Working as a freelance graphic designer can be a very fulfilling career. You get to create content that can be seen by countless individuals in a target audience. And you will no doubt work for numerous clients across the world. However, to help you manage those contracts and ensure that everyone is on the same page, you need to consider writing a scope of work template for graphic design work.
In this article, we will discuss how to create a project scope of work template for a graphic designer. We will also discuss how Indy can support you with your project tasks and project management in a working document that will help keep everyone informed.
Why Write a Graphic Designer Scope of Work Document?
Graphic designing is a competitive and thrilling career. However, project tasks can sometimes be confusing. Clients might request an image and provide set expectations, but not like the finished article because they forgot to mention something. They might not have realistic expectations when it comes to the deliveries.
Therefore, writing a graphic design scope of work template allows you to create set expectations that the client can follow and you can work too. The work document should include the responsibilities of everyone involved in the project.
The idea is that the document outlines what tasks need to be done so that anyone can pick it up and complete the work. In addition, there should be some project overview, which might also include who the project managers are, what the deliverables are for the completed project, and the payment terms for the graphic design work.
Having a scope of work template allows you to apply the template to every new client. Therefore, it can save you time sending off the document to prospective clients in proposals because you can just edit the template and then send it off with sample work.
What is Included in the Graphic Design Scope of Work?
Several aspects need to be included within your scope of work documents. Below is a list of expectations that you should have in your work templates.
Introduction
The first section is a general overview of the project management for the work. The Project scope should include lots of information about who is offering the service, the client, and the deliverables for the whole project.
Deliverables
Now you need to list what the deliverables are for the project. You might have a very large project scope, but you might also have something that is much smaller, done on an as-needed basis.
You need to state what you will deliver to the client, the time frame for delivering the graphics and images to the client, and in what formats.
The formal document should also include what you expect from the client to complete the work. For instance, you might have work templates that the client needs to submit detailing exactly what they want for each project.
In this section, be sure to be specific about the deliverables. The last thing that you need is for the project scope to be misunderstood and for the client to think they're going to get more than what you have promised.
Timeline
In your SOW document, you need to include a section that provides a timeline for any work that you need to do. You need to think about project goals and ensure that you have a timeline that considers the project objectives and is also reasonable for you.
For instance, you might offer 24 hours production time. But if you've got lots of work on, that means the project could be delayed as you service numerous customers.
Therefore, you should ensure that the sow document includes clauses about timelines when there is a high income of work.
Tasks
This is where you need to list all the project tasks that are required to complete the work. While you might consider your role in the project management aspects of the task, the scope of work template also needs to consider what tasks there are for the client.
For instance, you might want to tell the client that they're responsible for the project description, creating any project milestones that need to be met, and more.
Resources
To complete any project, you need to determine what resources you need to use. This section will include equipment that you use including the computer, graphic design software, and any images that you need to purchase.
In addition to this, you need to demonstrate the payment terms that are there for additional resources the client needs. So if they want to use Premium images in resources.
Roles
As part of the scope of work template, you need to ensure that you label who is responsible for what part of the project. For instance, you might label a contact inside the company for delivering the project requirements to you. You might also need to say who is responsible for authorizing the payments and that project deliverables are as they want.
The scope of work should also include what you're going to do. This will include communication channels that need to be used for communication. You might want to add video conferencing calls, telephone calls, and perhaps email. Or you might have face-to-face meetings with the client to get the project forward.
Management
Project management is very important for the success of the client's work. Therefore, you need to include somewhere in the document who is in charge of the project and for what part of the project. For graphic design work, there might be several aspects that you can include in the scope of the work template.
- Who is responsible for sourcing and paying for the premium image.
- Who can control the requirements for the project and send them to you.
- The individuals who need to review the work that you've completed.
- The individual who creates the images.
- When payment is made and by who.
In addition to this, you need to consider adding to the work document who has the right to cancel the contract. You need to also say what time scale for cancellation there is and what payment might need to be made by the client.
Signatures
Finally, you need to ensure that you have the business representative's signature on the work document. This symbolizes that your client has read the work document and agreed to the terms of service.
How Can Indy Help a Graphic Designer?
As a graphic designer, Indy can revolutionize the way you manage your freelance business by providing an all-in-one platform that streamlines your work processes. By consolidating your proposals, clients, projects, tasks, contracts, and invoices in one place, Indy makes it simple to stay organized and focused on your creative work.
Its user-friendly interface, lightweight CRM capabilities, and integrations with popular tools like Zapier and Google Calendar enable you to efficiently manage your contacts and projects without getting bogged down in admin tasks. The platform also offers seamless online payments through PayPal and Stripe, ensuring you get paid on time and with ease.
- Create and manage proposals, contracts, and invoices easily and professionally
- Stay organized with integrated calendar, tasks, and project management features
- Automate workflows and keep everything in one place with automations and popular integrations
- Enjoy the support of Indy University with articles, tips, and advice tailored for freelancers
In addition, Indy offers a variety of free resources to support your growth as a graphic designer, including templates, calculators, and an invoice generator. By making it simple to stay on top of your work and ensuring you look polished and professional, Indy can help you to thrive in your freelance career. With its free plan, you get access to all the necessary tools, while the option to upgrade to Indy Pro offers even more empowerment. Start using Indy today and experience the difference this comprehensive platform can make in your freelancing journey.
Conclusion
Creating a marketing agreement is essential when you're a digital marketing company offering services to clients. It is a relatively simple document that can be enhanced with the free templates from Indy.
Example of a Well-Written Scope for a Graphic Design Project
Here is a sample scope of work that you might consider using for a new client.
Introduction
John Smith is a graphic designer with extensive experience in creating graphical content for clients. After reviewing work examples from the past, A Retail Brand has contracted John Smith to create advertisement visuals for online audiences.
Part of the process will include Retail Brand sending project requirements to John Smith and him delivering visual work. This work document explains the specifics of the project management and how both parties are to contribute to the success.
Deliverables
John Smith will deliver graphical work to the client within 72 hours of being contacted for a need. These graphical pieces of content will require the client to submit the Request Work Document that will detail the specific requirements for the project in a Word Document. All requests must be emailed to John Smith at the first instant.
If there is a work example of what the client would like, they should also include this in their email.
John Smith's graphic work will be sent in a zip file. This file will include numerous copies of the work, for use on numerous platforms. Included will be JPG, PNG, and other formats. The sizes included will be 1200 x 1200 pixels and more.
Timeline
For the successful completion of the work, there needs to be several steps for the work to be completed. This is the timeline for the work.
Step 1 - The client creates a work request that details the project specifics. The client might want to have a work example to ensure that John Smith can see the desired outcomes of the project.
Step 2 - John Smith will acknowledge the request and provide an expected time of delivery of all deliverables.
Step 3 - John Smith will complete all work involved in the creation of the image.
Step 4 - Drafts of the graphic design will be made available to the client for them to review.
Step 5 - The client must request changes to the graphic work within 48 hours.
Tasks
There are numerous tasks in the work performed to complete the projects with the key milestones. Here are the tasks and who is responsible for what.
Project Request - Emma at the Retail Brand is responsible for the creation of the project request. As part of the work document, Emma might need to include work examples of what they would like. Emma should also provide a project name and key assumptions to ensure that the project is a success.
Creation of Graphic Work - John Smith is to design and create the graphical work. He will also submit the documents to the client for review within 72 hours of the request.
Project Review - Emma and Lucy are to review the images forwarded to the client. It is the responsibility of both you and any others involved in the project to accept the graphic designs within 24 hours. After this period, additions or changes can be charged.
Payment - As per our payment terms, Lucy is responsible for paying for the work within five days of the project being completed.
Roles
As previously mentioned several roles are important. These are the roles that we see fit for the project.
Emma - Creation of all work documents, review of all deliverables, and ensuring that all technical details are presented so work can be done efficiently.
Lucy - Review of the work and complete payment when the work is delivered.
John Smith - Creating the project's graphic design.
Management
John Smith and Lucy (Retail Brand) are the management team on both sides of the contract. John Smith is responsible for the work to be completed. Lucy is to ensure that John Smith has all the details he needs to complete the work and also ensure review details are sent back.
In addition, the Retail Brand client has the option to cancel the contract at any time, in writing with 24 hours' notice. A minimum deposit will need to be paid if work has already begun on a project.
