Design agency tools: the stack that runs your agency.
Running a design agency means juggling concepts, revisions, client feedback and a team across half a dozen apps. This is the practical stack of design agency tools we'd recommend in 2026 - split into what you can buy off the shelf and the internal tools you usually have to build yourself.
2-week ops audit · nothing technical on your side · runs on your own accountsBuilt by an agency, for agencies. We automated Fame, our own podcast agency, first - now we build the same kind of tools for other people businesses - agencies, accountants, lawyers, consultants, recruiters - design studios included, and look after them.
Design & production tools
The layer most design agencies already use. These cover making the work - they don't cover running the agency.
Design software
Figma for product and brand, the Adobe stack for print and finished assets.
Feedback & review
Loom and Figma comments for async review; Notion docs for written briefs.
Project management
Asana, ClickUp or Linear, depending on how engineering-y your team is.
File delivery
Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer for final assets - and the inevitable folder-hunt.
The internal tools design agencies build
This is where most agencies hit a wall - and where Forge comes in. Off-the-shelf SaaS doesn't quite fit a design workflow, and a dev shop quotes $20k-$50k and leaves. Forge builds them for you around the tools you already use, and looks after them on a monthly plan.
Branded client portals
Each client logs in to see concepts, revisions, sign-offs and final assets - all under your agency's brand, not theirs.
learn more →Live project status pages
A shareable here's-where-your-project-is page so 'any updates?' emails stop arriving.
learn more →Client onboarding flows
Collect brand guidelines, assets and approvals the moment a client signs - one branded link instead of a fortnight of email.
learn more →Design-shaped time tracking
Log hours by client and project phase so you can see which engagements actually earn their margin.
learn more →Internal team hub
Who's working on what, the design system, the SOPs and brand guidelines, in one place.
learn more →Put together your design agency stack
Lock the design tools
Figma, Adobe and your review/feedback workflow. The work has to get made.
Map the client experience
Onboarding, concept review, revision rounds and sign-off.
Fill the internal gaps
The portals, trackers and status pages no generic app nails. That's what Forge builds for you and looks after.
Frequently asked questions
What tools does a design agency need?
At minimum: design software (Figma, the Adobe stack), a feedback and review workflow, a project management tool, and the internal tools to run clients - onboarding, a portal, status updates, time tracking and a team hub.
What's the best client portal for a design agency?
A portal shaped to design work - concepts, revisions, sign-offs, asset delivery - branded as your agency. Generic portal builders don't fit the workflow. Forge builds one for you and looks after it shaped to how you work.
How do design agencies track time without killing creativity?
By keeping logging effortless and tied to client and project phase, not minute-by-minute surveillance. The point is profitability per engagement, not a stopwatch.
Guides & playbooks
In-depth guides on taking the manual work out of running an agency.
Compare, learn, decide.
Glossary & calculators
The agency concepts and free tools behind this - plain-English definitions and instant calculators.