Policies

The consultation and fee are intended only for larger projects, such as web designs and complete (re-)branding systems. We will discuss, in great detail, your goals and objectives. I will ask hard questions. The depth of this interview will serve as the project initiation, and will guide all design and strategy decisions going forward. To get the most out of this consultation, be thorough and candid.

If you wish to hire me as a consultant only, an hourly rate applies. You will receive a report outlining suggested strategies and solutions best suited to your needs and budget.

Project estimates are based on several factors: the complexity of the problem or project, how long a solution will take, and if any additional resources must be recruited to deliver the best solution. Although I try to stick to my estimates, sometimes unforeseen problems or situations present themselves and we must deviate from the original estimate.

In those situations, I will contact you prior to engaging in any activity which would deviate from the quoted price. I provide a summary of the situation, and do my best to offer an alternative solution which will not raise the price.

Our primary methods of communication include e-mail and phone calls. In order to keep our communications professional and tidy, I do not conduct business via text message.

A 50% deposit on the quoted amount is required prior to beginning any new design work. The final balance is due upon delivery of a project.

Two rounds of revisions are included in a standard quoted price or estimate. Any revisions thereafter are billed hourly.

Sometimes you just need your project right away. It happens, and I am happy to accommodate your needs to the best of my ability.

Rush delivery, or rush jobs, are projects which clients request delivery faster than the standard turnaround date (sometimes referred to as ASAP). In these situations, an additional fee is required. This Rush Fee is the quote or estimate plus 50%. All revisions will be billed hourly plus 50%.

You can rest assured that I will never share details about your business, brand files, costs, product or trade secrets, or your operations with anyone. Not only is it professionally unethical to share these kinds of details, but also it is–quite simply–a betrayal of your trust.

I will also never add you to any mailing list, or share or sell your data. The contact form on my website sends messages only to me, and I do not use any information you submit through it for outbound marketing purposes. Ever.

A portfolio is a collection of past work, and it is how designers demonstrate their skill and creative problem-solving ability. I may display your project in my public portfolio after you have debuted your project first. Of course, I want the world to know how proud I am to work with you, and so your project will be displayed and described in a positive light.

Most projects are displayed for 2-5 years, but exceptional projects may be displayed longer. If our project is already published in my portfolio, I will honor your request to have it removed from my portfolio if the project was completed more than 2 years ago.

If you do not want me to display our project in my public portfolio, please let me know and I will honor this request at no charge.

If you prefer for our project to be excluded from any portfolio–public or private–the terms of Signing NDAs will apply and you receive exclusive rights to the finished project.

Some clients require a signed nondisclosure agreement (NDA). I have signed and will sign mutual NDAs.

If an NDA prevents me from sharing a client’s name or a visual representation of the final project delivered, an additional fee is required. Usually this fee is the quote or estimate plus 75-100%, depending on the terms of the NDA and whether or not they are negotiable.

My work is not included in the U.S. Patent and Trade Office’s “work made for hire,” unless our project falls into one of the U.S. Patent and Trade Office’s nine categories (page 2).

Copyright of the final product transfers to you once the invoice is paid in full, and with this nonexclusive transferal of rights, I may add your project to my public portfolio. Intellectual property rights over the native or “working” files remains with me.

Nonexclusive rights transfer simply means you give me permission to display our project in my portfolio after I have transferred copyright of the final product to you, and nonexclusive transferals need not be in writing. See Publicity Rights for exclusive rights.

Designers having control over the project files ensures continuity in your design’s series, protects your brand’s integrity, manages the historical record of the revisions and proper versioning, and protects the copyright of the intellectual property. Sometimes, native files are requested because the client wishes to edit the files outside of this system.

I only share the final files (.pdf, .png, .mp4, etc.) from our project. If you would like to purchase your native files (.ai, .psd, or .indd, .pproj), the cost is 300% the hourly rate. The native files must be paid for in full before I release them, and I will only continue to modify my local working files.

Legally, I cannot share fonts files used in native files and the client must purchase these from the foundry separately.

Speculative work, or spec work, is any kind of creative work, either partial or completed, submitted by designers to prospective clients before designers secure equitable fees. ⁽¹⁾

Spec work is not a service I offer, however, if you wish to see projects of similar skill and scope which I have completed, please contact me to see items perhaps not included in my public portfolio.