For most web designers handling the legal issues of their business represents the most annoying aspect of their work. Sometimes the number of legal papers necessary for a freelance business can be overwhelming, and more so for those new to the industry.
However simple or straightforward your line of freelance work is, you will always need basic knowledge and paperwork when signing contracts and receiving payment from your clients. There are important issues to account for, including the signing of contracts, the dates and completion times of various projects as well as other relative issues.
However reliable a client may be a contract is at the basis of your business relationship. Drawing contracts in which both parties sign their accord is a fundamental step for all business transactions. Here is where you will be including the timeline of your project, the fees your client will be billed and other related issues that will help clarify the project’s proceedings and important points.
You will also need to include statements that cover you in cases of failure to meet the project’s terms, such as unsuccessful project or a client backing out from payment.
A contract should always clearly state the deadlines, with a clearly defined calendar where the framework of your tasks are listed and the dates written down. You can for example allow yourself a two week time span to create the mockup of the website, then another two weeks for the development etc. This will allow for a more lenient time span in which to develop all the phases of the project and the tasks. All you need to do is make up a calendar with the various phases shaded in different colors for each task.
You can also schedule meeting days and times with your client prior to the project itself, this will guarantee a better flow of the project and you will be able to plan your tasks based on the meetings you have scheduled.
Once you have defined your contract you will need follow-up clauses as you want to make sure your timelines will be respected and the planned issues work properly. The clauses you should be focusing on will be those dealing with revisions of your work and updates. You will have to agree with these along with your client as there are no pre-set rules for added clauses.
Now you will have to define all elements involving products and delivery in order to avoid any misunderstandings and confusion as to what you will be providing and your client receiving. You should clearly define what it is you are going to provide your client within the web pages of the site. These issues could include videos, icons, animation or coded documents such as CSS and HTML elements.
Discuss these issues in detail with your client as he or she may expect some elements you do not provide as an option. They may also be interested in other elements such as plug-in or WordPress themes, or any other options that should be carefully defined and chosen at the beginning of the contract.
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