If you’re a designer or other creative professional, you shouldn’t ever be without an agreement between yourself and your client. Even if your client is the cat’s pajamas, things could get ugly and it’s always best to have something to fall back on if they do. Even if you’re not planning for worst-case scenarios, it’s always helpful to be able to refer to something that details everyone’s responsibilities. We do tend to forget things. Here we’ll cover the basics of a good agreement, and I’ve got a few good links to share on where you can go to get some help.
So what should be in a good agreement? Here are a few things:
- Who the agreement is between and what you’re doing
- How much and by what means you’re being compensated
- When and how you’re to be compensated with a schedule
- When you’re going to deliver what you’re being paid to do
- The scope of the project
- Copyright and ownership
- Who to call if things go technically wrong
- What happens to the work you create if something goes wrong
This article from 24 ways is a great reference and is geared towards web design and development. Even if you don’t do web, it’s a great place to start for any creative service.
MediaInspiration has a pretty nice—and very meaty—terms and conditions (PDF link) form that’s a little more general but has some great tips.
You should also have a look through the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook. It covers a lot more than agreements, such as pricing, legal and ethical practices.
It also doesn’t hurt to have a lawyer read through your contract, just to make sure you aren’t leaving out something obvious.
