So, Is The Logo A No-Go Or…?

I’m a freelance graphic designer, and I was commissioned to do a selection of designs, including a logo, a poster, a T-shirt, and a video trailer for this event promotion project. 

Client: “We want the T-shirt with the logo on it.”

Me: “Okay. Can you send me the full-resolution logo file?”

Client: “No, no, we’d like you to make the logo.”

Me: “That’s fine; I can add that to the quote.”

I send them off the estimation, and they ask me to cut the video as it’ll be too expensive for them. I remove it and send the estimation back with all the elements minus the video. 

Me: “Is this okay? If it is, I’ll draw up the contract.”

Client: “Yes, that’s fine!”

They sign the contract and pay the deposit, and I begin on the logo first as it’s going to be used throughout the other designs. 

Me: “For the logo design, it might be worth chatting with [Original Event Hosting Company] to see if they want to reuse it for other future events. If so, then it would cost a bit extra for an extended license, which they might be willing to put up some money for.”

Client: “Oh! We didn’t want a logo. We were just using that as an example.”

Having already spent several hours on the logo, I was pretty annoyed — especially since “Logo Design” was clearly marked on BOTH invoices and the contract they agreed to.

I added the wasted hours to the final invoice.