Contracts and Legal Forms

Useful Legal Documents For Designers (PDF/DOC)

Contracts are a source of anxiety and dismay in creative work, but they exist for a good reason. A good contract ensures that you and your client have the same expectations, and protects you in case things go south. Ideally, your contract should be a combination of industry standards, legal protection and personal preferences. To help you get started, here’s a set of 10 basic agreements for a variety of common business situations that creative professionals face.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/08/free-download-useful-legal-documents-for-designers-pdf/

Website + Identity Design Contract

A modern Designer-Client Agreement. Its loosely based off the AIGA form, but closes some loopholes and trims the fat. Some provisions adapted from DC Toedt’s wonderful OnContracts Blog and Common Draft annotated contract form book (www.commondraft.com)

https://www.docracy.com/5598/website-identity-design-contract

AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services

Filed Under: Tools and Resources , Article , contracts

This agreement allows you to create customized terms and conditions for different types of design engagements. Updated in 2013, it is modular to meet the needs of a growing design community involved in various disciplines.

http://www.aiga.org/standard-agreement

Contract Killer by Andy Clarke

When times get tough, it can often feel like there are no good people left in the world, only people who haven’t yet turned bad. These bad people will go back on their word, welch on a deal, put themselves first. You owe it to yourself to stay on top. You owe it to yourself to ensure that no matter how bad things get, you’ll come away clean. You owe it yourself and your business not to be the guy lying bleeding in an alley with a slug in your gut.

Article: https://24ways.org/2008/contract-killer

Contract: https://24ways.org/examples/contract-killer/contract-sample.txt

The Collective Legal Guide For Designers (Contract Samples) By Veronica Picciafuoco

Rule number one for designers of all kinds: use a contract. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. Should I use a service agreement? A retainer? A licensing contract? With the help of Docracy, we collected the experience of many designers to provide a wide range of starting points for less experienced creative professionals, and to start a permanent free legal resource for the community.

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2013/04/legal-guide-contract-samples-for-designers/

Freelance Graphic Design Contract [SAMPLE] by Brent Galloway

DISCLAIMER: The information in this freelance contract is a sample based on the author’s experience, knowledge, and opinions. Users of this sample freelance contract are advised to do their own due diligence when it comes to making business decisions and all information should be independently verified by your own qualified professionals. By reading this article, you agree that the author is not responsible for the success or failure of your business decisions relating to any content presented in this article.

https://digitalfreelancer.io/freelance-contract/

Rocket Lawyer – Graphic Design Contract

NOTE: This is a for fee service

As a graphic designer, you want to meet the needs of your clients and get paid for the work you produce, so signing a graphic design contract is a good way to protect yourself. You can use our document to set client expectations, and should a disagreement arise, it will be easier to get it sorted out quickly and get paid for your time.

https://www.rocketlawyer.com/document/graphic-design-contract.rl#/

DOCRACY – Designer sample contract

This sample designer contract is what I use for my own work. It’s a hybrid of the AIGA, GAG and common sense changes for the sake of digital-signature contracts. The document was originally published at http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/07/how-…, where more information is available. Take this document for what it is, the laws in your state/country/dictatorship may differ!

https://www.docracy.com/3152/designer-sample-contract

Short Form Design Contract

The next time a client comes to you with a quick job, save yourself time and aggravation by sending them a Short Design Contract to be signed BEFORE you start working. The doc. is basically an abbreviated contract confirming the scope of the job, the schedule, fees to paid and essential terms and conditions. Use this style of contract for quick jobs or where a full-blown contract would make the client apprehensive.

https://www.docracy.com/5152/short-form-design-contract