ACME — Logo Suite
Project invoice, signed SOW, font-license receipt, and the final delivery confirmation.
Studio finance · Project records
Organize design studio finances by client brand project
A logo job, a website build, and a packaging refresh for three different clients all hit your inbox in the same week, and the invoices, the Adobe renewal, and the stock-photo license get filed nowhere in particular. When tax season or a client query arrives, you're hunting through email. Cash Workspace gives an independent design studio one place to record income and expenses grouped by the brand project they belong to, with the signed SOW and delivery receipt attached.
The problem
Why studio project records scatter
Design studios juggle several brand projects at once, each with its own contract, deliverables, and tool costs. Without a per-project home, the paper trail spreads across email, cloud drives, and memory.
- A logo project's invoice and its Figma export receipt live in two unrelated places.
- Stock-photography and font licenses get bought ad-hoc and never tied to the job that used them.
- The signed SOW is in email while the final invoice is in a folder, so they never line up.
- At year-end you can't tell which Adobe months were billable to a client versus studio overhead.
- A client asks 'what did the packaging project cost?' and you have no single view to answer from.
The workflow
Set up a folder per brand project
Create one project folder per client deliverable and route every record into it as the work happens.
- 1
Open a project folder
For each engagement, create a folder named by client and deliverable, e.g. 'ACME — Packaging Refresh'.
- 2
Record the income
Log the project invoice with client, amount, issue and due dates, and a status.
- 3
Attach the SOW
Attach the signed statement of work to the folder so scope and price sit beside the invoice.
- 4
Record project expenses
Log stock licenses, fonts, and printing proofs against that project's folder as you buy them.
- 5
Attach the delivery receipt
When you hand off brand assets, attach the delivery confirmation so the project is closed and complete.
Record structure
What to record for each design project
A consistent set of fields keeps every brand project findable and reconcilable.
- Client
- The brand the project belongs to, kept as a consistent client record.
- Project name
- The deliverable, e.g. Logo Suite, Website Build, or Packaging Refresh.
- Project invoice
- Amount, issue date, due date, and status for the income on this job.
- Expense category
- Adobe/Figma subscription, stock photography, font license, or printing proofs.
- Vendor
- Who the expense was paid to, e.g. Adobe, Shutterstock, or the print shop.
- Signed SOW
- The statement of work attached so scope and fee are tied to the project.
- Delivery receipt
- The brand-asset handoff confirmation attached at close.
- Status
- Active, delivered, or paid, so you know where each project stands.
Example setup
An example studio folder setup
One way to structure a brand project inside your workspace.
BLUE Co — Website Build
Project invoice plus the Figma subscription and stock-photo licenses used on the build.
Studio subscriptions
Recurring Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma charges that span all clients, kept as studio overhead.
2026 fiscal folder
Every project folder for the year, ready to export for the accountant.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying a stock license without recording which project it was for.
- Leaving the SOW in email instead of attaching it next to the invoice.
- Mixing recurring Adobe overhead in with a single client's project costs.
- Forgetting to attach the delivery receipt, so closed projects look unfinished.
- Filing printing proofs as a generic expense instead of against the packaging job.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Project folders
Group each brand project's invoice, expenses, and documents in one fiscal-year folder.
Expense categories
Categorize subscriptions, stock, fonts, and proofs so studio costs stay sorted by type.
Attached documents
Attach the signed SOW and delivery receipt to the project so the full record stays together.
Accountant-ready exports
Export a clean year of project records when it's time to hand off to your accountant.
Related
Related studio finance workflows
Branding project folder
Organize a full branding engagement's records in one folder.
Studio receipts by project
Keep every studio receipt filed against the project it belongs to.
Creative fiscal folders
Set up clean fiscal-year folders for creative work.
Finance for creators
See how creative businesses organize income and expenses.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Design studio finance FAQ
- How should I separate studio overhead from project costs?
- Keep recurring tools like Adobe Creative Cloud in a studio-subscriptions area, and record one-off project buys such as stock licenses and printing proofs against the specific project folder.
- Where should the signed SOW live?
- Attach it directly to the project folder alongside the invoice so scope, price, and the income record all sit together.
- Can I see what one brand project cost?
- You can keep that project's invoice and expense records side by side in its folder for your own review. Cash Workspace organizes the records; it does not calculate profit or margin for you.
Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance
Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.
Give every brand project one home
Start a free workspace and record each design project's invoice, expenses, and signed documents in one folder so nothing scatters across email again.