When a growing business needs design work, the first instinct is often to hire someone full-time. A mid-level designer's salary might look reasonable on paper — but the true cost of employment is significantly higher than the number on the job listing. Let's break down the real numbers.
The Hidden Costs of a Full-Time Designer
A mid-level graphic or UI/UX designer in Europe commands a base salary of €45,000 to €65,000 per year. But that's only the starting point. When you factor in the true cost of employment, the real annual figure is €75,000 to €120,000 or more.
- Base salary: €45,000–€65,000 per year
- Employment taxes and social contributions: 25–30% on top of base (€11,000–€19,500)
- Health insurance and benefits: €3,000–€8,000 per year
- Software licences (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, prototyping tools): €2,000–€5,000 per year
- Equipment (laptop, monitor, peripherals): €2,000–€4,000 upfront, refreshed every 3 years
- Office space and utilities: €3,000–€8,000 per year per employee
- Recruitment costs (if they leave): €5,000–€15,000 per hire
- Training and development: €1,000–€3,000 per year
- Management overhead: 10–15% of a manager's time dedicated to oversight
The total cost of one full-time mid-level designer: approximately €75,000 to €120,000 per year. And that's just one discipline — what about development, marketing, and video?
What a Subscription Team Costs Instead
A subscription design team provides access to multiple specialists — designers, developers, marketers, and video editors — for a fraction of the cost of a single hire. At Flex Tech Design, here's what the numbers look like:
- Design plan (20 hours/month): €1,800/month = €21,600/year
- Full-Stack plan (50 hours/month): €4,200/month = €50,400/year
- Enterprise plan (100+ hours/month): €8,000+/month = €96,000+/year
For less than the cost of one mid-level designer, you get access to an entire team of specialists — UI/UX designers, graphic designers, frontend and backend developers, copywriters, SEO strategists, and video editors. All with a dedicated project manager, unlimited revisions, and native source files included.
Beyond Cost: The Capability Gap
Even if you could afford the salary, one person can't do everything. A brilliant UI designer might struggle with copywriting. A talented graphic designer probably can't build your web application. When you hire one person, you get one skill set.
A subscription team gives you the full spectrum: brand identity, web design, app development, SEO, content strategy, social media assets, motion graphics, and more. You don't need to hire five people to cover all your digital needs.
The Flexibility Factor
Employment is rigid. When you hire someone, you're committed to paying their salary whether it's a busy month or a quiet one. During slow periods, you're burning money. During peak periods, you're overwhelmed.
Subscription teams flex with your business. Launch month? Ramp up to the Enterprise plan. Quieter quarter? Drop down or pause entirely. No notice periods, no redundancy costs, no uncomfortable conversations. You pay for what you need, when you need it.
When In-House Still Makes Sense
To be fair, there are situations where hiring in-house is the right move. If you have a sustained, predictable design workload that fills 40 hours per week, need deep institutional knowledge that only comes from years of immersion, or require someone physically present for real-time collaboration, an in-house hire may be justified.
But for most SMBs with 5 to 50 employees, the math heavily favours the subscription model — especially when your digital needs span multiple disciplines.
The Bottom Line
Hiring a full-time designer costs €75,000 to €120,000 per year for one skill set. A subscription team from Flex Tech Design costs €21,600 to €96,000 per year for an entire multi-disciplinary team with design, development, marketing, and video capabilities. The subscription model isn't just cheaper — it's more capable, more flexible, and more aligned with how modern businesses actually operate.