# WEB DESIGN CONTRACT > **Disclaimer — not legal advice.** This template is provided free of charge, as is and with no warranty of any kind, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. It is jurisdiction-neutral: you are responsible for adapting it, for your own legal and tax compliance, and for having a qualified professional in your jurisdiction review it before you rely on it. Full terms: https://trycolo.co/terms-of-use **This Web Design Contract ("Agreement") is made on [EFFECTIVE DATE] between:** **Designer:** [YOUR NAME / STUDIO NAME], of [YOUR ADDRESS], email [YOUR EMAIL] (the "Designer") **Client:** [CLIENT LEGAL NAME], of [CLIENT ADDRESS], email [CLIENT EMAIL] (the "Client") **Project:** Design and build of [WEBSITE NAME / DOMAIN] (the "Website"). --- ## 1. Scope 1.1 The Designer will design and build the following pages and features: | # | Page / template | Features on the page | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Home | [HERO, SERVICES BLOCK, TESTIMONIALS, CTA] | [NOTES] | | 2 | [PAGE NAME] | [FEATURES] | [NOTES] | | 3 | [PAGE NAME] | [FEATURES] | [NOTES] | | 4 | Blog index + post template | [CATEGORIES, SEARCH] | Client adds posts | | 5 | Contact | [FORM FIELDS, MAP] | Form sends to [EMAIL] | 1.2 **Site-wide features:** [NAVIGATION, FOOTER, COOKIE NOTICE, NEWSLETTER SIGNUP VIA [PROVIDER], BASIC ON-PAGE SEO SETUP]. 1.3 **Not included:** copywriting, photography, logo design, e-commerce beyond [NUMBER] products, multilingual versions, data migration beyond [NUMBER] posts, paid advertising, search ranking outcomes, and anything not listed in 1.1 or 1.2. ## 2. Platform and technical specification 2.1 **Platform:** [WORDPRESS / WEBFLOW / SHOPIFY / CUSTOM — SPECIFY]. 2.2 **Supported browsers:** the latest two major versions of [CHROME, SAFARI, FIREFOX, EDGE] at the time of launch. 2.3 **Breakpoints:** desktop ([WIDTH]px+), tablet ([WIDTH]px), mobile ([WIDTH]px). 2.4 **Accessibility target:** [WCAG 2.2 AA FOR DESIGNER-BUILT COMPONENTS / NOT IN SCOPE]. Client-supplied content (images without alt text, embedded third-party widgets) is the Client's responsibility. 2.5 **Performance target:** [e.g. home page under [X] seconds load on a standard mobile connection, measured on staging]. Third-party scripts added by the Client are excluded. ## 3. Client responsibilities | Item | Due date | | --- | --- | | Final copy for all pages in 1.1 | [DATE] | | Logo files and brand guidelines | [DATE] | | Photography / image licenses | [DATE] | | Hosting, domain, and DNS access | [DATE] | | Named approver: [APPROVER NAME] | On signature | 3.1 **Content delays.** Each working day an item is late moves the launch date by one working day. 3.2 **Stalled project.** If the Designer is waiting on the Client for more than [30] consecutive days, the Designer may invoice all work completed to date and reschedule the remaining work into the next available slot. A restart fee of [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] applies. ## 4. Timeline | Phase | Output | Target date | | --- | --- | --- | | Discovery | Sitemap and wireframes | [DATE] | | Design | Mockups for [HOME + KEY TEMPLATES] | [DATE] | | Development | Built site on staging | [DATE] | | Review and fixes | Client review on staging | [DATE] | | Launch | Site live on Client domain | [DATE] | ## 5. Fees and payment 5.1 **Total fee:** [CURRENCY] [TOTAL FEE], excluding [VAT / GST / SALES TAX] where applicable. | Milestone | Trigger | Amount | | --- | --- | --- | | Deposit | Signature of this Agreement | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] ([40]%) | | Design approval | Written approval of mockups | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] ([30]%) | | Launch | Site live or ready to launch | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] ([30]%) | 5.2 Invoices are due [NET 14] days from issue. Work starts when the deposit clears. 5.3 **Late payment.** Overdue amounts carry interest at [LATE PAYMENT INTEREST RATE] or the maximum permitted by applicable law, whichever is lower, plus [LATE FEE, IF ANY]. The Designer may pause work and withhold launch while an invoice is more than [10] business days overdue. 5.4 **Third-party costs** (premium themes, plugins, fonts, stock images, hosting) are paid by the Client directly or re-charged at cost with prior approval. ## 6. Revisions and change requests 6.1 Included: [2] rounds of revisions on design mockups and [1] round on the built staging site. A round is one consolidated written list of feedback from the named approver. 6.2 Changes to approved designs, extra rounds, or new pages or features are change requests, quoted in writing at [CURRENCY] [HOURLY RATE] per hour or a fixed price, and started only after the Client approves the change order. ## 7. Launch and acceptance 7.1 The Designer delivers the Website on a staging URL for review. The Client has [7] calendar days to report defects in writing. If none are reported, the Website is accepted. 7.2 **Bug-fix window.** For [30] days after launch, the Designer fixes defects in the Designer's work at no charge. A defect is behavior that differs from this Agreement, not a new request. 7.3 After the bug-fix window, support and edits are available under a separate maintenance agreement or at [CURRENCY] [HOURLY RATE] per hour. ## 8. Hosting, domains, and accounts 8.1 The domain, hosting, analytics, and paid plugin accounts will be registered in the Client's name, with the Designer given collaborator access. Where the Designer registers any account on the Client's behalf, ownership transfers to the Client on final payment. 8.2 The Designer is not responsible for outages, security breaches, or changes made by hosting providers, plugin vendors, or the Client after launch. 8.3 The Client is responsible for backups after launch unless a maintenance agreement says otherwise. ## 9. Intellectual property 9.1 Until final payment, all designs and code remain the Designer's property and the Website stays on staging. 9.2 On final payment, the Designer assigns to the Client the custom design and code created specifically for the Website. 9.3 The Designer keeps ownership of pre-existing code, starter themes, components, and snippets, and grants the Client a perpetual, non-exclusive license to use them as part of the Website. 9.4 Third-party themes, plugins, fonts, and images are licensed under their own terms. 9.5 The Designer may show the Website in a portfolio and include a small credit link in the footer [DELETE IF NOT AGREED]. ## 10. Warranties and liability 10.1 The Designer will perform the work with reasonable skill and care. The Designer does not guarantee search rankings, traffic, sales, or uninterrupted availability. 10.2 The Client warrants it has the rights to all content it supplies. 10.3 Each Party's total liability is capped at the fees paid under this Agreement. Neither Party is liable for indirect or consequential loss, except where the law does not allow that limit. ## 11. Termination 11.1 Either Party may terminate with [14] days' written notice. The Client pays for all work completed to the termination date plus committed third-party costs; the deposit is non-refundable. 11.2 Either Party may terminate immediately for a material breach not fixed within [10] business days of written notice. ## 12. General 12.1 **Governing law:** [GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION]. 12.2 **Disputes:** the Parties will try to resolve disputes in good faith for [30] days before formal proceedings. 12.3 **Independent contractor:** the Designer is not an employee of the Client. 12.4 **Entire agreement:** this Agreement, the accepted proposal, and signed change orders form the whole agreement. Changes must be in writing. 12.5 **E-signature:** this Agreement may be signed electronically and in counterparts. --- ## Signatures | Designer | Client | | --- | --- | | Signature: ____________________________ | Signature: ____________________________ | | Name: [YOUR NAME] | Name: [CLIENT SIGNATORY] | | Date: [DATE] | Date: [DATE] | --- ### How to use this template 1. Fill in the sitemap table from the accepted proposal; it is your scope. 2. Set your content due dates before you set your launch date. 3. Delete platform options and clauses that do not apply, such as the footer credit. 4. Send the contract and the deposit invoice together. 5. Have a lawyer in your jurisdiction review your filled-in version once, then reuse it. *Template provided by Colo (trycolo.co). Not legal advice — review with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.*