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As a designer, the way you craft your graphic design invoice speaks volumes about you and your small business.
Remember, the design of your invoice can also influence when and how you receive payment as a freelancer or creative professional.
That’s why today, we’re excited to share a collection of our favorite graphic design invoice examples to inspire and delight you. We’re also offering 6 downloadable graphic design invoice templates for free (details below), along with our top tips for designing a professional invoice of your own.
Let’s dive into this ultimate guide to graphic design invoices, starting with the most exciting part: inspiration!
Graphic designers all over the world use graphic design invoices to bill their clients and get paid on time. Here are some of our favorites along with lessons you apply from each one:
In your graphic design invoice template, include a unique invoice number, company name/address/logo, date of the invoice, client details, scope of work, contact information, cost or price of the services that need to be paid.
It can be tempting to just whip up an invoice in Excel or Google Sheets, but taking the extra time to at least add the right colors and fonts to your invoice can give it that one extra step of professionalism.
By nature, business and finance documents tend to be a bit…well…boring. But that doesn’t have to be the case with your graphic design invoice. Try adding some fun character to your invoice. Not only will you get paid for your work, but you might also make someone smile along the way.
Contrary to the above, you could go with a straightforward, modern design for your graphic design invoice. To some, it may come off as a bit boring, but when it comes to an invoice — white space is never a bad thing.
Combining a mixture of modern and creative can produce a really appealing graphic design invoice, too. Think outside the box, and vary your font sizes for an easy to read hierarchy.
In the sample below, you’ll see that this graphic designer made sure to not leave anything out. Going down to the specific company name, the person it’s addressed to, their position in the company, address, and even a small terms and conditions section. This may sound like a lot, but when done nicely, it maintains good readability and is not overwhelming.
Where would your business be without your client? It’s always a nice touch to include some sort of thank you note at the bottom of your invoice to show your appreciation.
If you really want to show off your design skills, take it to another level by creating a really unique invoice. Just be sure you keep only the essentials there for maintaining an effective invoice.
Thomas Maxon displays how to design your invoice in a professional layout, but incorporates his brand color throughout. This style of the invoice can make yours noticeable, without overdoing it.
Alright, now you’re pumped to craft your own graphic design invoice, right? Here’s how you can jump in:
No matter which route you choose to design your invoice, every designer should bear in mind several crucial points when putting together a graphic design invoice. We’ll dive into some of those essential tips next:
Every graphic design invoice, or any invoice for that matter, should include several essential elements. Here are the 6 critical components you must not overlook:
While there are many other details you could add to enhance your invoice, such as project specifics and payment options, the above elements provide a solid foundation for creating a professional graphic design invoice from scratch.
Be cautious about making your design invoice too flashy or hard to navigate.
It can be tempting as a designer to make your graphic design invoice really flashy. While sometimes that can be really good—a flashy invoice may really stand out in a pile of white papers on your client’s desk—consider a few reasons it could also be a poor decision:
That’s not to say your design invoice shouldn’t be well-designed. I mean, you are a designer after all, right? So add your own flair and character to your graphic design invoice, just make sure it also achieves its primary purpose: getting you paid.
One of the most efficient ways you can make it easy to get paid is to accept credit card payments — this allows you to transfer funds directly to your bank account. So this cuts out mailing a check and waiting on the deposit. You can do this by using sites like Bonsai, FreshBooks, Fiverr Workspace, Lili, QuickBooks and more.
Remember, the function is often a major factor in good design anyway.
Here are some more questions you might have when designing your invoice:
Absolutely, yes! No job is too small for a graphic design invoice. Always send one and keep a copy for your records. You never know when you’ll need it.
Ignoring this step might lower your chances of getting paid. I’d wager that most clients expect an invoice since they’re in business too, right?
Don’t delay; send your invoices right after you finish a project. Being organized means you’re ready to invoice as soon as the work is done. With the right graphic design invoice template, it’s as simple as filling in a few details.
To improve your chances of getting paid, always send your invoice immediately after completing the work.
Not getting paid for your work is a common problem. Here are some do’s and don’ts for handling invoice disputes, courtesy of Alex Skinner from Millo:
Nowadays, there are so many different ways you can generate, send and track your invoices. Here are some suggestions:
If you haven’t already, download our free templates to get started on yours! Be sure to utilize our tips for creating a beautiful, yet effective graphic design invoice for getting you paid!
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Preston Lee is the founder of Millo where he and his team have been helping freelancers thrive for over a decade. His advice has been featured by Entrepreneur, Inc, Forbes, Adobe, and many more.
Reviewed & edited by Alex Skinner, Editor at Millo.
At Millo, we strive to publish only the best, most trustworthy and reliable content for freelancers. You can learn more by reviewing our editorial policy.
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