Terms and Conditions

Group Task: figure 1
What would you include in a terms agreement?

• 50% up front 
• Deliverables 
• Terms of use - licensing, how long work can be used for
• Dates - how long project will last, date of deliverables handoff, additional fee if project over-runs 
• Changes - how many rounds of changes, additional charges for more changes
• How many devices can it be used on 
• Time spent on project 
• Payment - amount, date due, late payment fees, removal of license until payment made
• Cancellation fee - different amounts during project, Exit strategy 
• Rules of usage for the client - no changes to be made
• Confidentiality
• Copywrite 

 

Figure 1

Overview:
Hour Rates:
Establish a set of working hours, how they're measured, who is responsible for logging/measuring these hours. Not needed for project-based/value based projects.

Terms of Use:
Dates/schedule:
build in elements of how many rounds of changes, feedback points and how that feedback will be received.  Increase fee for unnecessary rounds of changes.

Schedule Parameters:
Set out work hours/days, set out what days you can work (what is manageable). Be clear on what they can expect. COuld incorporate soft and hard deadlines to keep things on track.

Cancellation Fee:
25% idea, 50% development (some design made), 100% fully designed

Additional Costs:
Resources - 3rd party collateral, additional people.

Client Responsibilities:
What is expected of the client, who's is the main point of contact. What guidelines, assets and requirements. What and when is the client responsible for handling collateral, what happens after handover.

Client Approval:
How many points of contact/approval, when and in what form.

Samples:
usage fees for 3rd party collateral, who's responsible for licensing of collateral.

Credit:
Accredited/name attached therefore can't used unless name is attached. Name must be included in press coverage.

Payment:
Delay/ Termination:
delay protocol for if you can't complete
Terms of cancellation - fees
Consequences for non-payment - no licence, additional charge

Media:
How/where deliverables will be used, if extends passed those agreed additional charges
Don't sign worldwide in-perpetuity

Duration:
How long can work be used for - 5yrs in uk, if wider or longer higher fee

Location:
stipulate where work can or is going to be used - if worldwide increase rate.

Length of Storage:
who is responsible for storing file after handoff and for how long, retrieval fee.


This session was very helpful as it outlines each area to be considered when writing a terms agreement in order to protect your work in present and future. This session brought up elements I hadn't considered such as how to navigate resource costs and elements of creative freedom by controlling who works on the project.

Contacting Studios: Black&Ginger

Learning Objectives: 6A2, 6B2, 6C2, 6D2

6A2 - Studio Research
6B2 - Professional Opportunities, Email hunting,
6C2 - website, personal branding sent to studios
6D2 - website showcases work/branding

6A2: Figures 1
Upon deciding to look for work experience in Liverpool and Manchester in order to build up a network as these are the places I want to work post-university I discovered Black and Ginger via google search/google maps. Studio research was then conducted to get a feel for the studio, the work they do and the studio culture. Upon looking into their Instagram I determined their studio culture was quite relaxed and friendly making it somewhere I could see myself working. Furthermore, I researched some of their recent projects to create an additional talking point within my email. I focused on the branding they did for Love Thy Neighbour in Liverpool as I wanted to gain more experience within branding and had also admired this branding for a while before releasing it was complete by Black and Ginger.

6B2: Figure 2
Hunter has been used to identify the email of the Alex the creative director as I felt just sending an email to enquires would have little chance of getting a reply. I've kept the initial email short and simple, introducing myself, commenting on their work that I'm interested in and mentioned that I'm looking for work experience.

6C2/6D2: Figures 3-6
I attached a link to my portfolio/website within the email which showcases my current personal branding, alongside links to social media which features more work still inline with the branding featured within the website.

Sending the email directly to Alex rather than simply to enquires gave a higher chance the email would get read. This worked as Alex got back to me offering some work experience as he liked the range of work shown within my portfolio. This method of communication was effective due to the use of a direct email address and the relatively small size of the studio, meaning there was less chance of the email getting lost amongst others. Furthermore, within my follow up email I included how my skills would benefit them which also helped in gaining a response as I offered assurance that I could take care of myself within the work environment.

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Figure 6

Alphabet Follow Up

Learning Objectives: 6B2
Following up from my initial email in October, in which Sam mentioned they might be considering an intern in the new year, I decided to send a follow-up email with an updated portfolio. However they said they were not considering an intern yet but would keep my portfolio on file for the future. 

Contacting/ Researching Studios: Alphabet

Learning Objectives: 6A2, 6B2 
6A2 - Studio Research
6B2 - Building a network/ drawing on connections

6A2 - (figures 1-6)
Alphabet is a studio I've been aware off for a while however I explored their culture and work in more detail in order to create reference points within my email in order to stand out and gain a reply. Furthermore, my brother is friends with both Sam and Sebastian at Alphabet so I drew on that connection within my email. Alphabet is a studio I would like to work for after graduation, therefore I wanted to get my foot in the door with an internship whilst at university.

The Main elements I found interesting:

• Focus on concept rather than just making work that looks good - fits my concept-driven work.
• Youthful approach - a more playful approach to design
• Variety of elements covered - branding, print/editorial, strategy, art direction 

Email: 6B2 (figures 7)
Hi

I'm Neve, I think you know my brother Greg Ball, I’m currently in my final year at Leeds Arts University studying Graphic Design and have admired your work for a while, after Greg introduced me to you guys. I really admire your approach to design, aiming to achieve the balance between aesthetic and concept, as this is something I try to achieve within my own work. I really like your work for The Bureau due to the connection you made between print and digital through using film stills across the website and printed material. I also thought the idea of presenting the brand guidelines on a newspaper was very interesting as it continued the link between print and digital. 

I’ve attached my portfolio below as I was wondering if you had any internship opportunities coming up in the next few months as I would love the opportunity to see your approach to design first hand. 

Kind Regards,

Neve Ball 

Response: (figure 8)
Unfortunately, not taking on interns however I plan to follow up later in the year to see if they have an opening. Keeping portfolio in mind for the future.

D&AD: Competition Entry

I recently entered D&AD, specifically the Times & Sunday Times brief aimed at boosting online subscriptions. The submission process for this competition was different than others I've entered as submission boards and a submission video needed to be made in order to effectively showcase my concept and design. Overall the submission process was simple once I had outlined the key points I wanted to showcase within the initial submission. I'm still awaiting feedback on the submission as this won't be received until sometime in May. However it was interesting to develop a pitch that I couldn't present but showcased the design and concept without too much text. I found this part difficult as there was a reason behind a lot of the design decisions made, some of which I couldn't include as it would have made the pitch to text heavy. Overall the final pitch effectively showcases the work and concept produced for the brief. 

Hawraff: Press

Learning Objective: 6A2 

It was intersting to learn how they use press as I had previously thought press would lead to new clients however this wasn't the case for Hawraff. Instead, they use it highlight a project and celebrate those involved and add value to their studio. Furthermore it was interesting to read about writing a press release and how to promote your work effectively, as I had previously assumed press releases would be quite lengthy and detailed. However they suggest keep things short and straight to the point in order to grab attention due to the fast nature of the news cycle, you need something short and snappy to stand out.

However it's important to release the amount of exposure Hawraff gets naturally based on the notoriety of the studio.

Hawraf: Guidlines

It was interesting to see what the studio stood for as this defined set of values drove the studio in what they did and wanted to achieve. This was interesting to learn the importance of having a clear set of values and rules to help keep the practice on track. making sure everyone was on the same page with what they wanted to achieve. This is something to consider for my personal practice. It was also interesting to see how this relates to clients, to ensure the client is right for them and aligns with there values.

Language needs to be engaging, people need to want to answer and read rather than being put off by technical terminology - e.g. terms and conditions 

Hawraf: Princing

Learning Objectives: 6A2

It was interesting to see the price breakdown for different sections within a brief such as pricing for brand strategy and then pricing for an actual brand identity. This was also interesting when compared to the timeline as it showed the value of time and how much they charged based on type of project and time spent. Furthermore the breakdown per-person was interesting to see how much profit they aim to achieve per project. 

Identifying Studios

Google Maps
google maps was used to help identify studios within Liverpool and manchester as I was only aware of a few via social media (mainly Instagram). This was a helpful tool however resulted in some studios appearing that appeared to be more corporate based rather than agencies and studios.

Instagram:
Instagram was used to identify different studios based on who follows who, looking at the different designers and studios other designers follow has been very helpful in identifying good studios. furthermore this was a quicker process than using google maps as I could see the studios most recent work and get an idea of the culture easily depending on how much they use social media.

Network/Connection:
I've also found studio from other designers that I know that have introduced me to studios they think I would be interested in, this was how I found Alphabet in Manchester and Thoughtfully in Liverpool, both of which also appeared in my google map searches.