What Contracts Do I Need to Run a Graphic Design Business?

So you’ve started a graphic design business. You’re one of those hard-working, eye-for-art, attention-to-detail, creative-legend types. And the world is your oyster because every single business out there needs quality design in some form or another!

But before you go hawking your wares all over town (or the world), you need to ensure that you have the right contracts in place to keep your IP protected, save yourself from being taken advantage of, and legally support your business so it can absolutely thrive! So what contracts do you need to run a graphic design business?

Let’s have a look.

Services Agreement for Graphic Designers

Having an ironclad Services Agreement for Graphic Designers will keep your scope wholly transparent and leave no room for grey areas (like extra revisions or weekend overtime). These bad boys cover payment terms, additional edits, turnaround times, intellectual property protection, cancellations and refunds and more. A non-negotiable if you want to both get legit and keep on growing.

Website T&Cs

It’s imperative in business to reduce your risk of exposure and liability if things go pear-shaped. Nasty comments. Stolen images. The yucky stuff that sometimes happens online to good people. Get your Website T&Cs sorted for your graphic design biz to mitigate any issues surrounding copyright and protecting your IP as well as regulations around how visitors can use your website.

Even better? Grab our template that’s customisable and easy peasy to use (like all of our templates!). As a sidebar, friend, if you worry about your design work being stolen, we’d recommend you have a read of our blog all about how to deal if you get yourself stuck in that “my graphic artwork has been stolen” situation.

Privacy Policy

You love your client. Your client loves you. But what happens if their personal information is suddenly splashed all over the internet…from your site?! Get yourself a perfect wee Privacy Policy for Graphic Designers so you can sleep at night knowing your loving client relationship is safe and secure. A Privacy Policy explains to anyone on your site how you’ll collect, disclose and use any personal information that’s shared with you and helps keep your clients protected. Happy humans all around.

Digital Image Licence

If you’re planning to give yourself that golden egg of opportunity – passive income – by selling your graphics, illustrations or images and videos online, a Digital Image Licence is most definitely needed. It prevents people who buy your designs from using them in any way other than exactly how you’ve laid them out. For example, making it clear that there are no alterations to your images permitted and giving credit where (and how) it’s due. You set the limits on how they can and can’t use your creative genius!

If you plan to utilise stock images for any of your work, take the time to have a look at The Do’s and Dont’s of Stock Photography so you can plan legally and with foresight.

If you’re after even more contracts to legally legitimise your graphic design biz, hop over to our graphic designer’s template collection for the digital down-low, as it were. You’ll be glad you did.

***Disclaimer. Please read!!***

This article is for general information purposes only and should be used solely as general guidance. It does not and is not intended to represent legal advice or other professional advice.