For design studios

Project management software for design studios and brand studios

One platform for proposals, project management, time tracking, retainer support, and a branded client portal. Built for the way design teams actually work.

PROPOSAL Identity System & Launch
F
form studio
Prepared by
Form Studio
Brand & Identity
Presented to
Atlas Coffee Co
Marina Lopez, Founder
Contract date
May 20, 2026
Valid through
Jun 20, 2026
Scope
Brand discovery, full visual identity system, primary and packaging applications, brand guidelines, and launch asset production for a third-wave coffee brand.
PhaseHrsRateAmount
Discovery & direction20$195$3,900
Identity system56$195$10,920
Project total USD $14,820
Marina Lopez · Founder, Atlas Coffee Co
Accepted
May 22, 2026
Active Project In progress
Identity System for Atlas Coffee
Phase Identity system
Logged 28 of 76 hrs
Invoice #086 Sent
Atlas Coffee Co
Discovery workshop $1,950
Direction concepts $1,950
Due in 14 days $3,900
Retainer Active
Harbor Lane: Brand Stewardship
Balance $1,800 of $4,000
Next invoice Renews in 9 days
Time · This week Live
24 hrs logged
Unbilled $3,840 · 2 projects
Top project Atlas identity

Your studio's design tools are great. Your business tools are a mess.

Figma and Adobe for the work. Notion or Trello to track it. DocuSign for the proposal. QuickBooks for the invoice. Dropbox for the deliverables. Toggl for the hours. Six tools, three logins, no single source of truth on whether the Atlas project is over budget or whether Harbor Lane's retainer balance is enough to cover next month.

Clientary replaces the business operations layer: proposals, contracts, time tracking, project budgets, retainer billing, branded client portals, and online payments in one place. Figma stays for design. Clientary handles everything around it, so you get back to designing.

Built for every kind of design practice

Whether you're a solo identity designer, a 4-person packaging studio, or a 10-person multi-disciplinary practice, the workflow fits.

Brand Identity Systems

Discovery, positioning, full visual identity systems, brand guidelines. Quote-then-engage with proposals clients actually sign.

Logo & Visual Identity

Logo design, naming, visual systems for new ventures. Project-based billing with clear scope and revision rounds.

Packaging Design

Primary and secondary packaging, SKU rollouts, dieline production. Multi-phase project budgets that warn before you blow them.

Editorial & Print

Books, magazines, annual reports, large-format print. Time tracking that captures every hour of production.

Web & Digital Design

Website design, art direction for digital products, motion-aware brand systems. Branded client portal for handoff.

Brand Stewardship

Ongoing brand maintenance, asset extensions, guideline updates. Monthly retainers with automatic invoicing and rollover credit.

The studio operations layer you've been wishing for

Send proposals that close the project

Polished proposals with phase breakdowns, optional add-ons, and digital acceptance. Client signs the contract online. Approved scope converts to a project in one click. No PDF email loops.

Track every billable hour without the friction

One-click time tracking for every designer in the studio. Hours roll up by project automatically, and budget burn is visible the day work happens. Not the day the invoice goes out.

Project budgets that hold the line

Set a budget in hours or dollars per project. Watch real-time as hours accrue against scope. Catch a revision round eating into margin before it's too late to have the scope conversation with the client.

Retainers for brand stewardship work

Brand identity work often continues past launch: logo extensions, asset rollouts, guideline updates. Set up a monthly retainer with automatic invoicing, track balances per client, and carry over unused credit.

Branded portal that handles deliverable handoff

Every client gets a branded portal under your studio's identity. They view invoices, approve concepts and revisions, sign contracts, and download deliverable files. Cleaner than email; faster sign-off; reads more professional.

Get paid online, without awkward followups

Invoices accept credit card, ACH, or bank transfer. Automated reminders, late-fee policies, and online payment links mean no more "did you get a chance to look at the invoice?" emails to the founder you just delivered a brand to.

10,000+
Service businesses run on Clientary
$500M+
Invoiced through the platform
4.8/5
Average rating across review sites

“Clientary turned our time tracking into invoicing without any of the manual work. We finally have a clear picture of which projects make us money.”

JKA Design Services · Read the full story →

Frequently asked questions

Common questions from brand, packaging, editorial, and digital design studios evaluating Clientary.

What software do design studios use for project management and billing?

Most small-to-mid design studios run on a stack of Figma + Notion + QuickBooks + DocuSign + Dropbox. Clientary replaces the business operations layer with one platform: proposals, contracts, time tracking by project and team member, project budgets, branded client portals, and online payments. Figma stays for design. Clientary handles everything around it.

How do design studios track time across projects and team members?

Designers log time against the project they're working on. Clientary rolls up hours per project and per studio member automatically, so you can see real-time budget burn, what's billable vs internal, and which clients are eating margin. No spreadsheets required.

Can I bill retainers for ongoing brand support and identity stewardship?

Yes. Brand identity work often continues past launch with logo extensions, asset production, and brand guideline updates. Set up a monthly retainer with automatic recurring invoicing. Clientary tracks balance and rollover credit per client, sends the next invoice on schedule, and gives clients visibility through the portal.

How do I share design deliverables and revisions with clients?

Every client gets a branded portal under your studio's identity. They view invoices, approve proposals and revisions, sign contracts, and download deliverable files. No more email threads with v3-FINAL-final-revised.zip. Sign-off lives in the portal.

Does Clientary integrate with QuickBooks?

Yes. Invoices, payments, and clients export to QuickBooks Online so your bookkeeper still has the financial source of truth. Most design studios use Clientary as the operations and client-facing layer and let QuickBooks remain the books.

Is there a free trial for design studios?

Yes. 14 days, no credit card required. Most studios finish evaluating in under a week: import a few clients, set up a sample project, send a test proposal, and see whether the workflow holds together.

Stop running your studio on six tools. Start running it on one.

Free 14-day trial. No credit card required. Cancel any time.

Start your free trial