ContentsAbout the report03Introduction04Insight 1Digital transformationefforts have an overwhelminglypositive impact06Insight 2Sustainability transitionsfrom pressure to profitability1122025 STATE OF DESIGN & MAKE For the2025 State of Design & Makeedition, Autodesk surveyed andinterviewed 5,594 industry leaders,futurists, and experts across Designand Make industries: architecture,engineering, construction, andoperations (AECO); design andmanufacturing (D&M); and mediaand entertainment (M&E). Surveydata has been broken down by globalregion: Asia-Pacific (APAC); Europe,Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); andthe Americas (AMER). This is the thirdlongitudinal year of this report serieswith data comparisons from theprevious two reports.What is Design and Make?A convergence of technologies andmethodologies in industries thatproduce digital and built assetsover the past 40-plus years hasresulted in a distinct category ofwork: Design and Make. Designand Make shapes the surroundingworld, translating complex ideasinto powerful experiences, whetherit’s transforming a sketch into aschool, turning a concept into a1World Economic Forum, 2023 car, or making a myth into a movie.Globally, Design and Make employs,conservatively, 295.7 million people.1Before digitalization, much of thiswork took place in discrete, siloedphases, handed off from specialist tospecialist. With the advent of digitalworkspaces and modeling tools,these phases have converged into acentralized way of working informedby data-driven insights. Today, teamscollaborating on Design and Makeprojects see their work as part of alarger, interconnected process. Digitaltools and standards make it easierto map interdependencies, refineprocesses, and democratize solutions.For the professionals immersed init every day, Design and Make ismore than a way of working—it’sa philosophy and a mindset. Itrepresents a deep belief that everychallenge and complexity can beovercome with the right tools and theright skill set. Designers and makersare optimists united by a shared driveto make a better world for all. Aboutthe reportTheState of Design & Makereport is a global, annual,longitudinal study for leaders who design and make places,objects, and experiences. It identifies the most pressingissues shaping today’s businesses and helps leaders makeinformed, strategic decisions about how to prioritize andinvest for the future.2025 STATE OF DESIGN & MAKE 2025 State of Design& Makekey findingsLeaders were clear on the challengesthey are facing.Cost control remains top of mind fororganizations amid continued inflationand increasing supply-chain fragility.Implementation of AI and emergingtechnologies is the second most-citedchallenge, one that is compounded byboth cost and labor concerns. Talentremains a perennial problem, withnearly two-thirds of organizationsexperiencing a skills gap and themajority of companies saying lack ofskilled talent is hindering growth.Optimism about AI is down, andconcern about its destabilizing effectsis up among leaders in Design andMake as organizations struggle withimplementation and finding practicaluse cases for the new technology. And,finally, global uncertainty is depletingorganizational confidence andincreasing feelings of unpreparedness.Despite this uncertainty, businessleaders in Design and Make are stillfeeling bullish in some areas as theyidentify opportunity amid disruption: •Although overall investments aredown year-over-year, more thantwo-thirds of leaders say they willincrease overall future investments.•Sustainability is experiencing asurge of optimism, with nearly allleaders saying their organizationsare taking steps to be moresustainable. Sustainability alsocontinues to be a key differentiatorin talent acquisition.•This year, AI solidified its place asthe top sustainability enabler forDesign and Make organizations,with applications from natural-disaster mitigation to projectlifecycle management.One standout finding this year isthat most leaders surveyed saydigital transformation effortsled to improvements at theirorganizations. The majority oforganizations benefiting from digitaltransformation are seeing more than50% improvements in categories suchas customer satisfaction, innovation,and productivity. Digitally maturecompanies tend to invest more heavilyin technology, and those investmentsare now paying outsize dividendsduring the current period of caution. IntroductionLeaders in Design and Make industries report that theyare confronting daunting headwinds, from increasedgeopolitical uncertainty and inflation to talent gaps andchallenges implementing emerging technologies like artificialintelligence (AI). But for the third year, digital transformationhas proven to help Design and Make organizations identifyopportunity amid disruption, providing benefits nearlyacross the board.2025 STATE OF DESIGN & MAKE The digitalmaturity differenceIn this report, “digitally mature”companies are defined as thosethat are approaching or haveachieved