and how many people interacted with it.
• Calculators for return on investment: It’s easy to find out the ROI for each project with a simple spreadsheet or an online calculator.
• Reporting tools on design as a service platforms like Penji and others let you keep track of how your design projects are going over time.

You can always keep an eye on ROI and make decisions based on data with these tools.

Let’s talk about some of the most common questions people have about graphic design’s return on investment (ROI).

Ready to Maximize Your ROI?

It doesn’t have to be hard to find out how much graphic design service will cost you. By setting clear goals, keeping track of costs and benefits, and using the ROI formula, you can show how design is worth it and make better investment decisions.

A graphic design subscription service like Penji is a cheap way to get more design work. If you make unlimited requests, get things done quickly, and work with professional designers, you can get better results without having to hire your own teams.

Are you ready to see the difference? Try Penji today and get unlimited designs for a set price. [Start Now].

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