Free Graphic Design Contract Template. Fill & Sign Online
A graphic design contract fixes three things clients and designers routinely remember differently: how many initial concepts, how many revision rounds, and which files the client receives at the end.
The last one causes the most friction. A client who paid for a logo usually expects the editable source file; a designer often assumed they were selling finished artwork. Decide it in the contract, not in the final email.
Self-signing is free, local & private, never uploaded. Sending for signature needs a free account (just your email).
Terms a design contract must fix
- Concepts: how many distinct initial directions. Three is common; "a few" is not a number.
- Revision rounds: a specific count, with an hourly rate beyond it. This is the clause that decides whether the job is profitable.
- Deliverable files: list the formats explicitly: source files, vector, raster, and at which sizes. "All files" means different things to each side.
- Ownership transfer point: rights transfer on final payment, not on delivery. State it.
- Fonts and stock: licences the client must buy in their own name. You cannot transfer most font licences.
- Credit and portfolio: whether you may show the work publicly, and from what date.
- Kill fee: what is owed if the client abandons the project mid-way.
Mistakes that turn a design job into free work
- Unlimited revisions. Round seven is where the profit went.
- Handing over source files without agreeing it first. Once sent, they cannot be recalled, and the price was set on the assumption they were not included.
- Transferring ownership before final payment. If ownership passed on delivery, an unpaid invoice leaves you with no leverage at all.
- Buying a font licence in your own name for a client's brand. That licence usually does not cover their use, and the problem surfaces years later.
Common questions
Should the client get the source files?
Only if the contract says so and the price reflects it. Many designers offer them as a paid add-on; others include them by default for branding work. Either is fine: leaving it unsaid is not.
When does the client own the design?
On final payment, if the contract says so. Without that clause, ownership rules default to local copyright law, which in most countries leaves the copyright with the designer regardless of who paid.
Can I show client work in my portfolio?
Only if the contract permits it. Add a portfolio clause with a start date, since clients often want to announce a rebrand themselves before you post it.
This page is general information for small businesses, not legal advice. For your specific situation, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.