How should commercial font licenses be handled?

The contract must clarify that fonts used in the design are intellectual property of their respective type foundries. The client is responsible for purchasing their own commercial desktop/web font licenses if required for in-house editing.

What is a design kill fee?

A kill fee ensures that if a client cancels a branding project after reviewing initial concept directions, the designer is compensated for creative ideation and work completed via termination and kill fee terms.

Branding & Design

Freelance Graphic Design Contract Guide

Establish clear boundaries for logo concepts, vector file deliveries, font licensing rights, and copyright transfer.

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Direct Summary & Overview

What should a freelance graphic design contract include?

A graphic design contract must define the exact number of initial concepts (e.g. 3 logo directions), the number of revision rounds on the chosen direction (e.g. 2 rounds), vector file deliverables (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF), font licensing responsibilities, and explicit IP assignment conditioned on full payment.

Key Facts:

Defined initial concept count (prevents endless ideation)
Copyright assignment strictly applies to the single chosen design
Font and third-party stock licensing disclaimers
Milestone payment terms with kill fee protection

4 Essential Clauses for Graphic Designers

Protect your creative ownership and ensure smooth client asset handovers.

1. Intellectual Property & Chosen Asset Ownership

Assigns copyright exclusively to the final selected design; rejected sketches and exploration concepts remain your property.

2. Font Licensing Disclaimer

Clarifies that commercial typography licenses are third-party assets that the client must license separately for corporate use.

3. Master Vector Deliverables

Specifies exact file formats delivered (vector SVG, EPS, high-res PNG, print PDF) and color profiles (CMYK vs RGB).

4. Portfolio Presentation Rights

Preserves your right to display completed brand identity work in design award submissions, social media, and portfolio sites.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Direct, transparent answers about SignSenders contract workflows, verification, and pricing.

All initial unselected concepts and creative sketches remain the exclusive intellectual property of the graphic designer. The client only receives rights to the single chosen final design after final payment has cleared.

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