Time Tracking for Design Agencies

Time Tracking Software for Design Agencies

Design work involves creative ideation, multiple revision rounds, and production phases that can be difficult to quantify. Professional time tracking helps design agencies bill accurately for concept development, revisions, and production work while maintaining profitability on creative projects.

40%
More billable hours captured
25%
Better project profitability visibility
88%
Accuracy in design project estimates

Time Tracking Built for Design Agencies

Design agencies face unique challenges around time tracking accuracy and billable hour capture that generic tools cannot address. With project-based pricing with milestone payments, your team of designers, art directors, copywriters, and project managers needs a time tracking system that understands managing iterative creative review cycles with multiple stakeholders across concurrent projects. AgencyPro's time tracking capabilities are designed specifically for service businesses like yours. Rather than forcing you to adapt enterprise software or cobble together freelancer tools, AgencyPro streamlines the process of logging hours accurately across clients and projects in a way that matches how design agencies actually operate. Tracking billable hours per project, Monitoring retainer utilization, Generating timesheet reports, Analyzing team productivity — all connected to your client projects and team workflows. The impact of poor time tracking and ensuring all billable work is captured compounds quickly for design agencies. When lost billable hours and inaccurate project costing become the norm, it affects not just your bottom line but your client relationships and team morale. Key metrics like billable utilization rate, time capture accuracy, cost per project hour determine whether your agency thrives or merely survives. AgencyPro gives you the visibility and automation to optimize these metrics and build a more profitable, scalable operation.

Why Design Agencies Need Better Time Tracking

Graphic and web design agencies creating brand identities, websites, marketing collateral, and UX/UI designs.

Tracking time spent on concept development, ideation, and initial design exploration

Measuring hours for multiple revision rounds and client feedback incorporation

Capturing time for production work, file preparation, and asset delivery

Distinguishing between billable creative time and non-billable administrative tasks

How AgencyPro Solves Time Tracking for Design Agencies

Smart time tracking with project-level timers, billable/non-billable categorization, and team timesheets.

Track time by design phase (concept, development, revisions, production) for accurate billing

Monitor time spent per revision round to identify scope creep and adjust pricing

Categorize time by project type (branding, web design, print, packaging) for pricing insights

Generate reports showing time allocation across clients and project types for profitability analysis

Key Benefits for Design Agencies

Capture Every Billable Hour

Multiple tracking methods — timers, manual entry, and weekly timesheets — ensure no billable work goes unrecorded. Integration with project tasks means time is always allocated correctly.

Real-Time Retainer Visibility

Monitor how many retainer hours each client has used in real-time. Get alerts before clients exceed their allocations so you can manage scope and expectations proactively.

Accurate Project Costing

Understand the true cost of every project by tracking time at the task and phase level. Compare estimated hours versus actual to improve future project pricing and estimates.

Team Productivity Insights

See billable utilization rates per team member, identify capacity for new work, and understand how time is distributed across clients and project types.

How It Works

1

Start Timer for Design Work

Begin tracking time when starting concept development, design work, or revisions with automatic project and client association.

2

Track by Design Phase

Time entries are automatically categorized by phase (concept, development, revisions, production) for detailed analysis and billing.

3

Analyze and Bill

Review time spent per project, identify efficiency opportunities, and export to invoices with detailed time breakdowns by phase.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we track time for design work that involves multiple revision rounds?

Create separate time entries for each revision round, or use a single timer that tracks total time including all revisions. The system allows you to add notes for each revision, so you can see exactly how much time each round takes and identify clients who require excessive revisions for pricing adjustments.

Can we track time separately for concept development vs production work?

Yes, you can create separate time categories for concept development, design execution, revisions, and production. This helps you understand how much time each phase takes and price your design services more accurately. Many design agencies bill differently for concept work versus production and revisions.

How do we handle time tracking for design work that gets rejected or requires complete redesigns?

Track all time spent, including time on rejected concepts. This helps you identify problematic client relationships and adjust your processes. You can also set up time budgets per project phase and get alerts when time exceeds estimates, allowing you to address scope creep before it becomes a problem.

What about tracking time for design research and inspiration gathering?

Create separate categories for research and inspiration work versus actual design execution. Many agencies include research in project estimates or bill it separately. Tracking this time helps you understand the true cost of thorough design work and ensures you're compensated fairly for research and ideation phases.

Track Design Time Accurately

Ensure every hour of design work is properly tracked and billed. Improve your design agency's profitability with accurate time tracking.