Design, collaborate, deliver. Client projects, brand assets, and team workflows - the creative agency starter kit.
Figma
Notion
Slack
Framer
CanvaDesign, manage, showcase, present, and brand - all in one stack.
The industry standard for collaborative design. Work with your team in real-time, build reusable component libraries, and hand off pixel-perfect specs to developers without extra tools.
Mac-native design experience
If your team is all-Mac, Sketch offers a fast native app with a mature plugin ecosystem. One-time licence option available. Strong among teams that prefer offline-first design tools.
Adobe ecosystem integration
If your team already uses Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects, XD keeps everything in the Adobe Creative Cloud. Good for agencies with legacy Adobe workflows.
Build client dashboards, design brief templates, and sprint boards in one workspace. Share project status with clients and keep all feedback, assets, and timelines organised.
Fast issue tracking
Built for speed with keyboard shortcuts and a beautiful UI. Cycles, sprints, and roadmaps work well for design teams shipping on tight timelines. Free for small teams.
Client-facing timelines
Timeline and calendar views that clients understand. Guest access lets clients see project progress without overwhelming them. Better for agencies with non-technical clients.
Paid — The CRM. Enterprise beast that does everything. Also costs everything. You'll ne...
The CRM. Enterprise beast that does everything. Also costs everything. You'll need it eventually if you go enterprise. Try Salesforce →
Freemium — CRM inside Gmail. Pipeline management without leaving your inbox. Simple, effect...
CRM inside Gmail. Pipeline management without leaving your inbox. Simple, effective, and free for solo users. Try Streak →
Paid — CRM built for Google Workspace. If your team lives in Gmail and Google Calendar,...
CRM built for Google Workspace. If your team lives in Gmail and Google Calendar, Copper fits like a glove. Try Copper →
Free — Open-source CRM. Self-hostable Salesforce alternative with a modern UI. Early bu...
Open-source CRM. Self-hostable Salesforce alternative with a modern UI. Early but promising. For teams that want to own their data. Try Twenty →
Paid — Cold email at scale. Unlimited email accounts, warmup, and sending. The growth h...
Cold email at scale. Unlimited email accounts, warmup, and sending. The growth hacker's outbound machine. Aggressive but effective. Try Instantly →
Design your agency site visually, add animations without code, and publish case studies through the built-in CMS. Import directly from Figma for a seamless design-to-site workflow.
Full CMS power
More powerful CMS with custom collections, e-commerce, and memberships. Better for agencies that also build client sites. Steeper learning curve but more capable long-term.
Simple portfolio templates
Beautiful templates that require minimal customisation. Best for designers who want a polished portfolio up fast without learning a new tool. Starts at $16/mo.
Walk clients through designs with recorded screen shares instead of scheduling review meetings. Explain your creative decisions, get timestamped feedback, and cut revision rounds in half.
Visual feedback on designs
Clients click directly on designs to leave feedback. No more vague comments like "make it pop." Annotations are pinned to exact locations. Great for reducing revision cycles.
Website review tool
Clients review live websites by clicking and commenting on specific elements. Perfect for the final QA stage of web design projects. Simple enough for non-technical clients.
Quick social media graphics, client presentation decks, and brand kit management without opening Figma. Perfect for the day-to-day marketing assets that don't need a full design workflow.
Industry standard suite
Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and more. The full professional toolkit for agencies doing print, motion, and photo work. Expensive ($55/mo) but comprehensive.
One-time purchase alternative
Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps that rival Adobe quality. One-time purchase ($70 each) instead of monthly fees. Great for budget-conscious agencies that want professional tools.
Launch your design agency with a portfolio, project management, and client workflows
Figma
Notion
Framer
Loom
Slack
Set up Figma team workspace and templates
Create project management system in Notion
Build portfolio site with Framer
Set up Loom for async design presentations
Configure Slack channels for client communication
Every tool pre-configured, setup order mapped out, integrations documented. Skip weeks of research.
Great design sells itself. Build your agency.
