Yes․ Provided that the contract has been signed by both parties, in the correct form with consideration exchanged (payment for the services), it is legally binding․ The contract should at least cover the scope, price, schedule, acceptance criteria, intellectual property, warranties and dispute resolution․ For cross-border regulated industries, add governing law, venue and compliance clauses, and for high-value and complex projects, consider seeking a legal review of the contract․
Website Design Contract Template
Use this website design agreement template to define the scope of work, timeline, and payment terms for website design projects․ Download the template and customize it to suit your needs in Word or PDF format․
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About This Template
A website design contract is a legally binding agreement that defines the scope and requirements for web design and development projects․ This document helps you address deliverables, ownership rights, payment terms, and milestones before project commencement․
Key highlights:
- Clearly defined scope of web design services and deliverables
- Project timeline with easy-to-fill milestones and approval stages
- Payment structure, fees, and late payment terms, all customizable fields
- States two-three revisions and spells clear policy on change requests
- Termination rights and dispute resolution terms
- Signature blocks for legally binding execution
The use of this template is best practice in the web design industry for contracts and can help avoid miscommunication, disputes, and protect both the designer and the client․
Simply download the web design contract template as a Word or PDF, edit it according to your project, and sign it online․
Who it’s for
This template is for service providers offering website design, branding, front-end design or website build projects to use to formalize an agreement with clients․ Clients may also use this template when hiring a designer, to establish clear expectations about scope, cost, and ownership․
Who can use the template:
- Freelance web designers
- Web design agencies
- UI/UX designers
- Individual contractors hired for website design services
- Marketing agencies providing web design as part of a broader service package
- Businesses hiring external designers for website projects
If only technical development is needed (no design), a website development agreement template may be more appropriate․
When to use this template
Use this web design agreement sample when:
- You are starting a new website design project
- You are redesigning an existing website
- You are building a landing page or multi-page business site
- You are creating an e-commerce website
- You are offering website design as a fixed-scope project
- You need to formalize terms before starting paid work
A written contract will protect your time, your revenue, and your reputation, and act as a document that clarifies what you are providing your client and when they will be receiving it․
What’s included in the template
This is a web design agreement sample containing standard clauses of a professional design contract․
- Parties and project description: Names the designer and client, and provides a brief summary of the project's intent․
- Scope of services: The services provided may detail the website layout design, graphics, user interface elements or responsive adjustments․
- Web design timeline: Incorporate deadlines, phases for delivering the project, and client review․ Milestones can help you structure payments and keep everything on track․
- Payments: The total project fee, deposit and installment amounts, payment methods, and late payment penalties․
- Revisions: How many revisions you're including and if any extra go at an additional fee․
- Responsibilities: Specifies what the client should provide, including text, images, brand guidelines, and timely feedback․
- Intellectual property rights: It specifies who owns the design at different phases, when and how ownership changes, and which legacy or third-party content is reused․
- Confidentiality: Protects against disclosure of proprietary information shared in connection with the project, such as business plans․ For complex cases or sensitive websites, you may use a standalone Non-Disclosure Agreement Template.
- Termination: Explains how either party can cause the agreement to end, what happens to any payments and deliverables, and procedures for termination․
Each clause is written simply in legal language․ Our website design contract example is free and easily customizable as desired, and allows for legally binding signatures with Word, PDF, or an online e-signature service․
How to write your website design contract
The above template can be used as a starting point, and you can customize it․
1. Define the project clearly
A 25-page, utility/static website that acts as a hub for case information․ Only replace "design services" in this section with "design of a five-page responsive business website including homepage, services page, about page, blog template, and contact page․"
2. Set realistic milestones
Outline phases such as wireframes, visual design, development handoff, and delivery․ Establish deadlines for each phase․ Tie payment to the completion of each phase․
3. Clarify revision limits
Clearly state how many rounds of revisions you include to avoid clients thinking revisions are unlimited․ Best practice is two or three revisions depending on the complexity of a website. Keep a statement that any further revisions will be charged at an hourly rate and specify yours․
4. Address content responsibility
Let the client know whether you or they will provide website copy, photography, branding, or any other content․ Highlight if content delays will affect delivery times․
5. Define ownership transfer
State when ownership transfers, usually after you are paid in full, and whether you retain rights to display the project in your portfolio․
6. Include third-party tools
If themes, plugins, fonts, or stock images are used, identify who will purchase and/or maintain any necessary subscriptions or licenses for them․
7. Review payment protection
Demand a deposit․ Many designers will ask for a deposit of 30-50% before they start work to avoid being out of pocket․ If applicable, state any penalty for late payments․
9. Choose your format & Sing
Download the web design service agreement in Word format (editable) or PDF (read/sing-only)․ You can also upload a working copy to an e-signature software to edit and digitally sign it․ Each party shall sign this document upon its execution, and keep a copy․
FAQ
Absolutely․ The template can apply to freelancers and agencies․ You can personalize roles, deliverables, and risk controls․ For freelancers: add protections that are routinely overlooked: Milestone-based billing and rights to late fees and suspension․ Subcontractor clause (if you will use subcontractors) and confidentiality/NDA․
It primarily focuses on web design services. You can expand the scope to include development tasks, but for complex technical builds, you can use a detailed website development agreement.
Under our website design contract sample, the intellectual property and copyright is transferred to the client following full payment, although the designer often retains rights to use work in their portfolio (with written permission form the client)․
Yes. You can download the web design agreement template in Word format and fully customize it. You can also use a PDF version for consistent formatting.
Yes. After customizing the template, you can use our electronic signature platform to sign it online with your client.
Common formats for website design contracts include those based on 40/40/20 milestones, or 50% upfront and 50% upon delivery․ A good practice is to include late fee interest, collections costs, and suspension or termination for nonpayment․ Also, see to refunds to clients for cancellations, plus any unrecoverable costs․
