Billing & Pricing
Stratis Design bills all projects on an hourly basis. For standard hourly services, billing is set at $55 per hour for time accrued. Hourly services are invoiced immediately upon completion and standard payment erms will apply thereafter. Stratis Design will not be held accountable for any actions taken by the client that results in additional time billed. Any unbilled design time and other costs will be invoiced upon delivery of final artwork and the standard payment terms will apply.
At the beginning of a project, a professional estimate of the total design cost of the project (not including Sales tax, billable items, third party services or purchases) will be provided following the initial design meeting with the client. The total design cost of each project is determined by the number of hours that the project is estimated to take to complete. Stratis Design reserves the right to bill for time overage, on an hourly basis, when the scope of the project exceeds the number of hours of the initial estimate. Any overage of the initial amount contracted for will be billed at $55 per hour. Overage can also be defined as a Change Order, depending on what additions or changes are being requested. Clients will be notified as soon as it becomes apparent that the project is at risk of going over the initial estimated budget. Note: The vast majority of the cases in which a project does go beyond the initial budget are the result of the client by way of massive project revisions and drastic changes in project scope.
Upon approval of this contract by both parties, a retaining deposit of 1/2 of the estimated total is required to begin work. This 1/2 deposit is non refundable once design has begun on the contracted project. Upon reaching the mid-way point of the project, the remainder of the balance owed will be billed out in monthly increments until the balance is paid in full. Any remaining amount of the balance remaining, plus any overage time and all other project costs, is due upon delivery of final artwork at the end of the project. Stratis Design reserves the right to use the full amount of hours estimated for the project.
In the event that a project is put on hold, any hours completed on the project beyond that covered by the initial deposit will be immediately invoiced and the standard payment terms will apply. In such case as the client becomes unresponsive for a period of more than two weeks or is holding up the project in any other way, the project will be considered to be on hold, and any hours completed on the project beyond that covered by the initial deposit will be immediately invoiced and the standard payment terms will apply. Projects put on hold and paid for will be completed at such time as the client is prepared to proceed.
Payment Terms
Unless otherwise stated, payment of all invoices is due upon delivery of invoice (COD). Invoices delinquent for more than 15 days will be subject to a fee of 10% per month. Payment for design services is never contingent on the client’s use, or lack of use, of any artwork, under any circumstance. Should an invoice remain unpaid for a period of more than 3 months, or if it becomes clear that the client has no intention of paying an invoice, Stratis Design reserves the right to use whatever legal action is necessary to collect what is due.
Content
We must be in possession of all approved and finalized content, written or otherwise, that will be presented on the website before development on the site can begin. Any changes made to content after it has been approved will be considered a change order and will be billed separately at the completion of the project.
Final Artwork
Fee quote includes one set of final artwork. Changes to final artwork will be provided at an additional cost based on the extent and complexity of the changes, at $55 per hour or a mutually agreed upon fee, TBD.
Website Launch
Major website launches will take place on Mondays, to allow for any unforeseen challenges that may occur with a live website. Final payment for any website must be collected before Stratis Design will make the website ‘live’ on the internet.
Rights
Upon full payment of all fees and costs, the rights to the use and duplication of the designs and/or artwork transfer to client. Stratis Design will also provide printable files as requested. Due to font and photography licensing issues, Stratis Design generally retains the rights to all original, editable source files. Release of source files will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
Sales Tax
Where applicable, Local Sales Tax will be applied. law requires that we assess Sales Tax on all tangible transfers of property; this includes any printed materials and any items purchased for resale, but does not include Design Services, unless the client requests files delivered on any type of physical media.
Billable Items
In addition to the fees and costs estimated herein, costs incurred for outside services (TBD), messengers and courier services are billable. Whenever applicable, state and local sales taxes will be included in Billable items. Excessive travel expenses are billed additionally, at cost. The client will be informed of these charges.
Source Files
This proposal is the purchase of one creative approach (concept) to be selected by the client and executed by Stratis Design. All other ideas, concepts, or designs described or exhibited remain the property of Stratis Design. All materials used in execution of this project-including artwork and computer-generated instructions and formats-remain the property of Stratis Design.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO involves market research and web development based on the best available information. Stratis Design is unable to guarantee the result of searches on a search engine developed and run by a third party. This includes Google, Yahoo, MSN, and all other major internet search engines. By signing this contract, you are acknowledging that at no time is the process of Search Engine Optimization a guarantee of any specific search results.
Third Party Services
Often times during the course of a project, Stratis Design will purchase usage rights or particular services, most notably Printing, Web Hosting / Domain Registration and Stock Photography. These purchases will be billed to the client upon completion of the project. The client will be notified of any major purchases when they are made. Printing costs, DBA filing costs, Stock Photography expenses and other costs of services not directly handled by Stratis Design are not included in the original estimate will be billed separately.
Purchases
All purchases made on client’s behalf will be billed to client. Charges for sales tax, insurance, storage, and shipping and handling are additional to the price of each purchase in the event client purchases materials, services, or any items other than specified by designer, the designer is not liable for the cost, quality, condition, or appearance of such items.
Errors and Omissions
When artwork is being finalized, either for print or for handoff, the client will be given a final proof for approval. After approval of this final proof, Stratis Design will not be held responsible for any errors, typographical errors or omissions of text or content in the artwork.
Change Orders
Change orders are defined as requests that extend beyond the original scope of the project under contract. They can also be applied to changing any aspect of the project, after work had been started and/or completed by Stratis Design, which had been previously approved by the client. Stratis Design will note change orders and a Change Order Estimate will be provided for client approval. No work will be done on any change orders until the client approves the estimated cost for the change order(s). This amount will be added to the monthly increments billed after the midpoint of the project. All change orders will result in a new project schedule being developed and all previous project schedules will be considered void.
Professional Recommendations
All work performed by Stratis Design is considered to be that of a professional service. During the course of development on a project, Stratis Design will occasionally make recommendations based on our extensive knowledge and experience in our field. In the event that a client makes a decision to disregard our recommendations, Stratis Design will not assume any liability that results from not adhering to the professional recommendation provided by Stratis Design.
Term of Proposal
The information in this agreement is valid for 30 days. Agreements approved and signed by the client are binding upon Stratis Design and the client beginning on the date of client’s signature.
Termination Policy
The client and Stratis Design may only terminate a project based on mutually agreeable terms to be determined in writing.