Anatomy of a Design Proposal

Terms & Conditions

Graphic designers as a collective breed typically dislike the legalities of the business. I’m sure we all would admit that we’d prefer simply creating something really cool versus the reality of life, which sometimes consists of haggling with clients over contract points of a project. Unfortunately, almost every graphic designer I’ve met claims to be a freelancer, and as a result, they must have some knowledge of how to put together a contract.

For the first several years that my company was in business, our proposals contained no Terms and Conditions. Somehow we muddled through hundreds of projects without getting into any trouble. Our clients paid. We never had to talk to an attorney. It all seemed too easy. Then the projects ...