How to Choose, Brief and Work with Graphic Designers by Amanda J. Field

Author:Amanda J. Field
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Graphic design, designers, business handbook, advertising, promotion, publicity, marketing services
ISBN: 9781909183421
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2013
Published: 2013-11-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

How to Establish the Ground-Rules

It’s important to establish the ground rules with your designer right at the start. This avoids any later confusion over costs, division of responsibilities, deadlines and so on - and can save you money.

Ask the designer to confirm the brief, the schedule and the estimate in writing. As emphasised in Chapter Three, make it clear that no additional money will be paid unless it is discussed with you in advance and an additional estimate is submitted. There can often be extra costs incurred on a project for perfectly legitimate reasons. You may decide, for example, before giving the go-ahead for artwork production for a company magazine, that you need to see some additional colour visuals. What you want to avoid is the designer regarding the budget merely as a guideline and incurring extra expense on the assumption you will pick up the bill.

If the project which the designer is working on necessitates access to confidential or market-sensitive information (an annual report is a good example of this), asking them to sign a confidentiality agreement is a sensible idea. When you visit their studio, make sure that clients and suppliers do not have access to production areas, where perhaps artwork left visible on screens, or print-outs left on tables, could easily be read by visitors.

Clear up any copyright issues right at the beginning. The copyright laws are complex, but you do need to acquaint yourself with the basics. When designers commission illustrators on your behalf, for example, you are usually only buying the rights to use the illustration once, for the purpose specified when ordered. The illustrator sells ‘first rights’ and can charge you an additional fee if you subsequently want to use the same illustration - which they still own - for another job.

A similar rule applies to photographs hired from photo libraries. You pay a fee which relates to that specific use of the picture, and which is geared to the size you use it, the circulation it will have, and whether the audience is internal or external. If you want to use it again for another purpose, you need to hire the picture again. With photography you commission yourself, generally speaking once you’ve paid the photographer, you own the copyright, but each photographer will have their own conditions. If you supply images to the designer that you have found and downloaded from the internet, be aware that you will almost certainly be infringing someone’s copyright: just because you can download the image does not mean it is copyright-free.

With work produced by the design company themselves, again once you’ve paid, you own the copyright. But establish this in advance with the designer so you know exactly where you stand.

Establish the payment procedure in advance. For large projects, you may agree payment in stages. Most small projects will be invoiced on completion, though if they are particularly lengthy, or if they ‘stall’ for some reason, the designer may want to invoice you for work completed to date.

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