Creative & production services
Books and taxes for branding and identity studios.
Logo deposits, brand book milestones, a freelance illustrator on the naming project, and a client who pays the final invoice two months late. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $11,600. The Sterling Goods rebrand's final milestone landed, so I moved the earlier deposit out of prepaid and into real income.
- Sterling Goods final pmtMilestone income
- Hartline depositProject deposits
- J. Reyes illustrationFreelance illustrators
- Adobe Creative CloudSoftware
- WeWork monthlyStudio and office
Why your books are different
Branding studio books go wrong at the deposit and the freelancer line.
A generalist sees a deposit and calls it income. Your business is a logo concept round, a refinement round, a style guide, and a brand book, each billed separately and each pulling in an illustrator or a photographer you do not keep on staff. When the books do not track the milestone, neither the month nor the return tells the truth.
-
1
The deposit is not this month's income
A client pays half of an $8,000 identity package before you open a file. Booked as income in month one, the month looks great and the two milestone payments that follow look thin by comparison.
What we doHolds the deposit until the matching milestone ships, then moves it into income the month the work is actually delivered. -
2
A freelance illustrator is not a supply expense
You bring in an illustrator for a mascot mark or a hand-lettered wordmark, pay her $1,800 across two invoices, and it lands in the same bucket as your Adobe subscription.
What we doKeeps freelance creative spend in its own line and tracks what you have paid each contractor toward the 1099 threshold. -
3
A brand book PDF gets treated like a logo file
A full brand guidelines document, with color codes, type systems, and usage rules, takes weeks longer than the mark itself and is usually priced and delivered separately, but many owners lump the whole engagement into one invoice line.
What we doKeeps identity design and brand documentation as separate income categories so you can see which part of the engagement actually pays. -
4
Slow-paying corporate clients hide a cash gap
A logo and identity project for a mid-size company can sit on a 60 or 90 day payment term, so the work is done and billed but the cash has not landed for months.
What we doTracks invoiced income against what has actually cleared the bank, so you know your real cash position, not just what is owed. -
5
A rebrand and a fresh startup logo get priced the same in the books
A full corporate rebrand with a style guide, packaging touch, and stakeholder rounds costs far more to deliver than a startup's first logo, but if both just say project income, you cannot tell which kind of work is worth taking on.
What we doTags project income by type so you can see over a year which kind of engagement actually made you money.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a branding studio.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Project depositsHeld until the matching milestone ships, not counted as income on arrival.
- Milestone incomeConcept rounds, refinement, and final delivery, billed and recognized as each stage closes.
- Brand book and guidelines feesDocumentation work billed apart from the mark itself.
- Rush feesCharged when a client needs a faster turnaround than your standard timeline.
- Extended usage feesWhen a client wants rights beyond the original agreement, such as a licensing deal.
Money out
- Freelance illustrators and photographersContractors brought in for a mark, a mascot, or brand photography.
- SoftwareAdobe Creative Cloud, Figma, and any brand asset management tool.
- Studio and officeRent, coworking membership, or a home office share of utilities.
- Stock assetsFonts, stock photography, and mockup templates licensed for client work.
- Client presentation costsPrinted proofs, mounted boards, or shipped physical samples for a pitch.
- Professional dues and educationDesign association memberships and courses that keep the work sharp.
What we watch for you
- Milestone backlog
Deposits collected but not yet earned, so you know what is really yours to spend.
- Contractor spend
What you pay illustrators and photographers against total income, tracked toward 1099 season.
- Days to get paid
How long a corporate client sits on an invoice before it clears.
- The set-aside
What you will owe on milestone and brand book income, tracked monthly so April holds no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things branding studio owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Not yet. I am holding it until you deliver the first milestone, so the month it shows up as income matches the month you actually earned it.
Yes, since it crossed $2,000. I have been tracking every payment to her, so the form is ready by January 31.
That one depends on your accounting method, and it changes what you owe now versus later. I am flagging it for the accountant to walk you through it.
The tax side
The tax side of a branding studio.
Most of what trips up an identity studio is timing: when a deposit becomes income, and whether a freelancer crossed the reporting line.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099s for creative helpAny illustrator, photographer, or freelance designer paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the running total all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo studios and small identity shops can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when income and expenses are tracked cleanly all year.
- Self-employment tax on solo incomeA one-person studio pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, so the monthly set-aside has to cover both, not just what looks like income tax.
- Equipment and software as a deductionA new monitor, tablet, or scanner for client work can usually be written off the year it is bought, same as your annual software licenses.
Deductions branding and identity studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Adobe Creative Cloud licenses
- Design tablet and stylus
- Studio or coworking rent
- Stock fonts and mockups
- Freelance illustrator fees
- Printed proofs and boards
- Portfolio site hosting
- Design association dues
- Client presentation shipping
- Continuing education courses
- Monitor and computer upgrades
- Accounting and legal fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A branding studio year, kept every month.
Rebrand season hits hard in January, then the work spreads out. Your team keeps you ahead of the calendar and the return. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Rebrand season starts
Last year's return gets started, the freelancer 1099 list is ready, and the busiest quarter for new identity work gets a monthly set-aside plan.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while the next rebrand pitch season ramps up. No surprise bill, since the set-aside started back in January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the spring rebrand rush changed the number.
- October
Before Q4 pitching
Clients plan next year's brand refresh before budgets close. Gus looks at equipment you might buy and moves worth making before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for branding and identity studios. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions branding studio owners ask first.
I bill in three milestones. Do I have to change how I invoice?
No. Keep billing the way your clients expect. Gus works from your bank statement and matches each payment to the right stage of the project.
Does a logo project and a full rebrand get booked differently?
Gus tags project income by the kind of work, so a quick logo mark and a full identity system with a brand book show up separately and you can see which kind of work pays best.
My freelance illustrator is also a friend I pay through Venmo. Does that matter?
How you pay her does not change whether she needs a 1099. Gus tracks total payments across the year no matter which app moved the money.
I do the occasional trade, like a logo for gear. Do I need to report that?
Usually yes, at fair value. Tell Gus about the trade and he records it on both sides so your books and your return reflect what actually happened.
My books are a mess from last year. Can Gus start there?
Yes. Send what you have, even if it is a year behind. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever