What this contract is for
Most disputes in freelance design come down to three things: endless revisions, a balance that never arrives after delivery, and a client who won't let you show the work. This template is written around those three. Revisions are a specific number. The deposit and balance are written as percentages and actual amounts. Copyright and portfolio use each come with three ready-made options.
It is not a one-size-fits-all agreement. It suits projects with a clear deliverable and a fee somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars: logos, identity systems, packaging, posters, illustration, web visuals. Retainers, on-site work and monthly arrangements have a different structure and deserve their own agreement.
Choosing a deposit
A 30–50% deposit is normal in design. My rule of thumb: for a new client, a project longer than two weeks, or anything where you pay for fonts or stock up front, ask for at least 40%. For repeat clients and small jobs, 30% is fine. If the fee is small and you don't want two payment rounds, choose "Paid in full".
The contract says work starts once the deposit is received. That sentence matters. It lets you wait for the money before you open the file, instead of discovering halfway through that the client never meant to pay.
How many revisions
Two or three rounds is enough for most projects. What matters more is what counts as a revision. The template defines three kinds of major change that are quoted separately: dropping a style direction that was already approved, reworking the layout or core content, and a redesign that clearly departs from the brief. When a client says "let's try a different feel", you can point to this clause.
After each round, send one line confirming which round it was. If you ever need to charge for extra work, you will have a written record.
The three copyright options
Licence only: you keep the copyright and the client gets exclusive use for their own brand. Good for tight budgets, and it leaves you free to reuse your methods on other work.
Transfer copyright: once the fee is paid in full, the economic rights in the final design pass to the client. Source files are extra. This is the most common setup and the easiest for clients to accept.
Copyright + related rights: copyright, source files, help with trademark filing, and a promise not to sell a similar design to anyone else. Clients who plan to register a trademark like this one. Price it noticeably higher.
Whichever you choose, the transfer only happens after payment in full. That condition is the strongest reason a client has to pay the balance.
Before you send it
Read it once from the client's side. Is the project name the one they use internally? Does the deliverables list match what you quoted, item by item? Is the delivery date realistic once you allow for their feedback time? Most arguments later start with a vague line here.
Send the contract together with the deposit invoice, and say in your message that work starts once both are done. Clients rarely object when it is stated up front; they object when it comes as a surprise halfway through.
After you print it
Click "Print / save as PDF" and pick "Save as PDF" in the print dialog. You can print and sign on paper, or the client can sign the PDF and send it back. Each side keeps a copy.
If you would rather skip the PDF back-and-forth, use "Save it and send a signing link" below. After you sign up, everything you entered becomes a new order. The client opens one link and signs by hand on their phone; the time, IP address and a fingerprint of the contract are recorded and you get an email. To be clear, that is a traceable record of agreement, not a certified electronic signature.