A Guide to Creating Professional Invoices
For every transaction between consumer and seller, credibility lies in the proof of the transaction itself—queue in your invoice design.
You must have an invoice that screams it’s from your business through the visual hierarchy on the paper. Where is the location of your logo?
How big and which type of font do you use for readability? Join us as we answer these questions and more below.
Importance of An Invoice Design
First off, what’s the difference between an invoice and a waybill?
We have to answer that before diving deeper into the importance of an Invoice. Both are used when talking about purchasing any product.
The most simple definition for both is that a waybill tracks the movement of the item, while an invoice is to ensure that the buyer promises to pay the seller for what they bought.
But what about a receipt?
To put it more straightforwardly, a receipt is the physical or digital copy of the transaction between buyer and seller AFTER purchasing.
A waybill is attached to the product’s EXTERIOR to track the parcel’s movement to the buyer. And lastly, an invoice COMES BEFORE a waybill and receipt to remind the buyer to pay the seller the amount for the product.
Now that we answered that question, why is it essential to design an invoice?
The design of your invoice improves the reliability of transactions between you and your customers. It’s professional and promotes brand consistency.
We want to build the trustworthiness of your business, like how the color blue implies trustworthiness, just being on other aspects of your design. Help yourself get organized and avoid miscalculating your finances through an invoice.
It’s a two-way streak; you and your client have a copy of the transaction. And how do you stand out for the transaction?
You create a unique design. Now that we’ve established that, let’s learn how to create an invoice.
Tips to Create Credible Invoices
Ready to customize your invoice? To help you decide how to create designs, allow us to guide you with our researched tips that work.
Your invoice ensures both parties agree upon payment. Make sure that it looks worthy of such a transaction. We researched and found six steps to create clear, professional, and trendy invoices for your transactions.
- Structure Matters
- Add a Header
- Still Apply Branding Scheme
- Details Please
- Don’t Forget Space for the Description
- Ensure Legibility
1. Structure Matters
How do you want to present the payment information to your market? Have the amount on the right side and the description on the left. Don’t forget the spacing of each item for legibility; this design is usually standard.
You’ll be using visual hierarchy to help guide the eyes of your market to the details they need to take note of for the transaction.
2. Add a Header
Next, add some designs on the top of your invoice. In a way, it’s like a digital letterhead where your logo and other important info, like where to find you and how to contact you, is on it. Make the words and logo legible here so your client knows it’s from you and not another brand.
3. Still Apply the Branding Scheme
Consistency is vital, even if an invoice is a reminder for payment. Your font style, borders, iconography, and color palette still have to align with what you set for your brand. When creating your design, when your brand presentation is consistent, you increase your revenue by 23%.
4. Include Important Details
When producing an invoice, you need to put everything your clients need when paying for their orders. The standard information are
- Business Name, Address, Contact Information,
- Client’s Name, Address, Contact Information,
- Mode of Payment,
- Total Amount Due,
- Due Date,
- Item Description,
- and Tax Added.
Ensure that these are seen and clearly state that your client has to pay the amount at which time and where to better the transaction and avoid any mishaps.
5. Don’t Forget Space for the Description
We mentioned the item description in the bullet above. This information warrants a bullet point because you must clearly state that your client is availing of the item on the invoice and will pay for it.
It could be what is in the orders. Are they getting a resin coaster or maybe a wooden ladle?
You can put the image with the product’s label design or the product’s long-form description of the products themselves. Adding these details shows transparency and could lead to faster payment since your customers know what they’re paying for.
6. Ensure Legibility
Lastly, ensure all your information is clear and seen. Be careful with the font size and font style.
A Sans Serif font is best for the body of your invoice since it has no embellishing tails compared to the Serifs. That’s how you ensure the information is readable and legible to understand the transaction better for both parties.
There you have it, our tips to help you create the best invoice for your business. But we’re not done. You can check out some ideas for invoices below to help you visualize what you want for your brand.
Invoice Templates from Yours Truly
Now, let’s give you some ideas for your invoice design. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it needs to scream your branding.
We divided it into three designs to help you distinguish which one you want for your business.
Food
First, we have templates for food-niched businesses. If you want to create a mouthwatering design that excites your customers, these templates are for you.
Minimalist
Second, we have a general template design for any niche. These minimalist designs are for your invoice if you want that sleek, less-is-more vibe.
Handwritten
Lastly, more personal, fun designs give your invoice pop. Check out the handwritten invoice designs below.
Design the Perfect Invoice Today!
There you have it, our guide to creating invoice design. Did you get ideas from the templates above?
Don’t forget to pair your invoice design with business cards, email signatures, Instagram posts, and more. For even more efficiency, consider using small business bookkeeping software to streamline your invoicing and financial management. Transact better with your invoice design today!
