“The time is always right to do what’s right!” This is a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. This quote can be applied not just to human and civil rights but to our everyday lives. We all can think of something we may need to correct or address in order to set what is right. How does this apply to your logo art?
Some art designers take the attitude that since the designer created your logo or art, they own that art work. This is not the case. If you paid for the designer to create art for you, you have commissioned them to produce something (art) for you and like any commissioned or hired worker, they are working for you and not producing for themselves.
Many times the designer will charge you for the design and then charge you if you want to take that design/art to your printer or sign maker. You must pay them extra in order for them to release the work to anyone else. The question again is - who owns your art? The obvious answer should be that you do. And you should own it in many formats – jpg, eps, pdf, ai.
How do you go about getting the art work back without paying extra? The best way to prevent this problem is to have a contract up front with a clause defining the owner of the design/art once the design/art is complete. If, however, you have not signed such a contract you may still want to go the legal route and involve an attorney. Unfortunately this can be, and usually is, more expensive than just paying the extra. Or you may want to lean on the designer’s good nature to do what’s right and explain that you paid for a product and would like to receive your art to do with as you please.
At Signs & More, Inc., we always strive to “Do what’s right.” We will, for a fee, design any type art for you and let you know up front that we are creating for you and you only. And when we are done, you will receive your art in formats useable by printers, signmakers, etc.