Guides · Agreements and policies
What should a design or creative project agreement say?
Five things: the deposit that holds the date, how many rounds of revisions are included, who owns the work and when, whether you can show it in your portfolio, and what happens if the client walks away halfway. Revisions and ownership are where the arguments are.
- 1
The deposit
A share at booking holds your time. Half up front is the creative setup’s start. Without one, a client can book three months of your calendar for nothing.
- 2
Revision rounds
Two rounds included is the creative setup’s wording. Say what a round is (one set of comments, gathered together) and what the third costs.
- 3
Who owns it
The client owns the final work once it’s paid for. You keep the working files and the drafts they didn’t choose.
- 4
Your portfolio
Say that you may show the finished work, and give the client a way to ask you not to, such as before a launch.
- 5
Stopping halfway
If the client ends the project, they pay for the work done so far, and the deposit isn’t refunded. Some designers call it a kill fee. It’s fairer said in writing than argued about later.
Ownership on payment, not on delivery
Tie ownership to the final payment. A client who has the files and hasn’t paid has less reason to pay. A client who owns them once they’ve paid has every reason to.
On WorkWith, a project can take a share at booking. The balance waits as a draft invoice on Today, marked “Balance to invoice”, until you send it.
This explains what agreements commonly cover. Your profession, your country and the size of the work can each change what yours needs, and a lawyer who knows them is the person to ask.
Checked 2026-10-11.