A graphic design contract template that settles “who owns the logo” before anyone asks.
A free graphic design contract template for UK freelancers and small studios. It covers deliverables and file formats, what the client must provide, payment stages, rounds of changes, logo copyright, font and stock licences, portfolio use and cancellation, with the UK law behind the clauses that matter most. Copy it, fill in the square brackets, and send it with your proposal.
The graphic design contract template
Ten clauses in plain English. Clear enough for the client, firm enough for you.
Graphic design agreement
GRAPHIC DESIGN AGREEMENT 1. The parties This agreement is between [your name or studio] ("the Designer") of [address] and [client] ("the Client") of [address], dated [date]. 2. The brief and deliverables The Designer will create: • [A logo: 3 initial routes, then 2 rounds of changes on the chosen route] • [A colour palette and type system] • [Brand guidelines, up to 12 pages] Final files: [SVG, EPS, PNG and PDF]. Anything not listed here will be quoted separately. 3. What the Client provides The Client will provide [a completed brief, existing brand assets and feedback] within [5] working days of each request. Delays on the Client’s side move the timeline by the same amount. 4. Fees and payment The total fee is £[0,000] [plus VAT, if registered]. A deposit of [50]% is due before work starts. The balance is due on sign off. Invoices are payable within [14] days. 5. Rounds of changes The fee includes the rounds listed in section 2. A round is one consolidated set of feedback sent in writing. Further rounds are charged at £[00] per hour. 6. Ownership and licences The Designer owns the copyright in all concepts and drafts. On payment of the full fee, the Designer will assign the copyright in the final approved logo to the Client by a signed written assignment. Concepts and routes that were not chosen stay with the Designer. Fonts, stock images and other third party assets are licensed, not owned; the Designer will list them and the Client will buy any licences needed for its own use. 7. Portfolio The Designer may show the final work in their portfolio once it is public [unless the Client opts out here: ___]. 8. Cancellation If the Client ends the project early, it pays for the work done to that point, and the deposit covers the time reserved. Nothing transfers until the work done has been paid for. 9. Liability The Client is responsible for checking that names, wording and claims in the final designs are accurate and that it has the right to use them. The Designer’s total liability is limited to the fees paid. 10. Signatures Signed for the Designer: ____________ Date: ______ Signed for the Client: ____________ Date: ______
These templates are a practical starting point, not legal or tax advice. If a job is large or unusual, have a solicitor or accountant check the wording.
The clauses that save designers
Ownership on full payment. UK law makes the designer the first owner of copyright unless agreed otherwise in writing (GOV.UK: ownership of copyright works), and an assignment only works in writing and signed (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90). Tie the transfer to the final payment, and keep the unchosen routes.
Rounds of changes. Define a round as one consolidated set of written feedback. It turns “can you make it pop” into something you can count, and price.
What the client provides. Most late projects are waiting on the client. A clause that moves the deadline with their delays keeps that honest.
Fonts and stock. They are licensed, not owned. Saying so up front stops a font licence becoming your problem after launch.
Cancellation. If you sell to a consumer at a distance, they usually get 14 days to cancel (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30); if they ask you in writing to start sooner and then cancel, they pay for what you have done (regulation 36). Most design clients are businesses, but small brands sometimes are not.
Signed online, counted rounds
In Veyra the contract becomes a template the client signs on their phone. Proofs go in a private gallery, each round of changes is counted against what you agreed, and the deposit invoice sits on the same project. See the graphic designer CRM.
Questions people ask
What should a graphic design contract include?
The deliverables and file formats, what the client must provide and by when, the fee and payment stages, how many rounds of changes are included, who owns what and when, third party licences such as fonts, portfolio use, cancellation and liability.
Do I have to give the client the copyright in a logo?
Not automatically. You own the copyright unless you agree otherwise in writing. Most clients need to own their logo, so the usual answer is a signed assignment of the final logo once they have paid in full, while unchosen concepts stay yours.
Who pays for fonts and stock images?
Say it in the contract. Fonts and stock are licensed, not owned, and the licence has to cover the client’s own use. List them, and have the client buy the licences they need.
What if a consumer cancels a design job within 14 days?
If you sold to a consumer online, by phone or away from your premises, they usually have 14 days to cancel. If they asked you in writing to start within that time and then cancel, they pay a proportionate amount for the work done.