Smart Financial Moves for Design Entrepreneurs

Master the numbers behind your creative hustle. This resource hub provides access to financial forecasting tools, pricing data, and market insights specifically tailored for designers and creative business owners. Whether you’re setting your rates, planning a budget, or exploring industry benchmarks, you’ll find what you need to grow profitably

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Financial Projection Tools & Templates

Plan and forecast with confidence using financial templates tailored for creative freelancers, agencies, and design studios.

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Futur – Pricing & Profitability Calculator for Creatives

A simple calculator to estimate hourly rates and ensure project profitability based on overhead, lifestyle, and project scope.

FreshBooks – Business Plan Template for Freelancers

Editable business plan tailored for solo service providers with sections for revenue goals, expenses, and projections.

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Indy logo in a modern purple gradient script font, representing creativity, design, and entrepreneurship.

Indy – Freelance Income Tracker Template

A lightweight, downloadable Excel tool to track income, expenses, and invoices for design freelancers.

Bench logo in dark serif font, representing modern design, bookkeeping, and entrepreneur-focused solutions.

Bench – Small Business Budget Template (Google Sheets)

A free budgeting tool designed for creatives to track their monthly business income, expenses, and profit margins.

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CreativeLive – Freelance Budget Worksheet

Helps creative entrepreneurs build an annual business budget that aligns with theirpersonal and professional goals.

Pricing Data & Market Research

Understand how much to charge and what others in the industry are earning. These resources help you benchmark rates and uncover client expectations.

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AIGA Design Census

Annual survey revealing salary trends, job roles, and employment data in the U.S. design industry.

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Dribbble – Freelance Design Pricing Guide

Insights on pricing freelance projects by category, client type, and experience level.

Payoneer Freelancer Income Report– Global insights into freelance earnings and trends"

Payoneer – Freelancer Income Report

Global report showing how much freelancers in creative fields earn by region and experience.

Upwork logo - empowering entrepreneurs and freelance designers worldwide

Upwork – Freelance Rates Report

A guide to hourly rates across creative industries—graphic design, branding, UI/UX, and illustration.

Academic & Industry Research

Utilize these studies and reports to gain insight into design industry trends, pricing models, and consumer behavior.

Design Economy report by Design Council – exploring the UK's design sector's economic, social, and environmental impact

Design Council – The Design Economy Report

UK-based report analyzing the economic impact and value of the design sector, including earnings and business trends.

Adobe Creative Professionals Report – Insights into the evolving landscape of creative work and digital transformation

Adobe – Creative Professionals Trends Report

Annual research into the mindset, income, and business trends of creative freelancers and agencies.