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Graphic or interior design studio companies in Manchester

550 graphic or interior design studio companies have a registered office in Manchester, and 122 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £14,469 in cash and owed £13,103 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “specialised design activities” (SIC 74100).

The numbers

Graphic or interior design studio companies in Manchester compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureManchesterUK
Registered companies55032,203
Formed in 2025 or 2026122 (22%)19%
Being struck off or in liquidation55 (10%)6.7%
Typical cash at year end£14,469134 accounts£15,056
Typical amount owed at year end£13,103327 accounts£14,565
Typical number of employees1335 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

You can start without much equipment

The typical graphic or interior design studio company in Manchester carries £2,584 of equipment and other fixed assets after depreciation, lower than 91% of UK industries.

Most of the cost of entry is time and running costs rather than kit, so a small test is cheap.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical graphic or interior design studio company in Manchester reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (335 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

Manchester has fewer of these businesses than most places

Graphic or interior design studio companies are 0.41% of companies registered in Manchester, against 0.59% UK-wide (0.7× the national share).

That could be a gap or a sign of weak demand. The register cannot tell which.

Planning a business like this in Manchester?

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What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Graphic or interior design studio in other places

Other businesses in Manchester

All business benchmarks in Manchester