Freelance Graphic Designer Invoice Template
A freelance graphic design invoice should take 50% up front, state the number of initial concepts and revision rounds included with an hourly rate beyond them, and itemize usage or licensing, rush fees, and stock costs — with source files and full rights transferring only on final payment. ShowTheReceipts invoices the deposit before work starts, saves your revision and rush lines, and applies a stated late fee.
Header block
- Your business name, address, tax ID
- Client name, contact, and billing email
- Project name and reference
- Invoice number, net terms, due date
Project lines
- Deposit — 50% — invoiced before work starts
- Design fee — concepts and rounds included, stated
- Additional revision rounds — hourly or per round
- Usage / licensing — medium, territory, term
- Rush fee — % uplift for compressed turnaround
- Stock, fonts, print pass-throughs — at cost, itemized
- Late fee — % per month after the due date
Scope, written down
| Item | Standard |
|---|---|
| Initial concepts | 2–3 |
| Revision rounds | 2 included |
| Beyond included rounds | Hourly, stated rate |
| Rush turnaround | 25–50% uplift |
“Unlimited revisions” isn’t generosity — it’s an unpriced line item that always gets used.
Usage rights are a pricing lever
A logo for a single local storefront and a logo for a national rollout are not the same job. Put the granted usage on the invoice — medium, territory, and term — and price expanded rights separately when the client’s plans grow.
Files release on payment
Comps and flattened previews during review. Layered source files and the rights transfer land when the final invoice clears, stated once in the terms so it never becomes a negotiation.
What not to do
- Don’t open a file before the deposit lands
- Don’t offer unlimited revisions on fixed price
- Don’t price all usage identically
- Don’t send source files ahead of final payment
Frequently asked questions
How much deposit should a graphic designer take?
50% up front on project work, balance on delivery. Design is almost pure labour with nothing to repossess — a client who disappears after seeing concepts leaves you with files nobody else can use, so the deposit is the only recoverable part of that risk.
How many concepts and revisions should be included?
Two or three initial concepts and two revision rounds is the common standard, written on the invoice with your hourly rate for anything beyond. Unlimited revisions on a fixed price is how a $1,200 logo turns into three weeks of work.
Should usage rights be a separate line?
Yes. Local single-use is not national campaign use, and pricing them the same leaves money on the table. State the granted usage on the invoice — medium, territory, and term — and price broader rights as their own line.
When do I hand over the source files?
On final payment, stated in the terms. Deliver flattened previews or watermarked comps during review and release layered source files plus the full rights transfer when the invoice clears — that sequence is your only leverage once the work is done.