What Should You Include In Your Design Contracts?

Superside
Superside
Aug 24, 2017 · 3 min read

Have you ever had a design client that disappeared without paying you a dime? After all your hard work, you could not believe it!

If so, chances are you and the client had not signed a design contract. Working without a design contract can lead to you as a designer getting burned by scams and bad clients.

A good design contract protects your time and money. With this comes great peace of mind. You can reduce work-related stress and get back to doing your very best work. You know that your design contract protects against the project going bad. You only agree, in writing, to things that both parties can confidently provide.

Here are the most important terms and conditions you should agree upon in contracts to avoid getting burned on design projects.

First up, your design contract needs to concretely state the project fee for your design work. This can be an hourly rate for hours billed or a fixed project fee. Your design contract needs to identify a payment schedule. This can be, for instance, payment every week or payment every month.

With fixed fee projects, you can agree to be paid according to specific milestones. In a 2008 pricing survey, designer David Airey found that it was a common practice among designers to charge 50% of the project fee upfront. The advantage of such an approach is that it reduces your commitment risk. You are now working with a client who has shown their seriousness. Then the rest of the fees can be paid according to milestones such as the completion of parts of the work or successive revisions.

Define Project Scope And Avoid Scope Creep

Project over-runs cost you money as a designer. The extra time you spend going back and forth for an extended period of time could be money spent on billable work instead. The surest way to protect yourself is to tightly define project scope in your design contract and avoid scope creep. Agree in writing on what the project objectives are as well as what the final deliverables will be.

Designers sometimes have a problem saying “No”. If the client presents a new demand mid-way through the project, your natural instincts may be to go along to please the client. Only when the new demand takes too long do you realize this was a bad idea. Therefore, define what will be done upfront. Have a clear idea what you will not do as part of the project deliverables. Agree to it in writing in your design contract, and then stick to it.

In a discussion thread on Millo, many designers indicated that they provide up to 3 revisions for clients. Some of these were included in the quote price for the work while other designers charged a fee per revision.

Communications Commitments For Either Party

Yet another essential element of the design contract is setting expectations for communication and availability.

Some clients demand frequent updates in real time. Others want a weekly project status call. You as a designer may prefer, say, email updates.

Your design contract needs to lay the standard down for both parties in a way you are happy with. Along with the manner and acceptable time for communication, your contract should point out the essential documents that either side must provide.

A breakdown in communication often has led to project failure on time-sensitive design projects. Having contractual communication obligations can help both sides keep on track.

Know more, read the full article here: What to Include in Design Contract

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