From a Recent Studio Designer Webinar
Studio Designer recently hosted a live walkthrough of its newest feature, Custom Checkout, led by Product Manager Anya Gurevich. The session tackled a problem a lot of interior designers deal with: a client reviews a beautifully branded proposal, then clicks “pay” and lands on a payment page that looks like it came from somewhere else entirely.
Studio Designer is business management software built for interior designers, covering proposals, invoicing, procurement, and accounting in one platform. StudioPay, its built-in payment tool, lets firms accept client payments directly through those proposals and invoices, without a separate merchant account or third-party checkout page. Custom Checkout is StudioPay’s fix for that branding gap.
Key Takeaways
- Custom Checkout lets design firms replace a generic payment page with one that reflects their own logo, colors, and identity, so clients know they’re paying you, not a piece of software.
- It’s included with StudioPay at no additional cost. There’s no separate fee or add-on to purchase.
- The experience has two parts: a customizable “shell” (header, logo, colors, layout) and the PDF proposal or invoice itself, which keeps its chosen theme consistent from send to payment.
- Client-facing details are built for clarity: visible payment history, clear failure messages if a card is declined, a proper confirmation screen, and safeguards against accidental double payments.
- Studio Designer is actively expanding this. Passwordless saved payment methods, ACH fee pass-through, and the ability to pay multiple invoices with a single link are all on the near-term roadmap.
Why This Matters If You’re Evaluating Design Software
If you’re comparing business management platforms for your design firm, payments are worth a close look. They’re one of the few moments in the client relationship that happens outside your direct control. A branded, professional payment page reduces client confusion, cuts down on “did my payment go through?” questions, and reinforces that your firm is the one running the show.
What Is Custom Checkout?
Custom Checkout gives your clients a branded, consistent payment experience from the moment you send a proposal to the moment they pay. Before this feature, clicking a pay link inside a proposal took clients to a page that looked like it came from the software provider rather than the design firm. Custom Checkout carries your firm’s branding through the entire payment process.
It’s a standard part of StudioPay, Studio Designer’s payment processing tool. Sign up for Studio Designer with StudioPay enabled, and this branded checkout experience is included, with no extra fee.
Why Payment Branding Matters for Design Firms
For a design business, collecting payment is often the client’s most sensitive touchpoint, not just an administrative step. Deposits, milestone payments, and final invoices are all moments where clients form an impression of how trustworthy a business is.
A payment page that looks generic or unbranded can create doubt at exactly the moment a client needs to feel confident. A page that clearly reflects the designer’s own brand does the opposite. It confirms who they’re paying and that the transaction is legitimate.
How Custom Checkout Is Structured
Custom Checkout is built from two independent pieces:
- The shell: the header, logo, brand colors, and layout surrounding the proposal. This is controlled on a dedicated branding page.
- The PDF itself: the proposal or invoice document, which uses whatever display theme and line-item settings were selected when it was shared, including custom PDF themes.
Because these are separate, a firm can update its overall branding shell without altering how an already-sent PDF appears, and vice versa.
Problems Custom Checkout Solves
| Common payment problem | How Custom Checkout handles it |
| Clients unsure if they’ve landed on the right page | Firm’s own logo, colors, and identity front and center |
| Inconsistent branding between the proposal and the payment page | Both stay visually consistent from send to payment |
| Clients confused about whether a past payment went through | Visible payment attempt history, including failed attempts and the reason for failure |
| Support headaches from untraceable transactions | Transaction IDs that match the firm’s payment dashboard |
| Easy-to-miss payment confirmation | A dedicated confirmation screen, plus a copy attached to the receipt email |
| Clients accidentally paying twice | Warnings on repeat payments and disabled back-navigation after a successful payment |
What Can You Customize?
On the branding page, available to firm administrators on StudioPay accounts, designers can configure:
- Identity: firm name, header title, and logo, with left or center alignment (right alignment is reserved for future client login functionality)
- Colors: header background, header title text, buttons and accents, and page background, set manually via hex code or a dropper tool, with a contrast warning if two colors are too similar
- Typography: header and body text sizing (font-face selection is planned for the next release)
Changes take effect immediately for all clients once published, so Studio Designer recommends previewing before publishing.
What Does the Client Experience Look Like?
When a client opens their Custom Checkout link, they see:
- The proposal number and an approval status badge (approved, rejected, or pending). Approval is optional and not required to pay.
- A payment summary showing subtotal, tax, total, deposit requested, and payment amount, with credit card processing fees calculated only after a payment method is selected
- A payment attempt history section showing prior attempts, including unsuccessful ones with the reason for failure
- A confirmation screen after payment, with the option to download a PDF copy and a warning if a similar payment was recently submitted, to help prevent accidental double payments
What’s Coming Next for Custom Checkout?
Studio Designer outlined several upcoming additions during the webinar:
- Client-level PDF settings: save display preferences, like whether to show markup or first component, once per client, instead of re-configuring them on every proposal
- Passwordless saved payment methods: clients enter an email or phone number and receive a one-time code, no password needed
- ACH fee pass-through: extending the existing credit card fee pass-through option to ACH payments
- Payment packages: a single payment link covering multiple invoices or proposals at once
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Custom Checkout cost extra?
No. It’s included with StudioPay as part of your Studio Designer subscription. There’s no separate fee.
Do I need any technical or design skills to set up branding?
No. Branding is configured through a simple settings page: add a logo, pick colors with a hex code or color picker, and adjust text size. No code or design software required.
Will this replace how I currently send proposals and invoices?
No. You still send proposals and invoices as PDFs the same way. Custom Checkout only changes what your client sees when they click the link to pay. It doesn’t change your workflow for creating documents.
Can my clients still pay by credit card or ACH?
Yes. Custom Checkout supports the same payment methods available through StudioPay, including credit card, with optional fee pass-through so processing costs can be passed to the client.
Is this only for large design firms?
No. Custom Checkout is included for every Studio Designer account with StudioPay enabled, regardless of firm size.
How do I get started?
Studio Designer offers a signup process to get your firm set up with StudioPay, which includes Custom Checkout by default. Reach out to the Studio Designer team to begin.
Studio Designer is the leading digital platform for interior designers managing and growing their design businesses, featuring fully integrated project management, time billing, product sourcing, and accounting solutions.
Want to learn how Studio Designer can work for your design firm? Schedule a call with our team: https://www.studiodesigner.com/get-a-demo/
We can’t wait to connect.