Terms of service for custom design work:

Many businesses have challenging types of text for their terms of service.
Mine is challenging, but in a different way - a more philosophical way.


Art is a language. Art communicates to people's intuition with a motif structure...
This structure is a very tangible thing. The lay person believes that art is
subjective,  because that is how he experiences it. He might have certain impressions
from one art piece, and different thoughts which come to mind from the same
art piece tomorrow.

But from the maker's point of view, art has a very specific structure to it.
And because you're not using concrete symbols - like words - you talk
to people's intuition, rather than to their intellect. Art always has a purpose
 - it is meant to create some schema of impressions in the viewer. Those impressions
might vary depending on how vague the symbols are... but you have put the
pattern of symbols together into the art piece, in such a way that will certainly
evoke the type of impressions you desire someone to have.

So, if I do custom graphic design work for you, I am creating this complex and
 interwoven structure. It's like constructing a building. 

Now, we will have a consultation before I start... and you will offer me your vision,
 and we will discuss things together, and agree on a certain course I am going
to take with the project.

After that, I will spend the hours upon hours... creating an experience for the
 viewer of the art, which will prod his intuition in a certain manner... and will 
achieve a certain effect which you the purveyor of the art want.

Now, typically I find a point after the art piece is done, when the customer who
 I'm doing it for wants to come in and change several things... even wants to 
completely redo it with a different vision. That's not possible at that point.

It's like in a building - the person who proposed it, can't come along after it's made
 and say "take out this supporting beam, I want a different line of sight." Well,
the building would lose structural integrity if that beam were taken out.

So, you have to be responsible to come with ALL of your ideas when we
 have this initial consultation. And after the art is done... if you don't like it...
  you can say you don't want my design.. and there will be no charge
 to you. I don't work by the hour. I work by the piece... and I'm fair with you.

                                                                                     - Christopher vanDyck