We interrupt VeganMoFo to address a question I was sent regarding payment after completing a project without having a contract.
What sucks most about this type of situation is that you can end up looking like the bad guy if you don’t resolve the matter in a diplomatic fashion. Especially when dealing with companies that do not understand or appreciate the cost of design services. Not only am I going to help you get your money, I’ll even tell you how you can win over potential clients that balk at your hourly rate!
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The biggest mistake any designer can make is committing to work without a written agreement between oneself and the client. A verbal agreement provides little to no protection in a business transaction since physical proof of what terms were mutually agreed upon by all interested parties cannot be verified or upheld in court. The best protection for everyone is a written agreement that states the services which will be provided by the designer to the client in exchange for compensation and promotional use.
Seems easy enough: a contract with outlined terms of the project and signatures from all vested parties. That couldn’t be more than 1-2 pages, right?
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