50 Beautiful and Functional Invoice Designs: Examples To Inspire You
Having a well designed invoice pays off – literally.
Let’s face it, invoices don’t seem like the most fun thing in the world to design, but this doesn’t mean they’re not important.
When you think about it, your invoice is often your last point of contact with a client, the final physical (or digital) correspondence you make with them at that point in time, so it’s important to leave them with a well-designed, easily navigable, and beautiful invoice in order to make a stellar last impression.
So, let’s look at 50 beautiful and functional invoices and the techniques they use that will hopefully inspire you to get started with your own invoice today!
Let’s kick this list off with a beautiful, simple, and professional design. This invoice design by Aaron Dickey keeps things sleek by using a super simple page layout, with a muted, calming block of colour and scaled-up type to draw attention to certain points of the design – the title, the nitty gritty numbers/information, and the final thanks.
Choose which parts of your design you want to emphasise and emphasise them in a way that fits the rest of the content/design.
02. A Stamp Of Approval
This invoice design by Rich Sullivan is elegant, simple and sharp. There is a heavy focus on the strong lines, neat alignment and rich blacks of the tables and sections which are interrupted by the custom red ‘stamp’ graphic. This small addition helps to customise the design and break up the sharp professionalism with a simple personal touch.
Remember: having a sleek, sharp and professional layout doesn’t mean that there is no room for some personalisation and a little unique flair.
Is your brand friendly and bold? If so, why not introduce elements of that friendliness and confidence in your invoice design? This invoice by BGG Design Studio greets viewers with a big, confident ‘hello’ and directs them through the document, right until the final ‘thank you’.
Of course a bold approach like this isn’t universal and definitely wouldn’t work for every brand. But, if it looks like something you can imagine suiting your brand well, why not play with scale, colour and font weights to draw all the right kinds of attention?
This design by Cameron McEfee dispels the notion that a luxurious design has to be minimal. This design absolutely screams classiness and elegance, but is also highly functional with all of the information it manages to pack into one sheet.
Check it out, this design includes a logo, contact information, billing addresses, a high-capacity invoice information table, a small terms and conditions, and even a small calendar at the very bottom!
All of these elements are wrapped up in a sophisticated, trustworthy and beautiful design that perfectly blends form and function.
Is your brand a little too avant-garde for run-of-the-mill envelopes? Consider mixing up the way you package and present your invoice for a bit of unique flair and first impression. This example by Torgeir Hjetland andLudvig Bruneau Rossow for gourmet restaurant ‘Maaemo’ that presents the invoice folded in a sharp, angular way that “reflects on lines, shapes, rhythm and light creating a poetic, Nordic modernism.”
Keep in mind that design doesn’t stop on the page – how you package and present your designs (including invoices) is always noticed. While this specific technique might be a little adventurous for some brands, it’s always smart to keep in mind the little details!
Gone are the days where every last inch of a page should be filled with complex watermarks, graphics, and excessive type. Instead, consider embracing the minimal movement and stripping your design back, letting a little whitespace into your life, and just see what it can do for you.
This invoice by Gaby Bonilla-Escala as a part of her personal branding uses small type, wide margins and only the bare necessities of information/type. And the result? A to-the-point, clean, sophisticated and timeless invoice.
Who said invoices can’t be a little quirky? If you have a brand that works and plays, have a look at this simple, but fun invoice design that takes inspiration from notebook.
This design by Dimitar Stojanov has a “paper-like look and feel which gives an impression like it is torn right from your personal notebook”. Overall, when you break it down, the design is fairly simple, but with the simple added elements of the ruled lines/margins, and the coloured paper, this design is transformed from an everyday invoice to a fun and memorable one.
As you might be able to pick out through this list, a majority of invoices’ type is left aligned, with a few right-aligned elements. This elegant example by Ari Krzyzek however has opted for a center alignment to create a balanced and sophisticated design.
This design also uses colour intentionally, by highlighting the most important information – the brand name, and grand total sum in the trademark red. Topped off with a simple, delicate border and patterned envelope to match, this invoice has a little of everything – sophistication, balance, and function.
This technique is not for the faint hearted, but it’s definitely guaranteed to make people notice and remember your design. For this design by Bethany Heck the fundamentals of this design are kept fairly simple – clean lines, simple type, wide margins and some elegant white space (or technically speaking, yellow space).
But, while the design is simple, elegant and fairly uniform, the real kicker of this piece lies in the paper itself. By printing the design onto bright yellow paper that matches the rest of the branding (check it out here), this invoice is given a branded flair and uniqueness that rivals just about every other page on your desk.
This point goes off of the last regarding the idea that switching up your paper colour can give your invoice a small but stylishly unique effect. This piece byMash Creative isn’t quite as gaudy or jarring as the previous bright yellow example, but the subtle off-white tone of the paper gives this design that little extra bit of style and sophistication.
The design of the invoice itself is equally as beautiful. With a classy serif typeface, wide margins, the bronze foiled logo, and an easily navigable layout, this piece is elegant, sophisticated and stylish.
What are your thoughts on printing your invoice on coloured paper? Why not consider choosing a tone other than white, anywhere from a simple off-white, to a vibrant yellow, the choice is always there!
On the topic of colour, let’s run over colour palettes. This design by Matias Gallipoli uses a small colour scheme of just 3 cool tones to create this clean, professional and sharp design. By using these three colours to create sharp blocks of colour and lines, plenty of whitespace, and simple typography, this design is kept sophisticated, clean, and sharp.
When picking out your colour palette, try to keep it as simple as you can. Choosing too many colours, or colours that don’t complement each other is the fastest way to turn your design from chic to cheap. For some handy tips on how to use colour in your designs, be sure to check out these 10 colour secrets direct from designers!
Chances are that when you design your invoice you will have to use some (or a lot of) lines at some point to help divide your information and make it all navigable and understandable. Some people choose to hide these lines by making them faint, subtle, or unnoticeable, but why not consider making them a focal point as Luke O’Brien has done in this example.
This design uses a lot of obvious lines, and it uses them well. From the simple outside border, to the grid-like header that divides information, from titles, from logos, right down to the clean, simple table. The result is an organised and functional invoice that also looks really good, and happens to complement his logo. A win/win!
Not a fan of minimalism? Well, check out this example by Evgeni Yordanovthat brings a little less white space to the table, but a whole lot of character. By running bold, geometric and colourful graphics (that match the overall branding design) up along the side of this invoice, this design is just guaranteed to stand out and to project a brand voice of fun, excitement and confidence.
While this heavily graphic route is definitely not suited for every brand, it’s good to keep in mind that your invoices can be tailored with as much or as little of your branding as you like.
Let’s face it – barcodes aren’t the prettiest things around, we generally don’t like to include them in situations where they’re not dire. But, in you invoice designing experiences, you might have to find a way to make barcodes work, just like Madison Scordino has done here.
This design as a whole is simple, elegant and clean. If we disregard the perforated barcode slip at the bottom of the page, when you first look at this design, the eye immediately focusses on the logotype which is placed front and center in the header, the largest header element by far. By using scale to draw attention to the logotype, Madison Scordino has managed to draw attention away from the small barcode in the header.
Remember: there’s always a way to direct the eye towards one element and away from the other. Play with your scale, colour, and positionings and ask for second opinions until you get it right.
Why not bring some old world charm into your design by introducing some texture and warm tones for a vintage-inspired look. Check out this invoice byRob Brink’s design and printing service that brings in some print-inspired textures throughout.
It’s easy to go overboard with texture, so pick your battles early on and decide where you want to texturise and where you don’t.
However, once you’ve chosen the right place for your texture, consider pairing it with warm, muted colours similar to the ones used by Rob Brink here to really evoke that vintage feeling.
This beautiful pastel design by Jonathan Shackleton brings a lot of personality and fun to boring old invoices. The layout has been kept simple, with wide margins, lots of clearance space for each element, and overall, a very easily navigable design, but it has also been kept playful and branded with the simple addition of the patterned border that matches the rest of the branding.
However, Jonathan Shackleton has cleverly also developed a more sophisticated and simple layout design for his invoice as you may see below.
The same basic design, the same principles at work, just a much stricter colour scheme and professional tone. So, keep in mind with this and every other example in this list, the basic design principles you see at work can always be remodeled, reshaped, and changed about to suit your brand.
As much as we like to think otherwise, nobody likes receiving a bill or invoice, forking over your hard earned money is hard at the best of times. But why not try to make things a little sweeter with a friendly typographic heading, like this example from Aidan Connolly and Amber Goedegebuure.
This invoice design is small, delicate and warm, as is the friendly greeting at the top, styled in a classy serif typeface. The sizing of this invoice itself is something that definitely sets it apart from the rest, and makes it less of a demanding document and more of a gentle reminder and friendly closing to the transaction.
On the topic of using design elements to create a tone of voice, check out this invoice from Janus Badenhorst that absolutely screams excitement, cheerfulness and positivity. Through each design element, from the colour, to the patterns, the bold and rounded type, and everything in between, this invoice has been designed to perfectly slot in with the designers’ own personal brand and personality.
Keep in mind the idea that your invoice is often your last contact with a client, so it’s a good way to leave that final lasting impression and really drive home who you are and what you are all about.
Want to include some colour in your design but don’t want to overcomplicate your layout with flashy graphics, shapes or coloured paper? Check out this example by Kiran Mathews that introduces small splashes of colour via the title/grand total sum and the guide lines.
This design has also opted for a bit of an atypical typeface choice. While many invoices opt for the sleek sans-serif or the traditional serif, this one has gone for the monospaced Courier-like typeface, which bumps up the vintage vibe a few notches.
As you may know if you’ve ever designed a publication or considered publications through a design-eye, titles are often given special treatment. Sometimes they have funky effects added to them, sometimes they are scaled up, or arranged in interesting ways. So, why not consider introducing this method of title treatments into your invoice as Aura Seltzer has done here.
In this invoice example, the title of the document, ‘invoice’, has been scaled way up and filled with an intriguing pattern that is “derived from material explorations (physical and digital) and my appropriation of a fellow designer’s files from similar explorations.“
This intriguing treatment of the title gives this design a unique and stylish effect, and not to mention the added bonus of translating to consumers right away what this document exactly is.
This invoice by illustrator Kevin Luong showcases his skills by integrating his own illustrations and work into the design. This is a simple but clever way to customise your design to you, your brand, and your skillset.
So, consider finding a way to play up your skills and your strengths – whether they be your branded tone of voice (see point #17 and #18), your way with words, your graphic design skills, etc. Try to create an invoice that reflects you and what it is you do.
This design by David M. Smith is another example of an invoice that plays up on the vintage aesthetic by using texture, muted colours and a vintage-inspired layout. From the subtly faded patterns, to the photocopy-inspired texture of the background, this invoice has a wholehearted traditional vibe to it.
Designing yourself a vintage-inspired invoice like this one can give your brand a degree of trustworthiness, as though it’s been around for a long time, and as though your brand is traditional and does things the old fashioned way, with care, time and precision.
Do some research into old documents and how they were designed, how they age, and how they work to get a better understanding of how to bump up the vintage-factor in your design.
Design doesn’t end on the computer, there’s an endless amount of extra details and finishes you can consider to give your design that added flair. Check out this invoice design by Duane Dalton that has incorporated a classy metallic foiling to the logo and title of this invoice which is a small change with a big impact.
Consider your invoice’s printing finishes – perhaps you’re a fan of foiling, or embossing, or any other finishes your printer offers. It might seem like a very small inconsequential thing, but it can add a whole new degree of class, sophistication, and attention to detail to your design.
We’ve seen a few borders in this list already, but check out the one on this invoice by Juhi Chitravanshi. With a clear signature colour of blue, Juhi Chitravanshi has gone in and created a bold border of colour that perfectly matches the title, logo, and table.
By creating a border like this, you are able to reinforce your brand colours, and give your invoice a simple but bold effect. Consider adding a colourful border to your invoice for a little bit of something new.
A big hallmark of a majority of invoices is the table that contains each item, quantity, price, etc. However, as this beautiful and cheerful example byBreanna Rose showcases, there are a few alternatives to the traditional table route.
In this example, the table has been replaced by a simple block of colour and each item is simply written out and aligned neatly under bolded titles. Top this simplistic approach off with a clean and cheerful use of colour, a stylish blend of serif and sans-serif, and a pleasing use of whitespace and you have yourself a beautiful invoice.
Keep in mind though, that if you expect your invoices to have a lot of content, a table might bode a bit better for you than a more simplistic approach like this one, as tables help organise a lot of content in an easily navigable way. Always balance that form and function, people!
26. Create Your Own Table
On the topic of tables, let’s look at an example that strays from the typical row/column design that a lot of invoices have and look at one that has developed its own layout.
This invoice (to the right of the image) by Lundgren+Lindqvist uses an atypical layout for an invoice and table by arranging and aligning the items along fine lines positioned across the page. This creates a minimal aesthetic, but also helps to arrange the information in a more navigable and neat way.
As Lundgren+Lindqvist say, “The fine lines and accompanying grid system allude well to the ideas of detail, planning and accuracy”.
So, feel free to play with your table design, strip away all of the guidelines altogether, use very few or use a lot. Find what works and run with it.
27. Scale It Up
As beautiful as your invoice is, the eye is naturally going to go right towards that bottom number, the grand total sum and what amount is due. And since there’s nothing worse than hunting through a complex document looking for the amount due, consider scaling up that element to make that process a whole lot easier.
This example by Andre28 has used colour, scale and hierarchy to draw emphasis to the grand total sum, making it unmistakably prominent and simple to pick out. Consider using hierarchy, scale and a highlighting colour to draw attention to the most important parts of your invoice design for maximum clarity for your consumers – they’ll thank you for it!
28. Use Your Space
This example is another for the people who are less about white space and more about filling space. This invoice design example by Mode Design makes it so that just about every inch of the page is at work – whether it’s occupied by a striking header graphic, a narrow table of details, or a high-capacity table for all of your invoicing needs.
One thing to note about this design is that while it does use a lot of space, it has kept its margins along the outside edges fairly wide, and has left a small amount of space between each element to let them ‘breathe’.
If you’re interested in going for a more detailed and full layout like this one, be sure to balance it out with margins and small amounts of space to keep it from getting cluttered.
29. Organic And Earthy
This invoice design by Minji Pak is very simple in its overall design, and yet it has a very strong tone and vibe around it of earthiness and organicness, thanks to the use of brown card and the type-writer like typeface choice.
Pairing the brown card, typewriter-like typeface, and the warm red accent colours transforms this invoice from a super simple and bare design into an evocative and beautiful one.
We tend to think of brown paper as ‘natural’, which is why a lot of health foods or ‘natural’ products are packaged in brown card. So, when it comes time to consider what kind of paper or cardstock to print your invoice onto, consider the ‘feeling’ you get from the colour and texture of each sample. White paper is often clean and crisp, while brown card is often warm and natural.
30. Flip Your Type Around
A cool way to add in some modern design into your invoice without compromising the professional and clean aesthetic is to play with the positioning of your type.
Check out this invoice example by Studio Newwork that flips the header information onto its side and positions elements of the brand name around the top of the page. While this doesn’t affect readability (the ability to consume and understand the text) it does affect legibility (the ability to read text without any conscious effort), but in a fairly minor way.
In short, playing with the positioning and arrangement of your type makes for a simple way to bring in a little avant garde without going too extreme.
31. Get Cohesive
Here’s yet another example proving the power that coloured paper and card can have on your design. This invoice is a part of a brand identity package byTom Munckton that has a signature pastel mint colour and bold sans-serif typeface.
In this way, by using coloured card as a part of the brand, branding the invoice to fit with the rest of the deliverables is made simple, quick, and very cohesive.
Does your brand use a signature colour in a specific way? If so, consider translating that across to your invoice to brand it in a quick second.
32. Linear Vs. Curvilinear
As you may notice by now, a lot of the invoices we’ve looked at use very linear shapes and lines. This is, of course, to help keep designs clean and coherent, however, this doesn’t mean that throwing a few curveballs into the mix will ruin your design’s clarity.
Check out this invoice design by Ryan Hamrick that draws inspiration from the cursive logotype and creates a heavy header graphic. This, paired with a neater, more linear table, and a simple colour scheme makes for a subtly but eye-catching and unique design.
33. Bold Outlines
This design by Made in England creates an easily navigable and easy to use template that also has a strong degree of character. The strong lines, beautiful colour scheme and the very faint texturing going on makes for a design that looks just as good as it functions.
Take note of how many (or rather, how few) colours this design uses as well, and how it makes them work. Keep in mind that limited colour palettes definitely don’t put a limit on your design.
34. Right Align It
This invoice design by Bibliotheque has a fairly simple and clean layout, the main point of difference being the slight lean it has to the right of the page rather than the left.
The ‘heavier’ elements (the logotype, the table, the payment terms, etc.) are all positioned to the right of the design rather than the left, leaving a wider margin to the left. The result, however, is not jarring, but rather effective and still balanced as a whole.
35. Choose A Feature Colour
As we’ve discussed, a godo way to keep your design clean and professional is to limit the amount of colours you use to about 2-3 if possible. Another tip is to pick one feature colour to really emphasise and draw attention to asHelloImKim has done in this personal branding example.
The use of the ‘tangerine’ colour to highlight certain parts of the design helps to guide the eye through the design and draw attention to the most important pieces. HelloImKim has used a paler shade of the tangerine too, to keep the vibrant motif going without overcomplicating things.
36. Get Asymmetrical
A little asymmetry never hurt anybody, so why not explore it with your invoice design. This beautiful set of invoices by Between use asymmetrical margins, with a very wide margin to the left and top and a more narrower one to the right and bottom.
As for the rest of the invoice, by using delicate, fine lines and shapes and very simple clean type, this design is kept light and open. Why not explore asymmetry with your design today?
37. Bold Graphic Watermarks
You don’t see a lot of watermarks in current design, which is just the result of the natural progression of trends, but don’t totally discount watermarks yet.
This design by Bunch uses one big, bold, coloured watermark graphic on the invoice that is taken directly from the branding design (check it out in full here). By using a flat, bold graphic for the watermark, the design is not over complicated or left looking out of date.
Consider your brand and ask yourself if you could take any one or two elements of your branding and transform them into a stylish watermark-like graphic.
38. Black Out
Who said professional documents had to be on white paper? Check out this sleek and sophisticated invoice design by Lorena Redzepovski that inverts your typical invoice colour expectations by rendering the design as white on black.
The design as a whole outside of the use of colour is fairly simple and sleek, in keeping with the tone of the brand. As for the use of colour, the flat black, with simple white elements and type really makes for a unique degree of sophistication and modernity. Plus, black never goes out of style!
39. Splash Of Colour
Sometimes all you need to bring a little touch of something unique into your design is a splash of colour.
Check out this invoice (to the right of the image) design by Heydays that brings life, energy and a dash of branding into what is otherwise a very simple invoice design simply by rendering the header logotype in a geometric block of colour.
If you’re intrigued by this method, consider using geometric shapes and sharp lines like this design does for your splashes of colour in order to keep your design clean and linear.
40. Who Needs Margins?
We’ve preached enough about the importance of margins, now let’s look at an example that blows that out of the water. This design by Anagrama is yet another example that adds a touch of modern design and avant garde-inspiration into an invoice.
By bringing the header right up to the top of the page, margins forsaken, this design creates a little bit of a jarring effect. Even for people who know very little about design would notice that this design sits higher than normal. However, the result is a funky, effective and engaging design.
Top off this margin experimentation with a beautiful speckled and textured paper stock and a foiled logotype and you have yourself a striking and memorable invoice.
41. Break It Down
This example by Heavenly breaks down the invoice contents in an understandable, navigable way by using blocks of colour, grid-like section dividers and typographical hierarchy. By positioning the largest type and the most vibrant colours towards the top of the page, the eye is drawn there first, and then through the walk-through of the numbers, figures, and info.
Do you think you could break down your invoice in a more coherent or clear way in order to help consumers understand exactly where their money is going? If so, why not give it a go!
42. Go Vertical
As you may have noticed while perusing this list, a lot of invoices position their logo, title, and contact information in a header bar that stretches along the top of the page. However, check out this example that flips that notion on it’s head (or rather, on it’s side).
This invoice by Passport Design Bureau puts the logo, title, contact information, etc. along the lefthand side of the page rather than at the top. This pushes the rest of the elements towards the right of the page, making for a taller, bigger table for all of your invoicing needs – how convenient!
Consider rearranging your elements, experiment and tailor your layout to what you and your invoice/brand needs.
43. Strip It Back
Let’s dash back to the topic of minimalism for a minute and look at this invoice design by Damien Tsenkoff that really exemplifies all things minimal and simple.
In this example, whitespace is arguably the most dominant feature. The super simple use of type, colour and the use of only the bare necessity of graphic elements are what make this design shine.
If you’re ever in doubt for what kind of invoice to design, going super simple might be a good solution as it fits with just about any brand and situation.
44. Classy And Timeless
Are you into the vintage vibe, but aren’t quite liking the distressed, textured, or faded designs? Well, check out this vintage-inspired design for ‘Foundation’.
Designer Anna Yeager describes the branded design with words like “vintage”, “simplicity”, “subtle” and “classy”, all of which are words I think we can agree this invoice evokes. With the use of a light cream-coloured paper, wide and open margins, and sophisticated traditional serif typefaces, this design keeps things professional and modern but with a touch of old world class.
45. Make It Modular
This design by Triboro uses a bit of a different grid than we’ve seen previously in this list. By creating a stair-shaped grid system to organise the information, the design is given a unique structure. Plus, a lot of order and neatness is applied to the content, information and figures.
Underneath this very functional grid system is another notebook-inspired design. With ruled lines throughout the page, this helps elements align more neatly and creates a nice subtle texture and patterning to the design as a whole. Top it off with fuchsia accents for a little pop of colour and you have a simple but strikingly functional design.
46. Flip It Over
Paper, by nature, has two sides. So, have you considered designing both of those sides to create a bit more of a 360° experience for consumers?
Check out how Bureau Burger have executed their design neatly and cleanly on one side, with a nice amount of whitespace, clean colours and simple typography. And then, on the opposite site, there is a fill of the the signature light red colour and some bold type. Simple, quick, but incredibly effective.
By designing both sides of your invoice, however simply, you can give your design an added element of detail and professionalism. Plus, this way, your design will look good from just about every angle.
47. Strips Of Colour
This design, once again by Matias Gallipoli, is clean, sharp and professional thanks to the use of colour, the white space, and the fairly minimal elements.
However, note that this design doesn’t leave blank margins along the edges, this one runs colour from left to right and top to bottom. But, instead of choking or overwhelming the design, this technique leaves the design sharp and clean from edge to edge.
48. Beautiful Type = Beautiful Designs
It’s easy to get wrapped up in blocks of colour, palettes, and graphics when designing an invoice, but an element that will pack the most punch in your design is arguably typography.
For example, check out the beautifully set type in this example by Laura Berglund. The elegant serifs with fairly loose leading, the loosely tracked addresses, and the neatly aligned paragraphs are what really make this design shine.
So, remember: pay close attention to your type, if you treat it nicely, it’ll return the favour.
49. Simplicity, Style And Sophistication
This invoice design by La Tortilleria channels style and sophistication with a simple, monochromatic colour palette, delicate and light typefaces, and a slightly embellished but still simplistic and fine linework to organise the information.
A quick and easy way to make your design look chic and stylish is to limit your palette as much as possible, choose some typefaces that complement each other (here’s a guide for that) and use fine, simplistic graphic elements only where needed.
50. Keep It Clean
This final invoice design by Michael Sycz and Noeeko keeps things, once again, simple. By leaving the left margin relatively open, save for the brand mark, the eye is drawn to the top first, and then throughout the rest of the design.
Overall, this design is clean, simple, informative and neat, but has its own personality thanks in part to the speckled paper stock on which it’s printed. This is a fantastic design to look at for anyone looking for a basic but beautiful invoice to get inspired by.
Over To You
Sure, invoices are business documents, but this doesn’t mean they have to be boring. You have as much room to customise your invoice as you like, whether it be stripping it back to its minimalist roots, or building it up to reflect your brand identity. Just remember to keep it just as functional as it is stylish.
What approach intrigues you the most for your future (or current) invoices? Are there any extra tips, tricks, or pearls of advice you’d like to share for anyone beginning their own invoice designs? If so, leave them down in the comments below!
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