giving your design files to clients?

[TammyP]

Hello,

For those of you who do work for others, I'm wondering if you turn your design files over to the client when you're finished or if you retain your designs yourself.

I don't usually have clients request all their files, but I have an extremely difficult (and dumb) client who I did a small pro website for and, well, the first problem I had was she went in and not knowing what she was doing deleted the entire website. Didn't even know she did it, even after I explained she couldn't delete those files in the hosting space that she didn't know what they were because they were her WEBSITE! It was only a 2 pager but as I say, a pro design. She decided she didn't like the design and she basically deleted it again and redid the website in a very sad, Fisher Price kind of way. I could care less if she deletes the work I did, except that she only paid me half up front (my usual practice is to require half up front) and then was going to not pay me the other half because she decided she didn't want to use my design after all. When she realized how badly she had messed up her site (and she had deleted all the files I made that worked) she sent me the other half of the payment and is demanding I send her a CD with all her design files.

My inclination is to not give her the files because I know she's going to use my design work to try to rebuild her website or have someone else rebuild what she deleted with my work. It was a 2 page website that I charged her $210 for and I just don't think it's worth giving her my design for $210. Seems to me the work was what she paid for, not the ownership of the design. But I don't know what the standard practice is.

As I say, I don't usually turn over the design work I do to someone else, but I wondered if any of you have a practice upon completion of a website for someone else one way or the other? I'd be interested in hearing pros and cons if any of you have advice to offer.

You know, I've got a few hundred clients and this is the FIRST one I've ever had trouble with either in paying me or being so difficult. This woman has threatened me and everything else, all over a 2 page $210 website. It's ridiculous!

Thanks in advance! Tammy

[Jason Fraker]

If I was in your shoes, I would just give her the files. Before you throw anything sharp at me, let me explain:

You will never hear from this woman again as long as you shall live, and all it will cost you is a CD with files on it that you don't even like. You have several good clients, and one bad one. If your rose bush has one dead looking bloom, you would just cut it off and throw it away, right? That's what you have to do with this woman, otherwise she'll keep calling you and harrassing you and it will 15-minute you to death.

I had a pain in the neck client once ask me to send her a diagramed business card with labels indicating what font was used where and what size font even (under the guise of a standards manual). Normally, I am against handing out any customer files (especially layered photoshop files), but in her case, it was worth it just to get rid of her. I think I even referred her to another company in my email to her.

Just my opinion.

-Jason

99% of what passes for music these days, SILENCE is more compelling1

[TammyP]

Thanks Jason and Amnibo,

I agree with both of you...hmmm, so now what do I do /emoticons/dry.gif

I definitely agree with Jason about getting rid of this woman. Truth is, I deleted most of the files anyway when I saw that she had decided not to use my design...I always conserve space when I can so no need to keep files I'll not use again. I have a barebones skelaton of the original design work, which I could easily send her on a floppy (why waste a CD)

On the other hand, I agree with Amnibo - there was no contract, there was only an invoice/estimate that I gave her up front that simply says '2 page website, $210' no discussion whatsoever of giving her the files at the end ever took place. Not until she screwed up her site and demanded I give her the files was it mentioned.

Anyway, thanks for your responses! I appreciate them both. Tammy

[Ryan8720]

Just send then floppy with the barebones. Clients like that are a waste of time.

I had one one like that wanted me to take his website and fix all the messed up coding. Well the site looked like crap. It was just a bunch of boxes with info in them and many of them were in the wrong place. Matter of fact, the navigation was all the way at the bottom of the page and you had to scroll down to find it. So I naturally fixed it up a bit. Of course he just wanted to keep it in the same crappy condition. Even though he admitted that his collegues liked my design better. So I just gave him the files and now the site is a weird stupid mix of his old site and a few elements of mine.

http://edgewebdesign.org/ryan2.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

C:\DOS
C:\DOS\RUN
RUN DOS RUN

[TammyP]

Ryan,

I agree, they're a total waste of time...the site she 'redesigned' was similar to what you describe of the mess you tried to fix. Sad things is, these people don't even recognize quality work even when they look right at it.

Amnibo,

'One thing you could tell her is that she HAD all the files, but she deleted them - not your fault.
But I also agree with Jason about getting her outa your hair.'

That was my plan, which is pretty well true - I deleted the files, but I saved one part of it that I had designed (nav buttons). She wasn't smart enough to not overwrite the files, now she's screwed it up so bad she doesn't know what to do.

Oh well, not my problem.

I'm not a person that gets spooked, but I live in a small town and this woman has actually threatened me...she's the kind of psycho that would shoot you if you ticked her off while driving or something like that, so I only want to be permanently rid of her (hard to do in a small town).

I appreciate all your responses - it's encouraging!!

[Ryan8720]

Keep a shotgun by your bed.

http://edgewebdesign.org/ryan2.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

C:\DOS
C:\DOS\RUN
RUN DOS RUN

[Benjamin]

I definitely agree with Jason that you should give her anything you have, even though she is clearly in the wrong. Better not to tarnish your reputation.

Om Namah Shivaya

Jason Fraker said...
If I was in your shoes, I would just give her the files. Before you throw anything sharp at me, let me explain:

You will never hear from this woman again as long as you shall live, and all it will cost you is a CD with files on it that you don't even like. You have several good clients, and one bad one. If your rose bush has one dead looking bloom, you would just cut it off and throw it away, right? That's what you have to do with this woman, otherwise she'll keep calling you and harrassing you and it will 15-minute you to death.

I had a pain in the neck client once ask me to send her a diagramed business card with labels indicating what font was used where and what size font even (under the guise of a standards manual). Normally, I am against handing out any customer files (especially layered photoshop files), but in her case, it was worth it just to get rid of her. I think I even referred her to another company in my email to her.

Just my opinion.

-Jason

I completely agree. Not only that but I'll give the design files away to my clients. I flatten effects but maintain layers for composition.

[ribbed.se]

However, this will take some of your worktime - time you could use to produce other clients projects - and get paid for.

I would like to propose that you set up a basic timefee for this kind a work. Next time - simply explain that this will take you X hours and you will charge X money.

Remember, all your work will take time. Even if it doesn't include designing. Especially when its producing-time, you should try to estimate how long it will take you and what kind of money that will bring you. Because, when its boring hardcore-producing, it will motivate you doing crappy things.

Just a thought. =)

ribbed.se yes very true! Welcome to the forum by the way.

That is something I just learned, you must charge for everything. If you do freelance and charge only what you want to make an hour then your stiffing yourself. You still have to do the invoicing, filing, accounting, printing etc. So charge for everything or else you might grow your freelance right into bankruptcy.

[pixelmonkey]

flat file her!!!!

to get her out of your hair is the main focus, but giving up work that was never part of the origonal plan is something you shouldnt do. if anything, take the 'conecpt' sections of the design, and a screen shot of the end layout. burn those items on a disk and hand it over. you're allready exceeding the job described by giving her a tangable product , a disk or cd.

and when a client has this in their hands, it's going to make them happy, but not realize the assorted layers and individual images are what takes time and money to produce.

convince her you gave it your all... but dont let her know your all was a small percent.
chris<pixelmonkey>:D

the monkey makes all the girls bounce!
*i'm an aerobics instructor too*

[ribbed.se]

>> benjo
thx for the welcoming. =)
And I also totally agree with you. An old phrase 'time is money' is still very true... =)