Smashing eBook_ Professional Workflow for Web Designers - Luke Reimer [0]
Published in May 2011
Smashing Media GmbH, Freiburg, Germany
Cover Design: Ricardo Gimenes
Author: Luke Reimer
Editing: Thomas Burkert
Proofreading: Andrew Lobo
Marketing: Christina Sitte
Concept: Sven Lennartz, Vitaly Friedman
Founded in September 2006, Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Smashing Magazine is a well-respected international online publication for professional Web designers and developers. Our main goal is to support the Web design community with useful and valuable articles and resources, written and created by experienced designers and developers.
ISBN: 978-3-943075-15-1
Version: May 18, 2011
Table of Contents
The Legal Side of Web Design
Lessons from Corporate Web Design
Web Design Risk Management and Liability
The Finances of Freelancing
APPENDIX: Sample Legal Documents
About the Author
The Legal Side of Web Design
This article will dive into the legal aspect of web design with a focus on the legal documents that are necessary to successfully conduct business as a freelancer. While often considered a dry topic, it is absolutely integral to the design process in order to secure your revenue and combat any conflicts or scenarios which would put you at a disadvantage.
As part of this piece a sample legal document of each type has been carefully prepared to serve as examples for you to use. These examples will be provided along with descriptions and explanations of their purpose and best use. Each document is freely available for anyone to use or modify without copyright or license restriction.
Note: All templates are available as .doc-templates in the folder Templates of the Smashing Bundle.
Freelance Documents
It’s important to understand that each web project is unique in its attributes, client type, scope, and features. Not all legal documents need to be used in each scenario (such as the subcontract agreement), but I would stipulate that a select few should be absolutely mandatory for each and every piece of work no matter what the scale or scenario – specifically the contractual agreement, invoices, and web site terms of service. These can be considered the bare bones of legality that serve to protect both your interests and your clients. Without them, the worst case scenario can be truly frightening!
That said, modification and use of these documents doesn’t have to be a pain or hassle. They’re here to help you and keep both you and your clients on track – and believe me when I say that you’ll be eternally grateful for their presence and application on the day that you truly need them.
I’ve separated the legal document examples into two overall categories; client management documents and web site documents. Client management documents represent the bulk and touch on the most serious and sensitive legal issues as these govern the relationship that you have with your client. Web site documents on the other hand contain the legal aspect that a finished web project should contain – the terms of service and privacy policy. While these often affect the client more than yourself, they’re important to have on hand.
Client Management Documents
Client Questionnaire
An understanding of your potential clients’ needs, history, and current state of affairs is often the key to a successful project and working relationship. The Client Questionnaire document provides a framework for gathering detailed information by asking pointed strategic questions and allowing the client to answer thoroughly in their own time. The goal of an initial client questionnaire isn’t to learn absolutely everything, but rather provide you with key indications of the current scenario and an analysis of the profitability and chance of success for the project. Further planning and discovery meetings will certainly be necessary, especially concerning any technical details. Think of this document as a preliminary step – and in that sense, it shouldn’t extend beyond 2 or 3 pages.
Key information to be gained through