As a UX designer, your job is to make things intuitive, elegant, and functional. But when it comes to your business relationships, there’s nothing intuitive about vague emails or handshake deals. If you’re working with clients, agencies, or startups as an independent contractor, a clear and well-drafted agreement is essential.
Why? Because your time, creativity, and intellectual property deserve protection. You need a document that lays out what’s expected, what’s being delivered, who owns what, and how you’ll get paid. The right contract creates structure, builds trust, and helps you stay focused on what you do best: solving design problems and creating beautiful user experiences.
At Counsel Club, we’ve worked with countless freelance designers and creative professionals. We’ve seen firsthand how a strong Independent Contractor Agreement can prevent misunderstandings and protect your work. Here’s what you should include.
Why UX Designers Need a Contract That Works for Them
UX design sits at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and technical execution. That means your work often involves a mix of research, wireframes, prototypes, and handoff files — all of which can raise questions about rights, revisions, and responsibilities.
Clients may not always understand what’s in scope or when the project is “done.” That’s why your agreement should make it crystal clear. Without it, you risk late payments, extra work you didn’t agree to, or disputes over IP ownership.
A well-drafted contract isn’t just about covering your legal bases. It’s about communicating your process, managing expectations, and protecting your time.
Key Legal Terms UX Designers Should Include
Here are five critical contract terms every UX designer should pay attention to:
1. Usage Rights and Ownership of Deliverables
This is one of the most common areas of confusion. Who owns your designs once the project is complete? Are you transferring full rights, or just granting usage? What happens if you’re using templates or design systems you created earlier?
Your agreement should:
- Clearly define what deliverables the client is getting and how they can use them
- Distinguish between custom work and any background IP (like your design framework or reusable templates)
- Spell out whether the client can modify your work or use it commercially
2. Attribution (Especially for Portfolios)
As a designer, your work is part of your portfolio and reputation. If you want to showcase it later, your agreement should include:
- A clause granting you permission to display the work on your website or social media
- Clear guidelines about whether you can use the client’s name or logo
Attribution isn’t always guaranteed by default. Put it in writing.
3. Scope of Work and Revisions
Scope creep is real. A few “quick tweaks” can easily spiral into multiple rounds of unpaid revisions.
Protect your time by including:
- A detailed scope of work that outlines what’s included (e.g. 3 wireframes, 2 rounds of revisions)
- A revision limit and clear process for additional requests
- Optional fees for extra rounds of work or new features outside the original scope
4. Payment Schedule and Kill Fees
You shouldn’t have to wait until final delivery to get paid. Design work often happens in stages, and your payments should reflect that.
Include:
- Payment milestones tied to project phases or timelines (e.g. 50% upfront, 50% on delivery)
- Clear due dates for invoices and late payment penalties
- A kill fee if the project is canceled partway through, so your time is still compensated
5. Confidentiality and Non-Solicitation
If you’re working with user research, proprietary designs, or internal tools, confidentiality matters. You may also want to prevent the client from trying to hire away your collaborators or subcontractors.
Make sure your agreement:
- Defines what information must be kept confidential
- States how long the confidentiality lasts
- Includes a non-solicitation clause if needed
How Counsel Club Helps You Customize the Right Agreement
At Counsel Club, we know most freelancers don’t want to spend hours reading legalese. That’s why we built our platform to help you generate contracts that are:
- Tailored to your business. You answer a few simple questions about your work, and we build the right contract based on your answers.
- Written by lawyers. Our templates are drafted and reviewed by real attorneys who understand creative work, not just boilerplate law.
- Flexible and fast. Need to edit a clause or ask a question? Amicus, our built-in legal assistant, is here to help.
We’ve helped designers of all types — from UX researchers to UI specialists — create agreements that protect their time, their ideas, and their income.
Questions a UX Designer Might Ask Amicus
“Can I include a clause that lets me show the project in my portfolio?”
Yes. Amicus can walk you through adding an attribution clause that fits your brand and the client’s preferences.
“What if the client keeps asking for revisions?”
Amicus can help you set clear limits and language that politely but firmly puts boundaries around your work.
“I’m using a design system I created in Figma. How do I make sure I retain rights to reuse it?”
We’ll help you carve out background IP and grant the client only the rights they need — not more.
Customize Your UX Design Contract with Counsel Club
You don’t have to start from scratch or risk using a generic template that wasn’t built for your kind of work. At Counsel Club, we help UX designers create custom contracts that are smart, simple, and legally sound.
Ready to protect your business and get peace of mind?
