What Small Business Owners Really Want to Know About Design Subscriptions (but are afraid to ask…)
Over the past few months, I’ve had a lot of conversations with small business owners about design subscriptions. The reaction is usually the same: “Sounds good… but how does it actually work?”
So let’s break it down.
What exactly is a design subscription?
Think of it as pay-as-you-go creative support. Instead of hiring a designer full-time (expensive) or paying per project (inflexible), you pay a flat monthly fee. You get a flexible, on-demand design partner who understands your brand and can work across different channels.
The process (simple version)
You sign up for a fixed monthly fee.
You send requests (anything from a new logo tweak, to social graphics, to print layouts). One task at a time usually.
Work gets delivered within the agreed timeframe - usually between 24 and 48 hours.
Unlimited requests & revisions within your plan — no surprise costs.
One common question - “Why not just hire a designer?”
Hiring a mid-level designer in the UK costs around £25 –35k per year, and if you hire via a recruitment agency, there can be up to 20% fees added on. Then you have NI, pension - plus hardware/software and design asset subscriptions. And you’re getting one skillset.
A subscription gives you:
Access to a wider range of skills (branding, digital, print, social, copy etc.)
Flexibility to scale requests up or down each month
No HR, payroll, or downtime costs
In short: more expertise, less commitment.
Big benefits for small businesses (and larger organisations)
Cost certainty — same price every month
Speed — quicker turnaround than waiting for agencies or freelancers to fit you in
Consistency — everything looks and feels on-brand, across all touchpoints
Freedom — cancel or pause anytime if your workload changes
Design subscriptions aren’t for everyone, but if you need reliable, ongoing creative without the overheads of a hire or the unpredictability of one-off freelancers, it might be the model that saves you both money and stress.