Customer Request

[Deaton Design]

I did some business cards for a customer recently and he has contacted me asking for a vector file and tif file of the artwork. Actually, this was designed a couple years ago and he has ordered cards a couple times. He doesnt use my design as a logo, but Im thinking he may possibly want to, as by his request for the files. I run into this alot, especially locally. People think when you letter their truck, or put a sign on their business, they have also bought the design and can use it for any purpose. Ive actually had a couple people get mad because I wouldnt turn the files over to them. They call me and ask for me to send their design to a shirt printer to have shirts made or something of the sort. I dont think it is wrong to ask for the logo design fees in these instances, do you?

 

[Travis Stanley]

whenever a customer ask me for there artwork I also let them know that I will sell it to them. It's one way of keeping your business in house. Or selling them YOUR DESIGN.

 

[mark in tx]

Not wrong at all. Politely tell them that your files were created for your purposes, and if they want them for other purposes, they have to pay for you to prepare the files for other uses.

 

[Locals Find!]

You should have charged them the design fees up front, if you didn't I wouldn't say you would be out of line to charge them for the design fees. Alternatively, you could draft a simple one time use license and charge them what you think would be fair for the use on that product. i.e. shirts, coolies, pens, etc..

Depending on how good the client is (amount of work he brings in annually) would be the deciding factor on whether to charge or not charge. In my opinion.

 

[jiarby]

john///

You are right, but you can take steps in your regular course of business to make sure the customer understands that the art & file is a separate product and available for purchase in addition to whatever they are also buying.

We try to make sure we offer to sell the art rights whenever they buy the sign abd they always refuse because they want it as cheap as possible. Then later I can say "You said you didn't want it".

If you are a carpenter and you build a jig or customize a tool to get a job done it is still yours when the customer takes home his furniture.

If you commission an artist to make you a bronze sculpture you do not also get the mold he used to make it.

The art & files are tools that we create to produce the products that our customers buy. Unless specifically purchased separately you are buying the sign...not the file.

Tell them that God gave you a talent and skill to draw. It has value beyond the cost of the initial product purchased. You invest your time, talent, and skill to produce the artwork when you make a sign. If they now want to make something else with your art then you should get paid.


I did a layout for some school baseball team window decals. The next year I get a call from a 3rd party (a broker-middleman.. hate them!) wanting me to send her the art because they wanted t-shirts with that design on them also. I refused. They said they would just pay the t-shirt guy to recreate the art.

So,

They were willing to pay HIM to redraw it, but it was ridiculous for them to consider paying ME, the guy that drew it originally.

 

[JR's]

We try to make sure we offer to sell the art rights whenever they buy the sign abd they always refuse because they want it as cheap as possible. Then later I can say "You said you didn't want it"

offer it up front or explain to them if thy want the art you could sell them it. this way when thy come back thy now what to expect.

JR

 

[mikefine]

Call it a file transfer fee. $75.00 $100.00 or whatever you think is fair. Printers do it all the time. Explain to customer you are storing the file,
and it takes labor and equipment to archive, find, and email the file.

 

[Gino]

Just be honest and tell them that their design was created in a special proprietary software program that you paid a lota money for and only good on your computer and output devices.

You never thought to offer it to them because you didn't think they would want to pay for the converting process or the cost of turning over the copyrighted materials.

Okay, by now, their eyes are starting to glaze over and you can make them an offer for $485.00.... you can convert it all, give them their own copyrights and save it to a few formats for their future needs, like newspaper ads, T-shirts, signs or............ they can just keep it with you and you take care of everything as has been happening for a nominal fee each and every time you/they use it.

However, it does not include any digitizing files for embroidery.​

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

Seems like whatever you designed for them wasn't a logo - just a nice layout. You got paid to do that layout when you got paid for the sign. You can tell them that you will be happy to give them the files on a cd for a price, $25 is what I do. Then give it to them in a few formats, including vector and .jpg. I say a cd because then they feel like they're getting something for their money. Plus, they have to come in to get it and have to pay you then. DO NOT email the files and ask them to come pay.

$25 may seem cheap, but you've already been paid for the layout. $25 to save a file a few times is pretty good. Charge more if you want. But you didn't charge them to do a logo design in the beginning so you can't do that now. Think of it from their perspective. If they want to go somewhere else, they're going to regardless if you give them the files. They can pay you $25 for a cd or pay someone else to recreate it. So, the customer is already gone. No need to piss them off because they might not be happy with the new place and decide to come back to you one day. Or maybe they're not going to another shop. Could be any number of reasons they want the files. If you charge them an outragous amount or refuse to give the files, they definitely won't be back.

You can also send them low res .jpgs for free. They still have to pay someone to recreate them.

 

[Deaton Design]

Seems like whatever you designed for them wasn't a logo - just a nice layout. You got paid to do that layout when you got paid for the sign. You can tell them that you will be happy to give them the files on a cd for a price, $25 is what I do. Then give it to them in a few formats, including vector and .jpg. I say a cd because then they feel like they're getting something for their money. Plus, they have to come in to get it and have to pay you then. DO NOT email the files and ask them to come pay.

$25 may seem cheap, but you've already been paid for the layout. $25 to save a file a few times is pretty good. Charge more if you want. But you didn't charge them to do a logo design in the beginning so you can't do that now. Think of it from their perspective. If they want to go somewhere else, they're going to regardless if you give them the files. They can pay you $25 for a cd or pay someone else to recreate it. So, the customer is already gone. No need to piss them off because they might not be happy with the new place and decide to come back to you one day. Or maybe they're not going to another shop. Could be any number of reasons they want the files. If you charge them an outragous amount or refuse to give the files, they definitely won't be back.

You can also send them low res .jpgs for free. They still have to pay someone to recreate them.

I didnt charge them a logo design fee, because thats not what they ordered. Just bizcards, gave me a name, and I designed it. There was no discussion of them using it as a logo. Now that they have asked for the files of the design, I am sure thats what they want to do. In this case, Im going to price the design to them at a reduced rate and go from there.
I think that is completely fair for both of us.

 

[GraphixUnlimited]

I didnt charge them a logo design fee, because thats not what they ordered. Just bizcards, gave me a name, and I designed it. There was no discussion of them using it as a logo. Now that they have asked for the files of the design, I am sure thats what they want to do. In this case, Im going to price the design to them at a reduced rate and go from there.
I think that is completely fair for both of us.

Maybe this is just how I do things but if someone wants a card design without a logo.. thats the first thing they pay for... once thats done, designed, paid for, they can then pay me for the biz card design, once thats done , designed, and paid for, ill make the cards which they ll get, once they re done and paid for hahaha.

If the customer wants the artwork after.. sure thing.. its theirs afterall. But aint a damn thing leaving my computer that they havent paid for which luckily for us... is very little as it is all about the upsell!!

Cheers eh

 

[mark galoob]

i would charge the customer to "vectorize" or "digitize" the file 35-150.00 depending on how long it took you to make the art...tell them it was not vectorized initially because they did not pay for vectorizing it...then give them the file...

mark galoob

 

[Billct2]

Been an issue forever, would be better if you used jiarby's technique so if they come back at least it's not out of left field that they have to pay.
For me it's usually a case of a sign design turning into a logo, which means I did charge them for them design time just not for the copyrights since that wasn't an issue. So I call it on an individual basis how much I want to get for a "conversion" fee as Blue Fish suggested. You could still retain ownership of the copyright and limit it's use to that specific instance. A lot of time it's a question of how much is it worth? And how much time would you expend chasing them for money if they go ahead and have it replicated by someone else.

 

[showcase 66]

I usually put on the proof sheet that they sign as well as on the invoice that I own all rights to the design and any and all art on said design can not be reproduced unless they have my permission or unless they purchase the rights to the design. To this day I have only had 1 person actually purchase the rights.

I also had a lawyer tell me that another company can not replicate a design just like you can not replicate a dvd and resell it. As long as you have them sign a form stating that they do not have the rights to the design.

 

[Rick]

SCOPE OF WORK

First you need to make a policy and stick to it...

When someone comes in for a layout of any kind, I ask for a logo, if they don't have one, I offer them that service. They don't want one, I try not to "logo-ize" the layout.. it's kinda hard, I know, you are John 'freakin' Deacon and your layout is gonna look good, so you are gonna probably 'logo-ize' the layout. But before you do that you tell them what your policy is, preferably in writing.... it's a layout to sell them the cards.. that is the scope of work for the pay they give you. They want the file, the scope of work changes, that means they pay more. It's what real graphic designers do, might as well start now.

On this, you had no arrangement, did not get it in writing, discuss this, but technically, you own the artwork UNLESS there is clip-art (that you did not make yourself) I would probably try to split the difference, sell them the file, tell them your policy for future work, but you may not charge as much as you would have, if you had a policy. Use this as a learning experience.

You are a humble man and I dig that about you, but some of the answers you are getting are from sign shops that may not value design... you are a real graphic designer and one of substance, some of this advice being thrown around does not apply to your work. You should be paid what the design is worth if the scope of work changes, it's worth has obviously changed for the client who now wants to plaster it on everything.