Contracts and invoices and horses... Oh my!

[LeadMagnet]

I'm fairly new to freelance work and as of yet i haven't used a contract or an invoice. Soon i will need the invoice when i complete my current job, and for the next one i'd like to have a contract on hand that i can use.

I haven't been screwed over by anyone YET, but i'm sure it'll happen eventually and i'd like to be prepared.

Does anyone know of any place where i can get some info on making these (or perhaps there's some site dedicated to providing info for freelancers and the like?) or does anyone have some templates they'd like to share?



Also, another question. I'm currently making a site for a solicitor's firm (just waiting for their content to finish it off). For this job i think i undercharged. I asked for €500 for the job (to be paid on delivery) and included some photography in that price. So, photographer + webdesigner (3 templates made, they chose the 1st one of course). I probably should have charged twice that, but i wouldn't feel right asking for more money at this stage so i'm just going to let it go for this one.

Here's the problem: The wife of that client also wants a website made after this one. She breeds some rare breed of horses and wants an informational site made for that business to promote awareness and provide a platform for people to contact her if they have a desire to buy any. So, the job will require more photography work than the other site, she wants me to go to her farm/breeding ground or whatever you call it, take lots of photos, stick them up on the site. Fine, no problem there.
Since she knows (probably) the cost of the other website to be €500, do you think it's a good idea to double the price in this case as i should? Or would a price of say... €700-€800 be a better idea?
Also, should i tell her the about the price increase (i undercharged her husband accidentally + there's more work involved here) or leave some of it out or what...? I'm just not sure how to approach this subject.


Any other advice you can think of is appreciated.

[Toon]

Some of these might give you an idea

Freelance Design Contracts and Templates - Freelancer Pricing, Invoices, SEO: Sessions.edu

Create a Contract for a Desktop Publishing or Graphic Design Business

Web Freelancer Contract Pack. Only $47. Order and Download

Free Freelance Invoice Template :: Freelance UK

[LeadMagnet]

Yep, those will do :D
Great links, thanks. This will make for some fun bedtime reading later on.

Any advice on the other question?

[El Peligroso]

I'd probably say go half way on the next one, so like 750.

I'd explain the situation to her too though, if you just up the price for what might appear to her as no other reason than that you could she will probably (or should I say definitely) tell others. That really isn't the word of mouth you are looking for. If you tell her that her site will require more work on your part and that will mean more money then it should be all good.

You could maybe say a price of 900 but then say you'll do her a deal on the site and do it for 750? Just a thought...

[katrina_suzanne]

I might be a little late to help you LeadMagnet, but it may help people who stumble upon this thread at a later date...

As a freelancer, this might be a good contract - Consultant Terms and Conditions alternatively you could use a generic Web Design Contract Agreement.

A couple of other useful contracts you might use during your design career:
Website Privacy Policy template
Multimedia Licensing/Copywrite Agreement
Terms and Conditions for Sale of Goods online (E-commerce T's &C's)

Also - on your fee question - If I were you, I would be upfront and explain that as one of your first design projects you didn't have a reference point and underestimated the time it would take to develop her husbands site.

If you go in at a loss to save face, and she recommends you - you may end up in a vicious circle. If she shops around she's likely to find your prices are competitive anyway.

If however, you value the experience, and want to add to your portfolio, it may be worth taking the hit - but explain to her that you would be grateful if she didn't quote the reduced price to her friends.

Good luck with it,

K

[dannynosleeves]

Originally Posted by Toon

Some of these might give you an idea

Freelance Design Contracts and Templates - Freelancer Pricing, Invoices, SEO: Sessions.edu

Create a Contract for a Desktop Publishing or Graphic Design Business

Web Freelancer Contract Pack. Only $47. Order and Download

Free Freelance Invoice Template :: Freelance UK

I can only imagine what your web browser bookmarks look like toon. I thought I had a lot of bookmarks, but I think you could out link me any day of the week.

[Toon]

The main reason I built one big database with search option!

Graphic Design Links / Published News

[katrina_suzanne]

That's really handy Toon, think I'll be bookmarking that one!
K

[LeadMagnet]

You're not too late katrina. Always useful to have extra options available.
Thanks for the comments and links.

[katrina_suzanne]

no worries, pleased to help,
k