Terms of Business | We invite you to review some of our more general Terms of Business first.

Toronto Graphic Designers who specialize in: Brand Identity Development, Logo & Icon Design, Marketing Website Design,
Social Media Brand / Business Page Design, and Corporate Marketing Design.

Terms: We invite you to review some of our more general Terms & Conditons of Business first.

BEFORE YOU CONTACT US, with the intent of considering us for a project, we invite you to review some of our more general Terms of Business first. While much may be familiar, there may also be a few items that will be new. In the event you run into something that doesn't quite make sense to you, please contact us, as we'll be happy to clarify.

Making First Contact:

Initially, we request you contact us with a very basic outline of your requirements. We can then determine very quickly whether this will be a good fit and is worth us mutually continuing along with the process of discovery, which starts by arranging a complimentary congenial 60-90 minute meeting via Zoom (only). Please be aware that 1.) we don't handle 'rush jobs', and 2.) if we don't do what you require, we'll advise you up front and try to recommend a design firm that does.

Local Client Inquiries:

Over the last 15+ years most of our clients have been from Toronto, Canada. Due to the collaborative nature of our work, the optimum is to be able to periodically meet, discuss various aspects on the phone, and provide original photography (when ever the need arises). Therefore, we DO encourage inquiries within the confines of Metropolitan Toronto first. If you are outside of this area, please feel free to inquire anyhow, as perhaps we can make the process work in a similar fashion as we would with International Clients (see next below).

International Client Inquiries:
European Union, United Kingdom, or United States

Due to increasing inquiries from the EU, UK, and the US, we are happy to work with you provided a few conditions can exist first.

You are fluent in spoken and written English, and are prepared to take periodic Zoom calls for project discussions at mutually agreed upon times. You are knowledgable enough with the Zoom platform to participate in arranged video meetings.

You have access to either a professional (or semi-pro) photographer, OR you yourself are skilled at photography (based on required sample submissions).

You are comfortable with payment via Bank Wire Transfer (only) to Canada.

If you meet these basic qualifications, we most certainly would love to consider working with you, and please remember -- it costs nothing to ask a question, so feel free to do so. Please contact us directly (Subject Line: International Inquiry) with a rough outline of what you are looking to achieve. You can be sure we'll get back to you very shortly within our business hours.

Assigning a Contact Person:

We feel it best that the person who contacts us to initiate a project also be the project contact person and is authorized to make final decisions on any project we, 999 Art Direction, undertake on your behalf. In our past experience, the process always seems to work best when we have the ear of the business owner and 'Vision Holder', who is YOU.

Time Frames:

Because of the reputation we have built for our exceptional creative work, we will work with you to establish realistic time lines and a work-back schedule that we sincerely hope will coincide with your expectations. You should be aware of the fact that the process to create a brand identity, then apply it to a custom-created marketing website can, in many cases, stretch over a number of months -- depending on the complexity. Once again, we can give you a rough idea on how long YOUR project may take, after we meet.

And just so there is no misunderstandings up front, we DON'T take on 'rush jobs'.

Copy Writing:

Your choice. You provide the copy if you have a copywriter at your deposal who can write for the web. Most common to us is, our clients will write their general copy and we will edit the material with their approval. There are a few strategic reasons why we do this which can go over when we meet.

Please be aware: We accept .TXT or .RTF text files ONLY. Please consider using 'TextEdit' (Mac), or Notepad (PC) to create your copy. These text editors/word processors come with your computer, and do not add any 'proprietary Microsoft formatting' that we may have to waste your hours to remove. Preferably, you could then just 'copy and paste' your newly created copy into the 'message area' of an email. If you have questions, feel free to contact us in advance as we are happy to share some of our insights.

Copy Proofing: Who is responsible?

999 Art Direction goes to great extremes to check the work we submit to you and attempt to catch formatting errors, inconsistencies, and any other irregularities that may occur from digital transmission or any other man-made device or application. In the end, though, YOU are responsible for the correctness of all copy submitted by you and submitted to you by us. In the event of a MINOR error (typographical) that you note AFTER we have posted your site, WE will correct it at NO CHARGE, usually on the spot--but we will NOT be held responsible for your loss of business regarding these possible errors, regardless of who made them.

". . . what appealed to me was the fact that he had an advertising background, rather than a computer background. This was what I was looking for! Christopher, you made me look good! And you made me feel good about myself and the work I do.
-- Mary Bannet | Principal and Certified Interior Decorator, JUST the THING Interiors

Known Copyrighted Materials: Our position.

999 Art Direction WILL NOT ACCEPT any known copyrighted materials (images or words) from you without the written permission of the creator, should we request it. If we suspect any material, we reserve the right to refuse to use it. Conversely, any materials we use on your behalf will have the necessary permissions and documentation. You may request validation of our materials (images/words) at any time as well.

Computer Platforms / Software:

We operate our business exclusively on the Macintosh platform. That includes all design and final production, be it print or web-based. For these purposes, we only use industry recognized professional design software and typefaces.

Requesting Files:

Periodically you may require a file for special purpose. Usually it is your logo. We ask that we take five minutes to discuss this, as while you MAY think you know what file format you need, it is very likely you don't know the BEST file format to use. Some formats work ideal for PowerPoint, others best for Microsoft Word, while specialized types are required for professional printing. That's why we're here. To help you succeed. We'll ask you a few simple questions. We'll want to know things like what are you going to do with it (enlarge, reduce, print, online etc), and what computer platform and software are you using (professional or consumer / office grade). After that, it can often be supplied to you within an hour via email. Doing this once or twice is a courtesy we extend.

Ownership of Work:

IN SIMPLE TERMS, anything that 999 Art Direction creates for you -- AND is paid for in full, as outlined in your signed Letter of Agreement-- is yours.

If an Invoice has not been paid, or the project has been cancelled or abandoned before completion, we retain ownership of all materials we have created until the matter is resolved.

The exceptions to the rule may include 3rd party agreements associated with various content items that 999 Art Direction may purchase on your behalf, such as: Stock photos, original talent photography, copy writing, etc. You will be made aware of these potential issues in the Letter of Agreement (contract) that you sign before we start any work, or as they arise during the life of the project. For the record (and your convenience) we generally prefer to negotiate total 'buy-outs' that allow for your continuous unlimited use of such items.

Self-Promotion / Usage Rights:

999 Art Direction reserves the right to represent the work it has done for any client within it's own website, any third party online portfolios, social media channels, printed promotional material or offline portfolio as Samples with the sole intent of attracting other Print or Web Design business opportunities for as long as it deems relevant. Exceptions MUST be agreed to BEFORE any Contract is drawn up and signed.

Critique of Your Existing Website:

Periodically we have been asked to critique an existing website that we did not design or build. Our policy does not permit us to do that, as we feel it is unfair to the Design Team who created it for you in the first place. This is due to the fact we are not privy to the history of the the site, the business objective, or any of the restrictions that may have been put on the Design Team at the time of creation.

Rates:

Since all of our projects are custom designed, with several variable components, it is impossible to predict the cost of your project without getting some general insight as to the complexity or simplicities involved. That is one of the reasons we like to get together to discuss your project via Zoom, or in person. That affords us the opportunity to ask the probing questions necessary. That said, we can assure you that our rates are very reasonable, and our terms of payment can be quite generous. Most of our past projects have qualified for a generous discounted flat-rate due to the number of elements involved (ie. Brand Identity, Website, various Social Media brand page imagings, Business Card design). Please remember that this sort of work can be written off against your business, and the work we do for you is an INVESTMENT in the advancement of your business.

IF you are on a very tight budget, you may wish to consider our "Start-Up and Go Like a Pro" offer. It may be just what you are looking to start out with, then later, to expand upon. You can see ALL the details of the offer HERE. For $850 CDN (net) it is an absolute super value. Some conditions do apply.

Method of Payment:

999 Art Direction will request a non-refundable deposit and a signed back Letter of Agreement (Contract) on any projects valued at $1,000 CDN (net) or more, to start a project. Payment schedules will be outlined in your Letter of Agreement. Please note, ALL payments are NON-REFUNDABLE, should you choose to either abandon the project (See: Project Abandonment below) OR cease to progress with a project, once started.

NO WORK WILL BEGIN until your deposit cheque has cleared our bank. All Payment Terms will be spelled out in full within the Letter of Agreement.

On partial 'milestone' payments, we will only issue a receipt upon payment, if requested by you. On all of our final Invoices, we itemize each payment made throughout the life of the project for your convenience.

All fees for Toronto, Ontario clients are subject to 13% HST. We do not accept Visa, credit cards, or PayPal for payment.

* INTERNATIONAL Please Note:*
We accept payment via Bank Wire Transfer. Please contact us for the details. The Canadian HST tax of 13% is NOT applicable on ANY of the work we would do for you providing your business is registered and located outside of Canada.

We do not accept Visa, credit cards, or PayPal for payment. ONLY Bank Wire Transfer.

Project Abandonment:

A project is considered 'abandoned' by 999 Art Direction if client contact ceases for 30 days from their last point of activity. Simply put, we don't chase clients to fulfill their responsibilities beyond two business weeks. It will be 999 Art Direction's prerogative to close off abandoned projects and consider the project dead. Any funds, paid to date, will NOT be refunded on abandoned projects, nor applied to future work.

The ONLY exception to this is when a client has spoken with us first and arranged to put the project on hold, with a restart date assigned.

Invoices:

All invoices are due upon receipt. Failure to pay your invoice, without contacting us first, may result in either your online work being restored to its original state, removed, blocked by us, or legal action. We will not be responsible for business losses you may incur due to these actions. WE DO NOT offer 30 days to pay your final invoice. Please pay your invoice promptly. Thank you.

All fees for Toronto, Ontario clients are subject to 13% HST. International clients are exempt of ALL Canadian taxes.

Questions?

If you are unsure about any of the content here, please do feel free to contact us for clarification.

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Toronto Graphic Designers who specialize in: Brand, Logo & Icon, Website, Social Media, and Corporate Marketing Design.

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