While your invoices might not be a front-facing part of your business, it doesn’t mean they should be plain and boring. To help you get a sense of the design possibilities, we put together a collection of impressive invoice examples that may inspire you to rethink your current design.
But first, let’s review how to design an invoice in the section below.
How to Design an Invoice
You don’t need to be an expert to create professionally designed invoices. In fact, you can use invoice templates to get started. However, you need to know a bit about the structure of an invoice so that it’s functional and ensures you receive your payments on time.
1. Decide on your invoice format.
Start by choosing the format you want to use for your invoice. Popular formats include: print, PDF, Google Docs, Word, and Excel. Each one has its pros and cons, but it’s a great idea to use multiple formats.
For example, creating all of your invoices in excel can help you move quickly if your deliverables are the same for each pay period — simply copy and paste from one tab to the other. Then, you can save each pay period’s invoice as a PDF to send it to your client easily via email.
Once you’ve chosen your format, add the important details to your invoice.
2. Add essential information.
Every invoice you create should include the following information:
Your details: Your name, company name, address, telephone number, and email address.
Client details: Your client’s address, company name, telephone number, and email address.
Pro Tip: Add the department name and the contact person’s name if you’re working with a large organization.
List of services: Make a list of all the services you’re charging the client for.
Payment terms, due date, and methods: How would you like your clients to pay you? Bank transfer? PayPal? Check? Make it clear in your invoice. You should also make the payment’s due date clear.
3. Add your company’s branding.
Your client likely works with several vendors, contractors, and freelancers. Make it easy for them to recognize your invoice at first glance by adding your branding to it.
Include your logo and brand colors as well as your typeface or font. Including images adds some flair that can liven up a traditional bland invoice.
Now that you know how to design an invoice, let’s take a look at these best practices in action on the invoice design templates and examples below.
Invoice Design Templates and Examples
We’ve put together a collection of impressive invoice designs and templates that may inspire you to rethink your current invoice design. Many of them are free to download and customize.
1. Basic Invoice
No frills, just business. This basic invoice template, developed here at HubSpot, provides all the necessities that your client’s accounts payable team will need to pay you on time. This template offers space for your name, your client’s name, invoice date, and rows for up to 10 itemized services. You can add more rows as needed.
Pro Tip: For basic invoices like this one, keep your branding simple. A logo and muted brand colors will work well here.
2. Blank Invoice
This blank invoice template is similar to the basic invoice template, but this one is specifically for products. You also have room to include a detailed breakdown of the cost of each product, including tax and shipping fees.
Pro Tip: Use this template for larger businesses that order your products for a specific department. That way, if you decide to sell to a different department in the same company, you can keep their invoices separate.
3. Commercial Invoice
Are you selling a variety of products and services? The commercial invoice above might be just what you need. This template allows space for product origin, manufacturing origin, discounts offered to your client, and more.
Pro Tip: Use the notes section of this invoice template to keep track of any agreements or special circumstances for the invoice. Your client and your bookkeeper will appreciate the context for price adjustments.
4. Blue Service Invoice
This monochrome, service-based invoice template allows you to include multiple services and how much each one costs your client.There’ plenty of space for your logo in the top right corner and you can customize the colors to suit your branding.
Pro Tip: Include invoice numbers to each invoice so you can keep track of how many you’ve sent in a given time period.
5. Green Shipping Invoice
Dedicated to shipping-based services, this vibrant invoice template is perfect for transactions that involve the transportation of goods. You can include the quantity of the products you sold, the price for each one, and incorporate taxes as well.
Pro Tip: Add a column for shipping costs if the price to ship is different for each product.
6. Orange Standard
This standard invoice template opens in Microsoft Word which makes it easy to edit. You can insert your logo in the top-right hand corner and add additional rows to match how many services you provided your customer.
Pro Tip: Wrap the text in each description row so that you can add additional details about each service.
7. Blue Minimal Standard
The minimalist template shown above takes the guesswork out of invoicing services. Using the large “Notes” tile in the center of the document, you can put the focus on the nuances of your services. That way, it’s clear why you charged your client the price you did.
Pro Tip: Add an item number column to the description and price table so you can organize your notes by which service description they correspond to.
8. Black and White Shipping Invoice
Sometimes, a basic grayscale invoice template fits the bill. That’s exactly what this invoice template offers. It’s perfect for shipping invoices, but it can be customized for products and ecommerce goods as well.
Pro Tip: For an invoice this simple, adding your brand colors and logo isn’t necessary. As long as you include your name and contact information, that will suffice for this template.
9. Amir Hossain
If you’re looking for a way to push your brand forward even in your invoice template, try this one. With heavy geometric designs that can be swapped with your brand colors, your invoice will be equal parts brand and finance.
You’ll also get clearly defined fields where you can enter a list of services you want to receive payment for, alongside your payment info.
Pro Tip: Use this template for digital invoices so you don’t have to print full pages of color.
10. Minimalist Invoice
Contrary to the template above, this design takes a minimalist approach to invoices. Whether you’re using it for personal or business use, this template allows you to assign customer IDs that help you quickly find the recipient of the invoice.
Pro Tip: Use a CRM to track and store client IDs so you can save past invoices for your records in an organized way.
11. Fabio Basile
Business in the front. Party in the back. This double-sided invoice sample offers an interesting twist on an otherwise standard invoice design. The “handcrafted for” language on the design side is a special touch which you can customize for each client you work with.
Pro Tip: Personalization can go a long way, even on an invoice. Take the time to thank your client, offer a relevant statistic, or share a motivational quote on the invoice for some added flair.
12. Front and Center
Put your final price to the client “front and center” using this invoice template by Ari Krzyzek. The document makes excellent use of contrast in font color, allowing the red price to pop against the thIn black text surrounding it.
Pro Tip: Don’t shy away from this type of template if the cost of your services seems high. Strategically pricing your work can give you the confidence to put that price boldly on your invoice.
13. JPWTemplates
This is a more specific template sample focused on billing for services — in this case: photography. This invoice uses an actual photograph in the header to highlight the quality of the services being provided. It’s a clever idea you can leverage for multiple services such as graphic design, illustration, interior design, and so on.
Pro Tip: If you want to personalize your invoice further, you can use a photo or design from the customer’s specific project to give it a custom look and feel.
14. Classic Designs
Here’s an example of a straightforward invoice design that details all of the critical invoice criteria — contact information, itemized purchases, payment information, and more. The design leverages pops of red to call out key pieces of information to make the statement feel less overwhelming.
Pro Tip: Due to the detail and layout of this invoice template, it works well for project-based work like professional services.
15. Bold Stationary
This invoice sample uses a split design to divide contact information and payment information. The design is free of any distractions or fancy elements, yet it still feels carefully designed.
Pro Tip: If your business is a bit more traditional, try customizing this template for your brand.
16. Novomatic
This invoice sample uses various shades of yellow to chunk out different parts of the invoice into digestible sections, but you can choose your own colors if you’d prefer. The footer of the statement points customers towards the company’s social media channels so you and the client can stay connected long after the invoice is paid.
Pro Tip: Even though your invoice may be the last “deliverable” your client sees from you, adding your social media channels can be a way to encourage repeat business with past clients.
17. Yellow Minimalist
There’s something about yellow that makes a document friendlier. Vibrant but unaggressive, this template emphasizes your price in large font on the bottom-right hand corner. With a yellow border like this, you can ensure it doesn’t get forgotten in a pile of other white sheets of paper on your client’s desk.
Pro Tip: Use this invoice template for hard-copy invoices. And don’t forget to set aside some additional budget for the color printing.
18. Victory
This invoice template offers space for a logo on the bottom-left hand corner, rather than the top, for professionals who want to make it clear right away that this document is a bill to be paid (hence “INVOICE” listed on the top-right hand corner). The invoice’s midsection allows the sender to include a thorough description of each service provided — a helpful billing format if your business spanned multiple projects over a long period.
Pro Tip: If you have additional items to add to the invoice, make the rows in the table thinner to fit everything on one page.
19. Soft Banner
Professional designers, here’s an invoice concept just for you. Showing your clients a colorful, brand-aligned invoice is a surefire way to get them to remember you and rehire you for future projects.
Pro Tip: In this design, the centered price banner uses a soft green background to make steep costs look a bit less frightening to the customer.
20. Classic Design
Here’s another elegant invoice template to serve as inspiration for your own. The template is simple and quickly highlights how much clients are expected to pay for a product or service.
Pro Tip: You can insert the “terms and conditions” of your contract in this template so you can remind customers what they signed up for when choosing your business. After all, they might be confused why you’re charging them a certain fee and may want to review the terms and conditions of their contract before reaching out for help.
21. Martin Ehrlich
One look at this invoice design from Martin Ehrlich tells you that it’s built with photographers or visual creatives in mind. This template comes with plenty of white spaces that make it easy to scan and identify the essential details like the supplier’s name, amount due, and the different services offered.
Pro Tip: Use this template for digital invoices only so you don’t use an entire cartridge of black ink to print a physical copy.
22. Invoice by ThemeDivisers
It’s hard for clients to miss how much they owe you with this invoice template, thanks to the amount’s bold description at the top of the invoice.
Below the “total payment” is a breakdown of the services rendered, along with your contact information as well as your branding.
23. Invoice Template by Guuver
Your invoice doesn’t need to have a white background, and this template from Guuver is a perfect example. The template’s slightly pink background and distinct blue font — both of which are customizable — are sure to leave a lasting impression on your client’s mind.
Pro Tip: Switch up the colors to a monochrome look for a sleek and modern design.
24. Clean Word Corporate Invoice
This invoice template adds a modern and elegant look to the otherwise dull templates that are standard in the corporate world. You can use the template on MS Word and make adjustments directly in the template.
Pro Tip: Use the condensed “terms and conditions” section of this invoice template to share any stipulations regarding invoice payments like late fees and contingency fees.
25. Invoice Template by Ariodsgn
How would you like an invoice that looks like a resume? This template from Ariodsgn is the right mix of creative, modern, and professional. Perfect for making a positive first impression on your customers.
Pro Tip: For contractors who are working in a typical staff or advisor role, try out this template and make a resume to match. This continuity will keep your personal brand front and center with your client.
26. Retro Invoice
Take your clients back to the ’80s with this retro invoice design. Although old-fashioned, the focus of this template remains on passing across a clear message regarding your payment information to clients.
Pro Tip: if your brand is in line with this retro theme, print your invoice on special paper and send it in a unique envelope to seal the deal.
How to Write an Invoice
Want to make your own invoice? We’ve got you covered.
Check out HubSpot’s Invoice Template Generator to create a professional invoice PDF in just a few clicks. Here’s how to use it:
Step 1: Click
this page to visit the Invoice Template Generator.
Step 2: Click the dotted square on the top-right hand corner of the template to upload an image file of your logo. Or, drag and drop this image file into the square.
Step 3: Use the circular wrench/paintbrush icon to the left of the template to change the invoice’s color scheme.
Step 4: Hover your cursor over the “Item Description” section to “Add More” rows if you’re billing your client for more than one product or service.
Step 5: Hover your cursor over each individual field to customize details such as invoice number, company name, item quantity, and relevant notes to the recipient.
Step 6: When you’ve finished customizing your invoice, click “Download Now” just below the template. Your invoice will download as a PDF.
You can also download ten other invoice templates that you can customize to meet your needs, whether you’re a freelancer or a large corporation.
At the end of the day, invoices should tell clients how much they owe, what they’re paying for, and what date they need to pay by. If you’re having trouble designing an invoice, or just want to shake things up, choose one of the pre-made templates above and get started with redesigning your invoices today.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
