Terms and conditions for a freelance graphic designer

A freelance designer has no accounts department to chase invoices and no legal team to argue about who owns a logo, so the terms have to do that work in advance: ownership on payment, revisions counted, a kill fee for the project that stops, and a plain statement of what the client is responsible for. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Freelance graphic, digital and brand designers in England and Wales working for business clients, agencies and start-ups on projects and day rates, as a sole trader or through a small company. These terms are for business clients; a consumer client, such as an individual commissioning wedding stationery, brings consumer rules the terms can cover in a short section.

What matters in a freelance designer's terms

Briefs, revisions and scope creep

The terms should require a written brief or proposal for each project, state the deliverables and the number of revision rounds included, and say that further rounds, new deliverables and changes of direction are charged at a stated rate. A quote is for the brief as written; the terms should say so, because the client who adds a second logo mid-project has commissioned a second project.

Ownership, source files and portfolio

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the designer owns the work until it is assigned. The terms should transfer ownership of the final deliverables on payment in full, keep unused concepts, templates and tools with the designer, and say that source and working files are supplied only if agreed and paid for. The designer should keep the right to show the work in a portfolio and on social media unless confidentiality is agreed.

The client's content, fonts and stock

The client is responsible for the text, images and claims it supplies and for checking approved artwork before it is used or printed, and the terms should say so. Fonts, stock images and other third-party assets are licensed on their owners' terms; the terms should say which licences are included and that the client must buy its own where a licence does not transfer. Trade mark clearance under the Trade Marks Act 1994 is not part of the service unless agreed.

Deposits, kill fees and payment

The terms should take a deposit before work starts, invoice the balance on delivery or at milestones, and provide a kill fee if the client cancels or stalls the project, so that work done is paid for. Interest and fixed compensation apply to late payment by business clients under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, and the terms should say that files are released on payment.

Liability, timing and the occasional consumer

Liability should be capped at the fee for the project, with consequential loss excluded, tested for reasonableness under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, and print and production errors in approved artwork should be the client's responsibility. Timetables move with the client's feedback. Where the client is a consumer, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies and a project agreed by email carries a cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 until work starts at the consumer's express request; a short consumer section covers it.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The client has not paid but is using the logo. What can I do?

If the terms transfer ownership only on payment in full, the client is using work it does not own, and you can require it to stop as well as pursue the invoice with interest and compensation. That is the purpose of the clause.

Can I charge a kill fee if the client cancels halfway through?

If the terms provide one, yes: a stated percentage of the fee or the value of the work done, whichever the terms say. Without it you are relying on goodwill.

Do I have to give the client the editable files?

Not unless the terms say so. Supply final deliverables in the agreed formats and offer source files as a separate, priced item.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a branding and design agency
• Terms and conditions for a freelance copywriter

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.