Between Casey Gollan and [CLIENT]
I’ll always do my best to fulfill your needs and meet your expectations, but it’s important to have things written down so that I both know what’s what, who should do what and when, and what will happen if something goes wrong. In this contract you won’t find any complicated legal terms or long passages of unreadable text. I have no desire to trick you into signing something that you might later regret. What I do want is what’s best for both parties, now and in the future.
So in short;
You ([CLIENT]), located at [CLIENT ADDRESS] are hiring me (Casey Gollan) located at [MY ADDRESS] to [SERVICE] by [DEADLINE] for [FEE] as outlined in our previous correspondence.
You: You have the authority to enter into this contract on behalf of yourself, your company or your organization. You’ll give me everything I need to complete the project as and when and in the format I need it. You’ll review my work, provide feedback and approval in a timely manner too. Deadlines work two ways, so you’ll also be bound by dates we set together. You also agree to stick to the payment schedule set out at the end of this contract.
Me: I have the experience and ability to do everything I’ve agreed with you and I’ll do it all in a professional and timely manner. I’ll endeavor to meet every deadline that’s set.
I create organizational systems, look-and-feel designs, and flexible layouts that adapt to the capabilities of many devices and screen sizes. I create designs iteratively and use predominantly HTML and CSS so I won’t waste time mocking up every template as a static visual. I may use static visuals to indicate a look-and-feel direction (color, texture, and typography).
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to review my work and provide feedback. If, at any stage, you’re not happy with the direction my work is taking, you’ll pay me in full for everything I’ve produced until that point and cancel this contract.
I deliver web page types developed from HTML markup, CSS stylesheets for styling, and JavaScript for feature detection and behaviours.
Browser testing no longer means attempting to make a website look the same in browsers of different capabilities or on devices with different size screens. It does mean ensuring that a person’s experience of a design should be appropriate to the capabilities of a browser or device.
I test my work in current versions of major desktop browsers including those made by Apple (Safari), Google (Chrome), and Mozilla (Firefox). I won’t test in other older browsers unless you specify otherwise. If you need an enhanced design for an older browser, I can add hours for that.
Testing popular small-screen devices is essential in ensuring that a person’s experience of a design is appropriate to the capabilities of the device they’re using. I test my work in iOS Safari and Google Chrome.
I currently don’t test Android, Blackberry, Opera Mini/Mobile, Windows Phone or other mobile browsers. If you need me to test using these, I can add hours for that.
The estimated range of hours at the beginning of this contract is the length of time I estimate I’ll need to accomplish everything you’ve told me you want to achieve, but I’m happy to be flexible. If you want to change your mind or add anything new, that won’t be a problem, but might change the estimated range of hours.
I can’t guarantee that my work will be error-free and so I can’t be liable to you or any third-party for damages, including lost profits, lost savings or other incidental, consequential or special damages, even if you’ve advised me of them. Finally, if any provision of this contract shall be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from this contract and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.
First, you guarantee that all elements of text, images or other artwork you provide me with are either owned by you, or that you have permission to use them.
Then, when your final payment has cleared, copyright will be automatically assigned as follows:
You’ll own the visual elements that I create for this project. I’ll give you source files and finished files and you should keep them somewhere safe as I’m not required to keep a copy. You own all elements of text, images, and data you provided, unless someone else owns them.
I’ll own the unique combination of these elements that constitutes a complete design and I’ll license its use to you, exclusively and in perpetuity for this project only, unless I agree otherwise.
I like to share my work and what I’ve learned with other people, so I reserve the right, with your permission, to display and link to your project as part of my portfolio and to write about it.
I’m sure you understand how important it is as a small business that you pay the invoices that I send you promptly. As I’m also sure you’ll want to stay friends, you agree to stick tight to the following payment schedule:
[PAYMENT SCHEDULE]
You can’t transfer this contract to anyone else without my permission. This contract need not be renewed. If for some reason one part of this contract becomes invalid or unenforceable, the remaining parts of it remain in place.
Although the language is simple, the intentions are serious and this contract is a legal document.
Signed by and on behalf of Casey Gollan Date: [DATE]
Everyone should sign and keep a copy for their records.
This contract is based on "Contract Killer," the popular open-source contract for web designers and developers by Stuff & Nonsense. Originally published on 23/12/2008.