Blog | Don’t Leave Yourself Stranded

As unfortunate as it is, I frequently hear horror stories from my clients about designers they hired that disappeared after getting paid. This alone is tarnishing designers reputations every where, but the saddest thing to hear is when a projects has been completed and the client has never received any of their project information or files such as host login credentials or original logo files. Just having your designer “complete” the project isn’t the last step. It is vital that you secure all of your project related files and data before closing out the deal.

Get your source files

Once a project is complete and you are completely satisfied with the end result, it is important that you receive the “end result” in it’s entirety. Too often have I asked a client for their logo file to put on their new website and they toss me a nice, low-resolution, .jpeg of their logo. When working with manipulating previously designed files, it is ideal to work with the original source file to retain as much quality as possible. Manipulating a JPEG version of a logo to get it properly integrated in a website is not only a hassle on the designer, but chances are you will lose a significant amount of quality in the process. All logo, illustration, or any form of design work, should be closed out when your designer sends you all of your “Source Files.” These Source Files are the original files that your project were designed in whether that was Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash, Indesign, etc. Regardless the program used by your graphic or web designer, you are entitled to these files as you are usually purchasing the piece of art in its entirety. Take in mind that most printers require the original source file or a very high resolution web ready file.

Some example of source file formats that you should ask your designer for are :

• Adobe Photoshop (.psd)
• Adobe Illustrator (.ai)
• Adobe Flash (.flv, .swf)
• Adobe InDesign (.indd)
• Corel Draw (.cdr)

Be ready for the World Wide Web

The source files are not the only files you need from your designer, you need all web ready formats possible. Take in mind, these files are not required as you have the source files but having a nice set of web ready versions of your artwork will save you a lot of hassle in the future. Most non-designers do not have the applications required to open or manipulate their source files so it is important to have accessible formats that can be uploaded to websites, emailed, or viewed on any computer. If you do not receive web ready formats of your project upon completion and your designer “disappears” on you, you may be left with an unusable final project, or at least unusable until you find a designer or printer that can open these file types for you.

Some example of web ready file formats that you should ask your designer for are :

• JPEG (.jpg)
• GIF (.gif *PNG and GIF files are ideal for transparencies)
• PNG (.png *PNG and GIF files are ideal for transparencies)
• Adobe PDF (.pdf)

Read the fine print

Be wary that some designers throw in the fine print that they will NOT provide you with your original source files and/or they are allow to resell your designs to others. This is a very uncommon practice and is something that you should avoid at all cost. Unfortunately, by putting this tidbit into a signed contract, you can be tricked into paying a designer for a product that they can turn around and sell to someone else. If your project does not need to be original/unique, by all means move forward. But if you are looking for something original and unique such as a logo to start of your brand or a website to help you stand out, this is not something you want. Make sure before hiring your designer that you are the sole owner of this design and read any and all fine print!

Don’t forget your information

Another key piece of closing a project that is often overlooked by designers and clients alike is receiving all of your project related information and credentials. This pertains mostly to Web Design and the like, but it is a tip invaluable to regardless what your project is. Make sure you always receive and save all login credentials for every thing that relates to your website and such. If you have your designer purchase a domain for you, host your site, and license out some type of CMS (Content Management System), make sure that you have a copy of all of your login usernames and passwords as well as license numbers before finishing the project. It is a story I have heard all too often, my clients will get a website done and their magic-prone designer disappears on them again, leaving them with no way to access their site admin or hosting to make any updates. Seriously, I really need to release some kind of thriller novel with all of these stories I’ve encountered over the years.

There is a solution

We here at Beta Images use a Project Management Tool, Base Camp, to ensure these final steps are never overlooked for our clients. All source and web ready files are uploaded individually as well as zipped and rared (.zip and .rar are file compression formats that allow multiple files to be compressed into one file) without our File Management area. We also make use of our write-boards to post any and all vital information for everything project related. All information and files are accessible at any given time from our client panel and we never take it done. Even when the project is over, you will always have access to the files you need. If your designer does not use a project management tool, make sure that they email you all credentials and vital info as well as source/web ready files before closing out the project. I’ve noticed that most people rarely “disappear” before getting paid, it always seems to happen after money has changed hands!