Studio Designer gives you access to powerful reports — but without the right processes feeding them, the numbers can feel confusing, incomplete, or even misleading. Many design firms assume reporting issues require a “better report” or a new dashboard. In reality, the biggest improvements come from cleaner inputs, not more features.
When your workflow is consistent, your data becomes reliable. And when your data is reliable, that’s when reporting becomes strategic.
✔️ Revenue summaries by client or project
They tell you who’s paying you… but not whether those projects are truly profitable.
✔️ Expense tracking aligned to categories
Great for compliance — but categories alone won’t tell you why margins drift.
✔️ Historical invoicing and payment details
Useful for tracking what’s been collected — but not what’s coming next.
These reports do their job. They just can’t do the job of insight without a strong accounting foundation behind them.
If team members log time inconsistently…
If vendor records are incomplete…
If projects aren’t structured the same way across the firm…
Your reports will reflect that inconsistency.
It surfaces the data — but it doesn’t determine whether the data is accurate, complete, or meaningful.
Even the cleanest reports don’t tell you why something happened. That’s where advisory work comes in — interpreting patterns, identifying risks, and helping firm owners make decisions that drive profitability.
The Real Formula: Processes → Data → Reporting → Insight
This is where design firms unlock value:
Set up Studio Designer the right way
Clean vendor records, consistent time tracking, accurate job setup.
Follow consistent accounting processes
Log time the same way, categorize the same way, invoice the same way.
Generate dependable reports
Now the data reflects reality.
Use advisory insights to grow
Once you can trust your numbers, you can make the decisions that actually move the business forward.
If you want reporting you can rely on, the foundation starts with your processes. Our Studio Designer Playbook shows you how to set up workflows that create cleaner data — which leads to clearer reporting and better decision-making down the road.
Download the Studio Designer Playbook
https://www.accountingfrontier.com/studio-designer-playbook