Write a good contract without getting burned.

ASSIGNMENT

Write a good contract without getting burned. By building terms and conditions that are effective for your business — and breaking down legalese so that it molds to your needs — you'll create a useful, indispensable document that will give you more confidence, credibility, and ultimately, a better grasp on your profits.

DELIVERABLE

Share your contract in the class project gallery. A completed contract will include:

what: the statement of work (S.O.W.) that defines the scope of the project + what's getting done
how: state how those tasks will get done
when: state when those tasks will get done
a fee structure
terms and conditions
fine print: ownership, usage, and licenses
guarantee of original copyright
explicit payment terms
termination fee
privacy and sharing options
signature space for both you and client
optional: what is not included in your work, how out-of-scope is handled, legitimacy of a binding document, website code support, gauarantee

RESOURCES

Download class project steps, a contract template, and class slides in the attachments.
Some great addition resources in this Q&A thread, too.
Mike Montiero’s book, Design Is A Job
Glossary for contract terms by the Graphic Artist’s Guild
How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul
Agile billing & dealing with cashflow

Nitin Sampathi

Print and Digital designer based in Baltimore, MD

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