Handy Resources for Freelancer Contracts and Agreements

A lot of us have often been left exasperated and resentful after an unpleasant client experience. Often, this is something that could have been mitigated by laying out T&C's clearly, or by having a contract in the first place. 

Here is a list of resources that we have found handy for making our own Contract templates. 

A Primer to Understanding Contracts by Artistik License. Artistik License is a great resource for Indian freelancers, and they offer legal support - do check them out. 

Association of Illustrators Illustrator Commissioner Agreement

A shorter version of the Association of Illustrators' Contract template can be found in this post by Carys Tait.

Another short and clear Illustrator/Artist contract template by Adventure Cow LLC.

Finally, here's a quick reckoner we've put together at Yada Yada that can serve as a checklist when you make your own Contract template.

Two cents from the YYC team: Look around on the internet, look at the resources linked here, come up with your own template, and have a bunch of friends look at it too. If possible, have it vetted by a lawyer too, so you can be sure that your contract is watertight. At the end of the day, all of us want to spend most time on fulfilling work and little time on the other stuff. Having a template handy will save time. Also, spending time understanding the nuances of a contract will make sure that complicated legalese won't be a deterrent for us freelancers to clearly lay out our terms of work with our Clients.

Our 'Basics of Copyrights and Licensing'   is great follow up to this, to ensure you negotiate these terms to your advantage in your contract.