Illustration contract

Free Illustrative Contract Template Samples 

To help you grow your business, we've created a pretty simple yet reliable illustration contract template in both Word and PDF versions so you can use it over and over.

What's in this model?

• Project detail

• Intellectual property rights

• Beneficiary of the agreement

What is an illustration contract?

An "agreement" most often takes the form of a contract, and a contract is an arrangement between two or more entities that creates a legal obligation to do or not to do a particular thing or things. Although many clients have contractual agreements that they present to illustrators when initiating a job, illustrators should also consider developing their own contract to resolve issues that arise during an assignment.

What is an illustration?

Illustrations are a means of visual communication that will help readers better understand your message. The idea of ​​a business can be illustrated with graphs, plans, tables and drawings. Illustrations can be very helpful for people who are unfamiliar with a business area. They can also represent events, such as a particular promotion or the launch of a product or service. A company's images may be used in press announcements, brochures and flyers, as well as on the company's website and social media.

What are the types of illustration contracts?

There are several types of illustration contracts. First, there are seasonal illustration contracts, which are concluded for a fixed period, usually the summer. Then there are full-time illustration contracts, which are for permanent employment. Finally, there are temporary illustration contracts, which are concluded for a limited period.

What are the differences between a seasonal illustration contract and a full-time illustration contract?

The two types of contracts mentioned above each offer their advantages. However, the majority of workers choose the seasonal illustration contract for the flexibility it offers. Indeed, full-time illustration contracts are more often associated with full-time jobs and in this case, the worker does not have the possibility of freeing up for another activity.

What are the benefits of using illustration contract templates?

The main benefit of using an illustration contract template for any new project is that the project requirements and detailed completion milestones are written and signed by the client. Plus, a contract will help protect you against late payments or any other issues.

Important Terms

How to write an illustration contract?

Agreement Title: The deal title can be just about anything, but it's best if it contains the project title. For those using a job numbering system, it may contain a job number. For example: PH0012 – Parkland Hospital Pathology Brochure Illustration.

Project description :  This should be a concise description of the work to be performed. For example: One full-page, full-color cover illustration and two half-page, full-color inside illustrations for Eaton Corporation's 2012 Annual Report to Shareholders.

Use and rental : Use, as it implies, sets the limits that should be placed on the publication or distribution of the Illustrator's work. Use is an essential part of a contract or agreement. Although created for an individual client and a specific use, in most cases the work is “rented” by the client for a fixed and limited period. There are also non-rental situations such as "buyouts" and "work done for hire". See the pane “Intellectual Property Rights” below. All terms and conditions of use must be set forth in writing. Usage limitations may be based on quantity, time, location, or any other combination.

Timing of the agreement: It is extremely important to specify the schedule, that is, the schedule of the project activity. This can be done in terms of time such as days or hours, or it can be done using actual dates. Naturally, a project's schedule will reflect the complexity of the assignment. Multiple image assignments may have multiple sketch approval and delivery dates.

Beneficiary of the agreement : All companies or individuals who will benefit from the services provided should be listed. It is very common for an advertising agency, design firm, public relations firm or marketing firm to outsource an illustration assignment on behalf of a client. Sometimes more than one company may be involved. All parties should be considered beneficiaries.

Expertise provided : It can be simply indicated as “Illustration”, or it can be written more specifically. For example: Dimensional illustration, or Digital illustration for the technology market, or Illustration and design for packaging, etc.

Services provided: The services provided are an extension of the project description which includes the work process and the description of the deliverables. For example: topic research, concept, design and layout, two proposal sketches per image topic, one set of revisions per topic, final artwork, and delivery of digital image files.

Agreement start date : The start date is usually one or more of the following events: when the contract is signed, when the remuneration for the work is agreed, when the project contribution is delivered and/or when the delivery deadline is set.

Remuneration: Payment for services may take the form of a lump sum payment, a payment schedule, a fixed salary (hourly rate), a commission on sales, or an exchange of goods or services.

Payment schedule : A clear statement of when you should be paid. It is best not to leave this aspect of compensation undefined. And, although it now seems fashionable for customers to delay payment much longer than they should, a payment schedule can be very effective in keeping receivables on schedule. For example: Payment due on 28/02/2020. The same due date must be indicated on the work invoice.

Intellectual property rights: Intellectual property right refers to copyright ownership of an illustration. In other words, the right to control the use of an illustration. The illustrator is the copyright owner, which should be clearly stated in the agreement or contract, unless the copyright has been sold as part of a buyout, assigned to a other party or that the work was produced under a custom work contract.

spending : It is worth mentioning the expenses that could be paid by the client or the Illustrator. The types of expenses that would be indicated are:

• Material expenses

• Outsourced expenses 

• Resource support 

• Business support 

Contacts: No one in charge of the initiation of the mission: this is generally the person who works directly with the illustrator. Most often this is a designer, art director, creative director, account manager, marketing manager, author, editor, a business executive or business owner.

• Assignment authorizing person: This can be the person responsible for initiating the assignment or a secondary person within an organization. For example: An editorial assignment for a magazine is usually "initiated" by an art director, but the magazine's editor is the "authorized" person. It is usually the publisher who grants final approval for an illustrator's work.

• Financial contact person: It is extremely important to have all the contact details of the person to whom the invoice is sent. This could be the person who originated the assignment, i.e. an art director, or it could be someone completely different within the company. And, it could even be someone in an entirely different company. For example: When an illustrator is hired by the agency or design studio on behalf of a client, but must bill the end client directly. I recommend that this kind of situation be avoided at all costs. The agency or studio should be responsible for compensation and most are.

End date of the agreement: The end date of the agreement must be indicated in advance. This can be when the project has been delivered and payment has been received or not. It is entirely possible for an end date to extend beyond the completion point. A situation may also arise where an illustrator may be bound by a limited non-competition restriction. As an option, contract end dates can also be made renewable.

Signatures: Last but not least, a statement approving the project and the conditions specified in the contract with a start date. Lines for release signatures and signing dates must be included for client and illustrator