Every number, traceable to a source.
Research only becomes useful when people can see where it came from, how it was produced and what it can reasonably prove.
Every public figure is linked to its original source or clearly labelled as a Design Lever estimate.
Research notes explain the sample, method, assumptions and limitations behind every finding.
Benchmarks change as the dataset grows. Previous figures remain dated so the history can be followed.
A large design workforce. A small commercial market.
Africa has an estimated 1.35 million designers. The continent's design services market is estimated at $323 million. The gap is worth examining, not simplifying.
Market figures are estimates from external research. Comparable category definitions and source years are shown alongside every public comparison.
Research, analysis and tools as they are published.
One library, four formats. Each item is labelled by what it is so readers can distinguish evidence from interpretation.
The annual view of how design leadership is developing across African companies and careers, bringing together practitioner data, company interviews and evidence from Design Lever engagements.
How a leaderless design function quietly compounds cost.
What designers earn at each level, and where the leadership ceiling sits.
Where Nigerian design leaders went, and how the continent stays connected to them.
Why McKinsey, Adobe and Forrester figures don't transfer, and what does.
The 18-month exit curve, and the leadership factors that move it.
Field notes and analysis.
The full-time hire is right in theory and wrong at your stage. A look at the tenure data.
The five costs that show up in almost every leaderless design function.
How to make a design function defensible to a board that only reads numbers.
Why senior designers leave, and the leadership factors that move the curve.
Three data streams. One evidence base.
Design Lever combines market research with first-hand evidence from the people building, leading and funding design inside African companies.
Structured conversations on how design investment performs inside the business.
Recurring data on compensation, seniority, career progression and leadership access.
Approved and anonymised baseline and outcome metrics from Practice engagements.
A health-tech team on the quarter their design function changed gear.
Put the research to work.
The 20 questions we ask on every assessment, run it on your own team.
Scorecards, interview loops and the fractional-vs-full-time decision tree.
A starter set of metrics to make design legible to your board, with formulas.
Benchmarks, updated as the dataset grows.
These figures are dated, sourced and revised when stronger evidence becomes available.
The evidence base grows when the industry contributes.
Companies, practitioners and institutions can contribute without becoming Design Lever clients or members. Research participation is kept separate from sales.
Contribute to the recurring picture of compensation, seniority, leadership access and career mobility.
STARTShare first-hand experience of building, funding or leading design inside an organisation.
NOMINATEContribute anonymised information on design investment, team structure and measurable outcomes.
SHAREFor institutions and organisations that can strengthen methodology, distribution or access to data.
GET IN TOUCHThe African Design Leadership Report.
Published annually, the report brings the evidence together into one view of design leadership across African business: workforce, careers, leadership structures, organisational practice and commercial performance.
Read the latest reportThe evidence base is public by design.
Design Lever publishes public research so companies, practitioners, educators and institutions can use, test and challenge the work. Where data cannot be published, that limitation is stated.
Read our research principlesThe research, answered.
Is the report really free?+
Public reports, published benchmarks and open research outputs are available without a paywall or registration gate.
How is the data collected?+
The evidence base combines external market sources, company interviews, practitioner survey data and approved Design Lever engagement data. Each publication states which sources it uses.
Can I contribute?+
Yes. You can take the practitioner survey, join a research interview, contribute company data or discuss a research partnership.
How often are benchmarks updated?+
Every benchmark carries a date so readers can see when the figure was last reviewed. Updates depend on the strength and growth of the dataset.
Can I cite Design Lever research?+
Yes, where the publication permits it. Use the citation and attribution guidance attached to the specific report or dataset.