Graphic design contract template
A graphic design contract sets the terms for a logo, a brand identity, a packaging run or a set of print pieces: how many concepts, how many rounds, which files you hand over, who pays for fonts, and when the client owns the design. Read this one below, fill in the project from your quote, then send it to sign.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Client
- Designer (you)
Graphic Design Contract
This Graphic Design Contract (the "Contract") is made on Contract date between Designer business name (the "Designer") and Client business name (the "Client").
1. The project
The Designer will design: Project description
Final deliverables: Final deliverables, supplied in these formats: File formats (together, the "Final Files").
Schedule: first concepts by First concepts date and Final Files by Final files date, as long as the Client gives feedback within Business days for feedback business days at each stage.
2. Concepts and revisions
The Designer will present Initial concepts initial concepts. The Client will choose one to develop, and the fee includes Revision rounds rounds of revisions on it. A round is one set of combined feedback. Further revisions, or a new direction after a concept is chosen, are billed at Hourly rate an hour.
3. Fee and payment
The fee is Design fee. The Client will pay a deposit of Deposit before work starts and the balance before the Final Files are delivered. Invoices are due within Days to pay days. Work the Client needs faster than the schedule above carries a rush fee of Rush fee.
4. Client materials
The Client will provide the brief, text, images and brand materials the project needs, and confirms it has the right to use them. The Client is responsible for the accuracy of any text it supplies or approves, including names, prices and legal wording.
5. Fonts, images and other licensed items
Fonts, stock images, illustrations or mockups the Designer recommends will be licensed in the Client's name and paid for by the Client, or bought by the Designer and reimbursed at cost. The Client will follow those licenses. The Designer will list the fonts used in the Final Files.
6. Proofs and production
Before anything is printed or published, the Client will approve a final proof in writing, including spelling, colors and dimensions. The Designer is not responsible for errors in a proof the Client approved, or for the work of printers, manufacturers or web developers the Client hires. Colors may vary between screens, printers and materials.
7. Trademarks
The Designer will create original designs but does not search for, clear or guarantee the availability of any name, logo or design as a trademark. The Client should ask a lawyer to run a trademark search before adopting a logo or brand name.
8. Ownership and rights
When the Client has paid everything due, the Designer assigns to the Client all copyright and other rights in the Final Files and the chosen design. Until then, the Designer owns them, and the Client may use proofs only to review them. Concepts the Client didn't choose, sketches, and working files not listed as Final Files remain the Designer's property. The Designer may show the finished work in its portfolio and on its website once the Client has released it publicly.
9. Cancellation
The Client may cancel the project by written notice. It will then pay a kill fee of Kill fee, or the value of the work done to date at the hourly rate in section 2 if that is more, less the deposit already paid. The Client receives no rights in work that hasn't been paid for.
10. General
The Designer is an independent business. The Designer's total liability under this Contract is limited to the fees paid under it. This Contract is governed by the laws of the state of State and can be changed only in writing signed by both parties. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Client contact: Client contact name Email: Client contact email
For the Client
For the Designer
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
Why the copyright clause matters
Under U.S. copyright law, a freelance designer owns what they create unless a signed writing says otherwise. Clients often assume a "work made for hire" sentence fixes that, but for commissioned work that label only covers nine specific kinds of work, and a logo or a brochure usually isn't one of them. What moves ownership is a written assignment signed by the designer, which this template gives on full payment.
That clause protects both sides. The client gets clean ownership of their logo, which matters when they sell the business or an investor asks who owns the brand; the designer is paid before the rights move, and keeps the concepts the client didn't choose.
What the template covers
- Project and final files: what you're designing, the deliverables, and every file format you'll hand over.
- Schedule: dates for first concepts and final files, tied to the client's feedback times.
- Concepts and revisions: how many initial concepts, how many rounds on the chosen one, and the rate after that.
- Client materials: the brief, copy and images the client supplies, and their responsibility for the accuracy of text they approve.
- Fonts and stock: licensed in the client's name, so the brand never depends on your font license.
- Proofs and production: the client approves final proofs; printers' and manufacturers' errors after approval aren't yours.
- No trademark clearance: you don't search or guarantee trademark availability.
- Payment, rush and kill fees: deposit and balance, a fee for tight deadlines, and a fee if the client cancels.
- Rights: assignment of the chosen design on full payment; unused concepts stay yours; portfolio rights.
Mistakes designers make
- Handing over final files before the last payment. Send low-resolution or watermarked proofs until the invoice clears.
- Using your own font licenses for a client's logo. Most desktop font licenses can't be passed on, so the client needs its own, which section 5 asks for.
- Unlimited concepts. Three directions done well beat eight rushed ones. Set the number.
- Approving a printer's proof for the client. Have the client sign off on the final proof, colors and spelling included.
- Forgetting the kill fee. If the client walks away after two rounds, you should still be paid for the work.
Check the trademark before anyone falls in love
A strong logo can still clash with someone else's registered mark. Encourage clients to run a trademark search, ideally with a lawyer, before they print anything. The USPTO's trademark search is a free place to start.
How to send it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. It opens with the client signing first and you countersigning.
- 2
Fill in from your quote
Use the gray blanks for the project, final files, formats, dates, concepts, revision rounds, fee, deposit, rush fee and kill fee.
- 3
Ask for the brief with the signature
Add an attachment field so the client uploads their brand guide, old logo or reference images while they sign.
- 4
Send and follow up
Email the link; your client signs on a phone or laptop without an account. You can see when they've opened it, and reminders nudge them if they haven't signed.
- 5
Sign off proofs the same way
For final print proofs, send the proof PDF with an approve field instead of a signature, so the client's sign-off is recorded with a date.
Repeat clients and agencies
Agencies with a standard design package can keep this contract as a template and change only the project details each time. When an agency hires a freelance designer, the independent contractor agreement is the better fit, with tax status and insurance. Either way, each signed copy carries a certificate of completion and a SHA-256 fingerprint, so you can show the exact version that was agreed.
Questions? Answers.
Who owns a logo, the designer or the client?
The designer, until the copyright is assigned in a signed writing. This template assigns the chosen final design to the client once they've paid in full.
Does the client get the rejected concepts?
Not under this template. Concepts the client didn't choose stay the designer's, and the client can't use them without a new agreement.
What files should a logo designer deliver?
Usually vector files (AI, EPS or SVG), high-resolution PNGs with transparent backgrounds and a PDF, in full color, black and white versions. List them in section 1 so there's no argument.
Is a graphic design contract valid if signed electronically?
Yes. The ESIGN Act lets an electronic signature satisfy a law that asks for a signed writing, and a federal appeals court has applied that to a copyright transfer.
Sources
- U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 30: Works Made for Hire · copyright.gov
- 17 U.S.C. § 204(a), transfers of copyright must be in a signed writing · law.cornell.edu
- 17 U.S.C. § 101, definition of a work made for hire · law.cornell.edu