Graphic design invoice template
As a graphic designer, communicating ideas, information, and emotions visually takes talent, creativity, and time – so why not spend less time and effort on the administrative tasks needed to run your design business, like getting paid? We have a variety of beautifully designed invoice templates ready for you to use in Word, Excel, PDF, Google Docs, and Google Sheets so you can spend your time on what you do best – creating great design for your clients.
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Agency clients
Don’t waste your creative energy designing an invoice. Use it for amazing design work for your valued agency clients instead. This free template can be customized to meet all your agency invoicing needs.
Editorial design
Download, customize, and send this invoice to your editorial or magazine clients. Add or subtract lines to detail specific areas such as sourcing photos, creating illustrations, and designing pages. Make all your invoices a good read!
Website design
Know how to design an engaging and effective website – but stumped when it comes to invoicing for your work? Make invoicing a breeze with this easy-to-use, beautifully designed invoice template.
Animation
You keep the action moving as an animator – so keep the payments coming in with this invoice template. Send this polished and professional invoice to all your animation clients for fast, accurate payment.
Logo and branding
Designing a distinctive logo that captures the qualities of a company, event, or brand is a specialized skill. You need a template where you can detail all your research and hard work so you are properly compensated for your amazing designs.
Designing a distinctive logo that captures the qualities of a brand is a specialized skill. You should get paid properly for it. Use this logo design invoice template to detail all your research and hard work so you are properly compensated for your amazing designs.
Alternatives to using graphic design invoice templates
Make your graphic design business a success by finding out more about what Wave can offer you. Save time and take even more work off your hands by trying our free automated invoicing and powerful accounting.
Why professional-looking invoices are important to your graphic design business
As a graphic designer, you provide a unique mixture of the creative and the technical – and you need to reflect that specialized service in a way your clients will understand. So while you need to make your invoice simple enough to understand, it must accurately detail the scope and expertise of your work at the same time. After all, your clients are not designers, and they may not understand all the hard work and skill you put into completing their projects.
Sending organized, professional-looking invoices that are easy to understand also instills confidence and credibility in your brand as a designer. You do amazing work – make sure your invoice reflects your professional expertise.
Once you've downloaded your free invoice template, you'll need to customize it to fit your specific business. Here are the 10 key things to include on your invoice:
- Title and Description: Name the project and briefly describe what type of work your client is being invoiced for.
- Company Details: Add your company name, address, phone number, and logo to the top-right corner.
- Customer Details: Under "Bill To", add your customer's name, address, and contact information.
- Invoice Number: Include a unique invoice number to help you track down this invoice in the future. You can format this based on sequence and customer. For example, if you're sending your very first customer their first invoice, the invoice number could be 001-001.
- Dates: Include the date when your invoice has been issued and the date when payment is due.
- Line Item: Add individual line items for each unique good or service you provided. For each line item, include a brief description, quantity, individual unit price, and total price.
- Subtotal: Add up the subtotal of your goods or services, before tax has been applied.
- Tax: Indicate the tax rate applied to the subtotal. This is legally required to provide on invoices, and your rate may differ depending on where you run your business.
- Total: Outline the total amount due from the customer, after tax.
- Notes: Include any additional info your customer should know, including terms of service and payment terms (for example, payments are due 30 days after the invoice has been issued).
What should be included on a graphic design invoice
Make sure you are paid properly for your design work by using a fully-customized template that is clear, elegant, and can be tailored to your exact needs. It’s simple to do – just follow these quick steps.
- Look through our variety of templates in different designs and colors, and pick the one you like in the format you want – Word, Excel, PDF, Google Docs, or Google Sheets
- Download the free invoice template
- Add your business name and contact information
- Insert your logo and any other business graphics
- Insert your client’s name and contact information
- Create a unique invoice number and add it to the template
- Add the date of the invoice and the payment due date
- List the work you’ve done, and the price for each portion based on your hourly rate or a flat rate. Make sure your client understands how much work was involved by describing what you did for each portion.
- Add lines for additional information or take lines out – you can customize the format to meet your needs
- If you are including a discount for a high volume of work, or for a first-time client, add a line explaining the discount so your client knows they are getting a special deal
- Calculate the total price of the project, including applicable tax, and list the total at the bottom of the invoice
- Include your payment terms, such as the methods of payment you accept
- You can always add a personal line at the end – such as a thank you, or a note about the project
- Save the invoice for your records – then send it off to your client!
When is the right time to send an invoice to your clients?
Usually payment is received upon completion of a design project. To make sure you are paid as soon as possible, it’s a good idea to send your invoice along with the finished product. That way your client can see exactly what they are paying for.
Sometimes design projects span a long period of time. You need to keep revenue coming in, so if the project is going to take several weeks, or even months, to complete – you have options. You can ask for a percentage of the estimated cost up front, with the remainder due upon completion, or you could send in monthly invoices. Whatever payment cadence you choose, make sure to reflect that on each invoice, and clarify what portion of the final “cost” has been paid to date.
Quick invoicing tips for design professionals
Keep a record of your work with numbered invoices
Always include a ‘payment due’ date
Make sure your contact info is correct and accessible
If you can – accept a variety of payment methods
Send your invoice to your client contact
Free Invoice Template vs. Wave Invoicing Software
