Professional Services-Proposals
Freelance Graphic Design Contract
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Proposal Outline
Freelance Graphic Design Contract
Parties and key terms
Services and delivery
Services and delivery (continued 2)
Fees and payment
Ownership and confidentiality
Ownership and confidentiality (continued 2)
Risk and liability
Risk and liability (continued 2)
Term and termination
General
General (continued 2)
Schedule 1: Services
Schedule 2: Fees
Signatures
About this template
This graphic design contract template sets terms between a freelance designer and a client. It limits the number of concepts and revision rounds, releases final and source files after payment, and keeps unused concepts with the designer. Use it for logo, brand or marketing design projects once the scope and price are agreed.
When to use this agreement
Use it for a defined design project where you deliver concepts, refine one through revisions and hand over final files. It is built around common design friction points: endless revisions, source-file requests and rejected concepts.
For ongoing design support billed monthly, a retainer agreement fits better. If the client adds work after signing, use a change order rather than stretching the revision rounds.
What the agreement covers
- Services and delivery
- The services, the designer’s standard of care, deliverable timing, client responsibilities, review and acceptance, and written change orders.
- Fees and payment
- Fees and taxes, invoicing and payment timing, disputed invoices and reimbursable expenses, with a deposit and a final payment before files are released.
- Ownership and confidentiality
- Ownership of approved work, the designer’s retained tools, third-party materials, publicity, confidentiality, and how approved designs differ from unused concepts.
- Risk and liability
- Warranties and correction, a disclaimer, an exclusion of indirect loss and a liability cap.
- Schedules
- Schedule 1 sets the number of initial concepts, revision rounds and final file formats. Schedule 2 sets the payment split.
Before you send it
- Confirm concepts and revisions
- Check the number of initial concepts and revision rounds in Schedule 1 match what you quoted.
- List the file formats
- Name the print, web and editable source formats the client will receive.
- Check third-party assets
- Note any fonts, stock images or other licensed materials and whose licence covers them.
- Have a lawyer review it
- Ask a lawyer to review the ownership terms under the governing law and the parties’ jurisdictions.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review the agreement for your situation and the governing law before you use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a graphic design contract include?
The scope, number of concepts and revisions, file formats, timeline, fees and deposit, ownership and usage rights, treatment of unused concepts, confidentiality, liability limits and termination. This template covers each.
Who owns the design under this contract?
The client receives rights to the approved design once paid for, while unused concepts stay with the designer. The designer’s own tools and third-party materials are handled separately. Edit the clause if you agree something different.
When does the client get the source files?
Under this template, editable source files are delivered with the final files after the final payment. You can change this before sending if you agree different terms with the client.
How do I limit revisions in a design contract?
Set a fixed number of revision rounds in the services schedule and require a signed change order for anything beyond them. This template does both.
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