To Contract or not to Contract

My instructors and advisor at college drilled into me “Don’t work without a contract.” The Graphic Artists Guild (GAG) and American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) recommend that designers always work with a contract.

However, there are designers that don’t. My sister doesn’t although she says she should and I’ve met other designers who don’t including some people in online groups of which I belong. One person claimed that their communication with the client is so good they don’t need a contract. Another person said they have never worked with a contract and will never, ever work with a contract. So there are those who choose not to but I don't understand being adamantly opposed to it.

What is a contract?

It’s an agreement between the client or their representatives and the designer. It can be a written agreement or verbal and in the US a verbal agreement is considered binding. I know a technical writer who is satisfied with a handshake if the project is less than $1,000. The potential problem is that verbal agreements and handshakes can be hard to prove in court. If there isn’t a lot to lose that may not be a problem.

Written agreements can be a formal contract or a string of emails. Either method is a form of documentation that helps the client and designer.

What does a contract do?

Coming out of the IT world and hosting meetings, I know that if you have 10 participants you have 10 different versions of what was discussed and agreed on in a meeting. So notes are taken and meeting minutes are sent to all meeting members. This ensures that everyone has a similar understanding of the scope of a project, responsible parties know their tasks, and everyone knows the next steps in the project.

A contract can function in the same way. It is a communication between the designer and client or their representatives. It is designed to protect both the client and the designer and to ensure both know what to expect. If there are any questions, both can refer to the contract.

What is in a contract?

The contract can include the description of the project, the scope, usage rights, the designer’s responsibilities, the client’s responsibilities, schedule of deliverables, estimates, an indemnity clause, cancellation and refund clauses, royalties, list the expected deliverables, late fees, purpose and use of the deliverable(s).  Contracts are not written in stone and, if necessary, amendments can be added. There are a lot of sample contracts online and the GAG handbook has several contract templates that can be customized for your specific project.

When I first started freelancing I was hesitant to bring up a contract but I have learned that clients who balk at signing a contract are not reliable. That should be seen as a red flag. If they won’t even discuss and negotiate a contract, walk away.

I’m still working on a balance between covering what is needed and over doing it. I have a tendency to add everything but the kitchen sink when it’s not necessary. Then I’ll swing to the opposite end and have a bare bones contract that can leave out important clauses.

My opinion

Whether you do a formal contract or something informal in emails it is important to have something in writing so that all parties know what’s expected and what's involved in the project.

The Dreaded Question: How much do you charge?

When I first started promoting myself as a freelance graphic designer, showing people my portfolio and handing out my business cards, my target audience was individuals and small businesses. They’d tell me what they wanted, I’d calculate an estimate and the response would be “I’ll think about it” which really meant no.

After running into this response time and again, I would cringe when asked for the cost. I tried quoting an hourly rate; tried quoting for a project; tried quoting a flat fee. “I’ll think about it” was still the response.

It can be a struggle to decide how much to charge for your work. You can tell yourself you need enough to live on and calculate based on how many hours you spend on a design, travel, overhead, and experience. You think you’ve come up with a reasonable price for someone just starting out. But you don’t get any clients.

And here’s the thing, it’s not the cost. Small businesses aren’t as cash strapped as they make themselves out to be but they are choosy about where they spend their money. They might mention ROI. What you need to do is persuade the client that your services are worth the investment. I found that if you just frame the discussion in terms of money you’re likely not to land the client. That’s why I started using the paper towel analogy, “Would an employer hire you if your resume was on a paper towel?” Talking about what graphic design can do for their business and the importance of having a professional look for all their marketing materials will help land the client. Then you can discuss cost.

Design and The Paper Towel - It's Not About Looking Pretty

Would you hand a potential employer your resume on a paper towel? 

Because small businesses are looking at cost savings for their marketing and they want to concentrate on what they actually do rather than spending a lot of time on the marketing, they are just happy to have something out there. They have good SEO results, their information is out there. They are good to go. Right? Design doesn’t matter, right?

They ignore the importance of first impressions. What they don’t think about is that their marketing materials, whether it’s the web, social media or print, are their resume to the general public. As an employer will consider a well dressed, professional candidate with a polished resume over a candidate in jeans, t-shirt, and a resume on a paper towel, so the general public will gravitate to the professional looking website, brochure or business card.

Color, composition, and text used effectively can give a powerful message that can bring attention to the small business owner’s company. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses don’t consider these elements in presenting their message to the public. I’ve seen websites with black backgrounds and yellow text. It’s not only hard to read but is hard on the eyes. 

Below is an example of what I’m talking about.

The second example shows how the black and yellow color scheme can be used for a more professional look. It’s how the two colors are used that makes a big difference. The dark text on a light background is also easier on the eyes.

To see examples of my work go to my website: 

http://leftofcentergraphics.com 

Question: Why do small businesses settle for poor to average design? Part Two: Center Justify, Just say no.

What with all the software available, online printers, and social media to use for marketing yourself, a lot of businesses are determined to do their own design to save money. Center justify is used, again, and again, and again on websites, business cards, brochures, Facebook cover photos, Facebook photo id’s, you name it. I’ve seen a whole brochure center justified. I’ve seen lists center justified.

Ok, I admit it. (Hanging my head in shame.) I’m guilty too. When first I started doing flyers for a local arboretum I center justified. Enrolling in a digital design program enlightened me. A good book for beginning designers is "The Non-Designer's Design Book" by Robin Williams. 

Why center justify? If others were working off of the same mistaken belief as I, it was to draw attention to the information. The belief is that having everything in the middle will focus on the text and important information. It offers balance. It looks good, right? Not really. If everything is in the middle, then everything is “focused” and, essentially, you aren’t focusing on anything. It also screams amateur. 

Basic composition principles apply to photography, traditional art and design. One of them is the rule of thirds. The main focus of a design or image is off center. This applies to text as well. There are exceptions to the rule but the key word here is “exception”.

Center justify is good for headings, titles, and sometimes logos. It is not good for lists.

Example of a center justified list.

Abilene   Albuquerque   Amarillo   Anaconda   Anchorage

Apple Valley   Arlington   Athens   Atlanta   Augusta   Aurora

Austin   Babbitt   Bakersfield   Baltimore   Baton Rouge

This city list is in columns and left justified. It’s professional looking, orderly and easier to read than the list above.

Don't center justify or center everything. The flyer below has everything center justified and the store image is centered. 

The second example has the store image moved down a little. The saturation of blue and largest text is at the top. Information for the store is at the bottom and aligned to the right.

The second flyer is more visually appealing.

Check out my website at http://leftofcentergraphics.com 

Question: Why do small businesses settle for poor to average design?

What is the goal of a business? Basically it’s to make money. First they have to attract customers and that means getting noticed. In today’s world there are low cost ways to advertise your business by using social media. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have free basic service and a small business can utilize the many free web templates available.

These free services make it easier for small businesses to get their name out there; in other words to get noticed. But is it a good notice or a bad notice? How important are looks? Would you go to an interview wearing your bathrobe or hand out your resume on a paper towel? No. Marketing, whether through social media or printed material is the resume for the business. In essence, the small business is constantly on interview when attracting new clients. So why don’t small businesses put their best foot forward?

Friend of a Friend

For most businesses design is not their area of expertise unless they are a design firm.  They don’t understand the impact typography; use of color and basic composition elements can have on their marketing materials. They do their own website, business cards etc. or they have a friend of a friend, daughter, son, nephew, or cousin do their design. They honestly believe what they have is fine.

The first flyer I did for the Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation (LWAF) I thought was fine. This was done before I enrolled in the Digital Design program at Pierce College.

The flyer I did this year for their spring plant sale looks more professional.

2013 Flyer for LWAF

2009 Flyer for LWAF

Money

Small business can save thousands of dollars when they do it themselves and saving money is a strong incentive. But the money that’s saved on advertising by using social media could be used towards better design and the material used for printed products. Business cards or brochures printed on plain copy paper have less of an impact than those printed on heavier weight paper – think paper towel versus photo glossy paper.

Options

I have often suggested using student interns. You’d be surprised at the quality you can get from a student intern. Typically, internships are unpaid but paying a stipend for their effort is highly recommended.

The other option is to find a designer who is willing to work within your budget. You may not get all the bells and whistles you want but you will get what you need that looks professional. 

Are you looking for a graphic designer? Check out my website at http://leftofcentergraphics.com