When working as a graphic designer, there may be situations where a contract does not seem necessary. However, it is a good rule to have a contract regardless of who the job is for, the length of the job or the amount of work involved.
In many cases it is obvious that a contract is required. Work for large clients, involved projects with many tasks, ongoing work on a retainer and large budgets all call for a contract and often an in-depth one. It is for other projects, however, that you may find yourself doubting the importance of a contract and getting in a sticky situation because you neglect to have one.
One of those situations is when working for friends and family. It is of course a personal choice if you want to have a contract when working for people close to you, but since you are running a business where time is valuable it can be helpful. A contract for a family member or friend may be simpler than others, but it can at least spell out what work will be done for what amount and some legal protection. Of course there are situations that may not be considered business at all, such as your sister’s wedding invitation, and those instances may not require a contract. Other projects, especially those involving money, should have contracts so the terms are spelled out in advance.
Another situation in which a contract may not seem necessary is for a very small project. However, even when you are only completing a couple hours of work for someone, a contract will protect you from doing work outside the verbal agreement. Make it clear in a contract what is included, and what the cost of additional work is, to make sure a quick project doesn’t turn into a drawn-out task with little in return. In addition to spelling out the terms of a project, always having a contract will help protect you in legal matters, which can pop up unexpectedly in a project of any type or size… for this reason a lawyer should always be consulted when preparing an agreement.
