Web Design Agreement Template
A web design contract is an agreement between a client and a designer that is legally binding. Pricing, the scope of the design work, the deadline for deliverables (such as wireframes or final design elements), payment terms, intellectual property rights, and other legal aspects are all included.
What is a Web Design Agreement?
Web Design agreement is a contract that states the legally enforceable terms and conditions between a designer and their client. It is a legally binding contract, and it thoroughly explains the business relations between two parties. A web design agreement also contains the details about the project that the agreement is for.
Before signing the contract, it is necessary that both client and designer have a mutual understanding over all the terms and conditions mentioned in the agreement in order to avoid complications in the future. If one of the parties later on disagree with any term or try to change anything in the contract after signing it, it can lead to breach of contract and getting a lawsuit filed against them.
To put it simply, a web design agreement is between a designer and their client only. They mutually agree on terms, and they can also include and exclude the terms in the contract according to the project they are signing it for. Both parties must agree on payment methods, and pricing policies.
A web design agreement should be in good intentions, and it should not sound intimidating. A designer, while compromising the web design contract should make sure to keep the language simple and understandable. A web design agreement should also include clauses that protect the client.
Another important thing to note is that there should be a lawyer present while both parties are deciding on the terms of agreement and signing it. An attorney can help the designer and the client by drafting a contract that suits the needs of both parties. And the lawyers are also experienced with this kind of work so that will also help in avoiding contract pitfalls that may lead to frustrating situations in the future.
If you are a designer making a web design agreement, your goal should not be about scamming you client or to just protect yourself. You should make sure that every party involved should know the details about the project and what to expect from the project. Web design agreements are basically another way you can serve your client and set them and yourself up for success with the project.
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Clauses to Include:
There are certain important clauses that should be included in your web design contract:
- Statement of Work
- Termination Clause
- Revision Clause
- Payment Clause
- Delegation Clause
- Warranties Clause
- Ownership Rights Clause
Things to include in a Web Design Agreement:
There are certain important things that should be definitely included in a web design contract and both parties must also agree on these terms.
Parties Involved:
Web design agreements usually begin with introducing the client and the designer as well as any other party that is involved in the project. This part includes all the names, addresses, contact information and email addresses of all the parties. By putting this information of all the parties involved, it will ensure that these people are officially involved with the project, and they agree with all the terms and conditions of the agreement.
Scope of Work:
The designer should write in detail about the scope of the project, in simple words, what needs to be completed and what is the goal of the project. This will protect the designer from doing anything outside of what is asked or if the client asks them to do something that is not included in the contract. Putting scope of work in contract will also protect the client from paying for something that they did not agree to, but the designer did it anyway.
Payment:
Payment is one of the most important parts of a web design contract. The designer and client must come to an agreement over whether the client will pay in full or in installments and they should put that in contract to avoid troubles in the future. In some cases, for web design projects, 25% payment is required in advance, 25% payment is required when 75% of the work is done and the rest of the payment is required when the project is completed. The designer and the client should decide which way would they like to handle their payments and they should also agree over whether they are okay with the payment policies before signing the agreement.
Contract Termination and Lawsuit:
All projects start with good and positive intentions, any thing can lead to a problem in the future and that is why both parties must take measures in order to avoid any complications.
A contract termination date must be mentioned in the contract, that way both parties will know for how long they need to work together and achieve their goal.
A part related to lawsuit should also be put into the contract with the names of the legal team members in case there is a breach of contract or fraud, the parties can contact the lawyers and deal with the problems in court.
Confidentiality:
Privacy and Confidentiality is an important part of a web design agreement. Web design contracts mostly have a built-in confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement that protects the client’s information. Including a confidentiality agreement will provide your client with a peace of mind regarding their personal information. The client will be assured that their information is safe with you as this part ensures that you as a designer will protect their information and respect their privacy.
Warranties:
A clever way of winning over your client is by including a warranty in the contract. The warranty will ensure the client that if anything wrong happens with the project during the time period of warranty, they can send it back to you and you will solve the problem for them and help them. By adding this part in your web design contract, the client will appreciate the contract and trust your work more.
Other Legal Terms:
If the client or the designer want to include any other legal terms and conditions in the contract regarding the project then they should negotiate and work together to find a common ground and put those term in the contract before they sign it. If one of the parties ask to include anything after signing the contract then the other party is allowed to simply reject that and if there are any complications then they can take it to the court and solve the problem through legal ways.
Additional Witness:
In most cases, contracts are signed only between the parties involved and no additional witness is required. However, in some cases, in order to add more credibility to the contract, both parties can have an additional witness present at the time of signing the agreement.
Signatures:
Signature and signoff are an essential part of web design contract or any contract in general. Having signatures of both parties on the contract will ensure that both parties are on the same page about everything that is mentioned in the contract, and they are in a legally binding contract with each other for the mentioned time period.
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Website Design Agreement
This Website Design Agreement (“Agreement”), is made effective as of __________________________ by and between ______________________ (“Client”), having mailing address at __________________________________ and _________________________ (“Designer”) having mailing address at _____________________________, (collectively “Parties”).
Project Description:
The Designer agrees to perform the following services for the Client:
1.___________________________________________________________ 2.___________________________________________________________ 3.___________________________________________________________ 4.___________________________________________________________ 5.___________________________________________________________
Designer guarantees that he possesses and represents the knowledge, expertise, and experience required to create the Website. The Designer and Client both agree that it will be unique. Additionally, the designer promises that the final Website shall be free of any plagiarism or similarity to a website that is not the Designer’s property. The Website will become the Client's sole and unencumbered intellectual property.
The following date must be met for the client to receive the finished website: _____________________________ with the caveat that, during the term, the Designer shall not engage in any business activities that compete with the business of the Client without the Client's prior written consent, the Designer may be employed or engaged in any other business, trade, profession, or other activity that does not put Designer in a conflict of interest with the Client.
Schedule:
The Parties agree to the following schedule:
Initial Draft Date: _______________________Client Comment/Approval Date:_______________________________
This should not exceed more than 14 days from the initial draft date.
Final Design Date: ______________________
Revisions:
The client shall be entitled to ________ revisions. Any revisions beyond _________ shall be chargeable at a rate of $___________.
Prices and Payments:
Total Fee for Services: __________
Upfront Fee (Due Before Project Start Date): _________
The Client agrees to compensate the Designer $____________ per hour and The designer agrees to invoice the Client for the total amount of hours worked at the end of each month. The Parties agree that if the invoices are not paid within thirty days of receiving them, the Designer will be entitled to charge a late fee of ___________________.
Confidentiality:
For the Designer to finish the Website in its ultimate form, the Client may need to provide the Designer with proprietary information throughout this Agreement, such as trade secrets, knowledge of the industry, and other private information.
Even after the Agreement is finished, the Designer won't ever divulge any of this confidential information.
Additionally, the Designer agrees to never utilize any of this confidential information for personal gain, even after the Agreement has been completed.
Unless disclosure is mandated by legal action, all terms and conditions of this Agreement and any confidential information must be kept private.
It is strictly prohibited to disclose or use this information without the parties' prior authorization for any purpose that is outside the purview of this Agreement or the exceptions listed above.
The Parties acknowledge and agree that this Agreement's confidentiality provision shall survive the termination of this Agreement and continue to be in full force and effect.
Intellectual Property:
The Designer acknowledges and agrees that all intellectual property provided by the Client to him or her, including but not limited to copyrights, patents, trade secret rights, and other intellectual property rights connected to any ideas, concepts, techniques, inventions, processes, works of authorship, confidential information, or trade secrets, shall remain the sole property of the Client. Upon the expiration of this Agreement, the Designer will stop using such intellectual property.
Ownership Rights:
The final website design will belong to the Client after the Agreement is finished. Even though the designer will alter the client's website to their needs, the client understands that websites typically have a common foundation and structure. Any and all template designs that the Designer may have produced before this Agreement remain its property. As a result of this Agreement, the Designer will also own any template designs, HTML code widgets, CSS, Javascript, or other embedded code it may develop.
Credit:
Before the Works are made public, the Parties must agree in writing on a method of crediting the Designers' names on the Works generated under this agreement.
Indemnification:
Both the Designer and the Client agree to defend, hold harmless, and indemnify the other from and against any and all losses, damages, liabilities, deficiencies, actions, judgments, interest, awards, penalties, fines, costs, or expenses of any kind (including reasonable attorneys' fees) resulting from bodily injury, death of any person, damage, real or intangible, to person, or any combination thereof.
Amendments:
The Parties acknowledge and agree that this Agreement may be amended only in a writing signed by both Parties hereto. Therefore, any modifications made by the Parties will be incorporated into this Agreement.
Assignment:
Unless both Parties agree in writing, the Parties hereby agree not to assign any of the obligations in this Agreement to a third party.
Governing Law:
The laws of __________________________________ shall apply to the interpretation and application of this Agreement.
Dispute Resolution:
Any dispute or disagreement originating from or related to this Agreement must be resolved through arbitration, mediation, or negotiation (circle one), in conformity with and under the laws of ________________________.
Representation and Warranties:
- Designer:
Designer affirms and guarantees that they are legally able to enter into and carry out this Agreement. Additionally, the Designer represents and declares that, to the best of the Designer's knowledge, no third parties are the owners of the designs developed for the Client and that the Designer is authorized to use and distribute them. If the designer does not own these rights, the designer will pay back any losses the client might incur or take action to prevent losses from occurring.
- Client:
Client guarantees and represents that it has the right to use any confidential information it may supply to the designer to be used on this website, including but not limited to trade secrets,
trademarks, logos, copyrights, photos, data, and figures, material, and the like. If the client does not have these rights, the client will pay back any damages the designer might sustain or assume responsibility to prevent damages from occurring.
Disclaimer of warranties:
A website will be made by the designer according to the client's requirements and for their intended use.
NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY IS MADE BY THE DESIGNER THAT THE WEBSITE IN QUESTION WILL GENERATE ADDITIONAL PROFITS, SALES, EXPOSURE, BRAND RECOGNITION, OR THE LIKE.
If the website doesn't result in the client's desired outcome, the designer has no responsibility to the client.
Limitation of Liability:
Any damages resulting from any part of this agreement, including but not limited to loss of revenue or anticipated profit or loss in business, cost of delay or failure of delivery shall in no event be the liability of either party or any third party.
Severability:
If any provision of this Agreement is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid and unenforceable, the other terms shall nevertheless be enforceable to the extent intended by the Parties.
Entire Agreement:
This Agreement replaces any earlier stated or implicit, oral or written, and/or written inducements and conditions concerning its subject matter. It comprises the entire agreement and understanding of the Parties concerning that subject matter. Any practice or custom of the trade that conflicts with any of the Agreement's specific terms is superseded by and subject to the express terms of the Agreement.
The following signatures from the Parties show that they have read and agree to the terms and conditions of this Agreement:
DESIGNER: CLIENT
Name:___________________ Name:___________________
Signature:_________________ Signature:___________________
Date:____________________ Date:___________________