Expert advice for designers, photographers and other creatives, from something that won't just agree
Clients assume a lot about your work: that they own it, that the price covers the changes, that a quick one is quick. Clearspace is somewhere to put those assumptions before you agree to them.
“The client says they'll own the logo once they've paid.”
In UK law the person who makes a work is normally its first owner, unless they made it as an employee. An assignment of copyright is not effective unless it is in writing and signed by the person giving it up.
So a client paying for a design does not, by that alone, become the owner of its copyright. What they can do with the work depends on what you agreed and, if nothing was written down, on what a court would read into it. A line in the quote saying what they get (used for what, where, for how long, and whether they can change it) does most of the work.
When this wouldn't hold
Work made as an employee usually belongs to the employer, so this is for freelancers. A contract with an agency may already say who owns what, and other rights, such as moral rights, work differently. Some clients will insist on an assignment, which can be a fair trade if the price reflects it. This is not legal advice: for work that matters, have the contract read.
“£800 for the wedding. It's only eight hours.”
The day is the shoot. The job is the shoot plus choosing, editing and delivering. If the edit takes 20 hours, £800 pays for 28 hours, which is under £29 an hour before your costs.
The same question applies to a design with rounds of changes, a mix, or a set of roughs: how long did the last one take, all in, before you say a number?
When this wouldn't hold
The 20 hours is an example; use your own. If your edit is quick because you have a good system, the hourly figure is better than it looks. And some clients won't pay for the whole job however you explain it, which makes the question whether the work is worth taking at their price.
Who answers
- Creative Director: What the work communicates, what people notice, and whether the execution supports the idea.
- Business mentor: Whether this is worth doing at all, and what it costs you to do it.
Keep going
- Why chatbots agree with everything you say A guide.
- Day rate calculator The turnover you want, worked back to the rate that gets you there.
- Invoice generator Line items, VAT, terms and a total. Print it or save it as a PDF.