I know this is not entirely design related but It might as well something people in the design field have some experience with.
I do not consider myself a designer whatsoever but recently I scored a 10k MXN (something like 500USD) deal for 2 basic brand identity designs.
The thing is, I already verbally agreed on starting the project and I feel like a dick if I show up with a "I didn't start anything but here's a contract I want you to sign".
I want to be protected in case things go downhill, more so because it would be a contract between two natural persons and I don't know how that stuff works.
Anyway, what I wanted to ask specifically was:
1. What's your experience as designers with dealing with contracts?
2. How should I go about getting my client to sign the contract?
3. Is a contract legal if signed between John Smith and Maria Lopez? Or does it have to be a registered legal person?
4. Am I losing my time by asking a US board about legal issues in my country?
>tl;dr help a mexifag score a cheap ass deal and not get fucked over in the process
Thank you.
Why do you feel like a dick? Just mail them a planning of some sorts and the contract with it. For 500USD you're wasting everyone's time by actually going over there for a simple signature
>>279089
Required watching:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkLVRt6c1U
>1. What's your experience as designers with dealing with contracts?
Never EVER work without a contract that specifies EXACTLY what you'll be delivering and what the client has to provide (text/images, etc) with time-frames.
>2. How should I go about getting my client to sign the contract?
The best way is to explain to them why signing a contract is necessary: it protects them since it sets up what YOU have to deliver, and it makes it clear to both parties what is expected.
Ideally you should sign a contract before starting any kind of work. Personally, any amount of less than $1000 dollars I ask my clients to pay up-front. More than that, I expect half upfront, half upon completion.
If a client doesn't want to sign a contract, fuck them. 99.9 percent of the time they'll either fuck you over or be such a gigantic pain in the ass that you'll end up losing money on the project anyway.
>3. Is a contract legal if signed between John Smith and Maria Lopez? Or does it have to be a registered legal person?
A contract can be signed among individuals and corporations, but you should look into the laws of your own country to make sure.
>4. Am I losing my time by asking a US board about legal issues in my country?
Yes.
I don't really have an answer for you OP, sorry; I'm just taking advantage of your thread to ask a related question: hypothetically speaking, if I live in a third world country, and my client is on the other side of the planet, let's say the US, what's the point of a contract? How am I protected, actually? I can't afford an American lawyer in case I don't get paid, and what's stopping the client from saying "Fuck this guy, what's he going to do while he's thousands of kilometers away?" Don't get me wrong—I'm all for it, but in some situations, it seems worthless.