Policies

Financial terms

Payments and deposits

Payment is required before work begins. The specific payment structure will be shown on the invoice, proposal, service listing, or checkout page.

Full-payment projects

Services requiring full payment must be paid in full before the project is added to the production schedule.

Split-payment projects

When a payment plan is approved, the initial deposit reserves the project and allows work to begin. Unless otherwise stated, the deposit is non-refundable. The remaining balance must be paid before final files, website access, or completed deliverables are released.

Payment order

Projects are scheduled in the order that payments and required materials are received. An inquiry, conversation, quote, or unpaid invoice does not reserve a place on the schedule.

Late or missed payments

Work may be paused when an invoice becomes overdue. Project timelines may be adjusted based on the length of the delay, and a restart or rescheduling fee may be required when applicable.

Booking commitment

Invoices and booking requests

Requesting an invoice or proposal does not reserve a project. Each invoice is prepared individually and requires administrative time to create, review, and send. A project is only added to The Graphic Palace production schedule after the required payment and project materials have been received.

Invoice expiration

Unless otherwise stated, invoices expire on the date shown within the invoice. Unpaid or expired invoices may be canceled without additional notice. Pricing, availability, promotional offers, and estimated turnaround times are not guaranteed after an invoice expires.

Failure to pay an invoice

Clients who request an invoice and allow it to expire without payment may be required to follow updated booking terms before a future invoice is issued. Repeatedly requesting invoices without completing payment may result in future service being declined.

Administrative convenience and rebooking fee

When a client allows a requested invoice to expire and later returns to book the same or another service, a non-refundable administrative convenience and rebooking fee may be required before a new invoice is prepared.

• A $50 fee may apply to future bookings valued under $1,000.
• A $100 fee may apply to future bookings valued at $1,000 or more.

This fee covers the additional administrative time involved in recreating invoices, reviewing prior booking details, updating pricing, and rescheduling availability.

Final-sale terms

Refunds and cancellations

Due to the custom nature of creative services, payments are non-refundable once a project has been scheduled, research has begun, concepts have been developed, work has been presented, or project resources have been reserved.

Client cancellations

A client may request to cancel a project, but payments already submitted will not be refunded for completed labor, reserved production time, research, planning, administrative work, or creative development.

Abandoned projects

A project may be considered abandoned when a client stops responding, fails to provide requested materials, or does not submit required feedback or payment for an extended period. Restarting an abandoned project may require a new invoice, restart fee, or updated timeline.

Service refusal

The Graphic Palace reserves the right to decline or discontinue a project involving abusive conduct, repeated policy violations, unlawful content, nonpayment, harassment, or requests that fall outside the agreed service.

Creative refinement

Revisions

Unless otherwise stated, each custom design project includes up to two revision rounds. A revision round consists of one consolidated list of changes submitted at the same time.

What is considered a revision?

Revisions include reasonable refinements to an existing concept, such as minor text edits, color adjustments, spacing changes, image replacements, or small layout refinements.

What is not considered a revision?

A complete redesign, new concept, new creative direction, new service, new page, changed campaign, additional format, or request outside the original brief is considered additional work and may require a separate fee.

Submitting feedback

Revision requests should be clear, specific, and consolidated. Multiple separate messages may be combined and treated as one revision round. Contradictory feedback or changes requested after approval may result in additional charges.

Additional revisions

Revisions beyond the included amount will be invoiced separately. Additional work will not begin until the related invoice is paid.

Protecting the creative process

Freestyle creative direction and AI-generated feedback

Clients are expected to provide a clear vision, preferred style, inspiration, brand direction, or reasonable creative guidance before work begins. When a client does not have a defined vision and requests that The Graphic Palace “freestyle” the project, the client is authorizing The Graphic Palace to establish the overall creative direction using professional judgment, experience, and artistic discretion.

Freestyle requests

A freestyle request means the client has chosen to rely on The Graphic Palace to determine the visual direction. This may include the layout, typography, imagery, color balance, composition, effects, hierarchy, styling, and overall creative approach.

Clients who request a freestyle may still request reasonable refinements within the approved concept. However, a freestyle request does not include the right to repeatedly dismantle, micromanage, or replace the entire creative direction after it has been developed.

Nitpicking or reversing a freestyle direction

Excessive nitpicking, contradictory instructions, repeated reversals, or attempts to alter nearly every part of a freestyle concept may be treated as a change in creative direction rather than a standard revision.

When a client wants close control over the final appearance, that direction must be communicated before design begins. Clients should provide references, examples, preferred colors, visual preferences, and any specific ideas they expect to see.

If a client requests a freestyle and later introduces a substantially different vision, the new direction may require an additional concept fee, redesign fee, extended timeline, or separate invoice.

No ChatGPT-generated revision requests

Revision requests generated, rewritten, expanded, or directed by ChatGPT or another artificial intelligence platform will not be accepted as the primary source of client feedback.

AI-generated feedback is frequently inconsistent, overly broad, detached from the original project brief, or contradictory to revisions that were previously requested and completed. It may recommend one change and later recommend reversing that same change, creating an endless revision cycle and continuously moving the goalpost.

The client must personally review the design and communicate their own clear, final, and consolidated feedback. Revision requests should reflect the client’s actual preferences and business needs—not a continuously changing list of suggestions generated by an AI tool.

Contradictory revision requests

Requests that contradict previously approved feedback, reverse completed revisions, or repeatedly return the design to an earlier version may be counted as a new revision round or invoiced as additional work.

The Graphic Palace is not responsible for repeatedly implementing conflicting directions supplied by the client, a third party, an AI platform, or multiple decision-makers.

Final decision-maker

The client must designate one final decision-maker and provide one consolidated revision list per round. Feedback from friends, family members, employees, social media audiences, AI platforms, or other outside sources must be reviewed and finalized by the client before it is submitted.

Additional fees or project termination

Repeatedly changing the creative direction, submitting contradictory feedback, or attempting to use revisions to obtain multiple complete concepts may result in additional charges, a revised completion date, or termination of the project without refund.

Scheduling

Project timelines

Standard turnaround times vary by service. Many design services require approximately 7–10 or 10–14 business days, while larger branding, website, packaging, or multi-deliverable projects may require additional time.

Business days

Turnaround times are calculated using business days and generally exclude weekends, holidays, planned closures, and days spent waiting for client feedback, materials, approvals, or payment.

Timeline start date

The project timeline begins once payment and all required materials have been received. Payment alone does not start the timeline when the questionnaire, copy, images, dimensions, login credentials, or other required information is still missing.

Rush services

Rush service may be available for an additional fee depending on workload, complexity, and the requested deadline. A rush fee prioritizes the project but does not remove the client's responsibility to respond promptly.

Unexpected delays

Although every effort is made to meet projected timelines, unexpected technical issues, emergencies, platform outages, supplier delays, or circumstances outside reasonable control may affect delivery.

What is needed from you

Client responsibilities

Clients are responsible for providing complete and accurate information before the project begins. This may include written copy, names, dates, prices, contact information, product details, photographs, logos, brand assets, dimensions, account access, and inspiration.

Accuracy of information

The client is responsible for proofreading and confirming all information before final approval. The Graphic Palace is not responsible for errors that were present in client-supplied content or approved during the revision process.

Permission to use assets

By providing images, fonts, logos, music, copy, or other materials, the client confirms that they have permission to use those assets. The client assumes responsibility for copyright, licensing, trademark, and usage permissions related to materials they supply.

Timely communication

Clients should respond to questions, proofs, and revision requests within a reasonable timeframe. Delayed responses may extend the completion date or require the project to be rescheduled.

What is included

Project scope and additional work

The project scope includes only the services and deliverables listed on the invoice, proposal, contract, product page, or written agreement.

Requests made after payment that were not included in the original scope may require an additional fee. This includes additional pages, platforms, concepts, formats, sizes, products, animations, mockups, copywriting, image editing, consultations, or technical support.

Any complimentary work, bonus materials, or courtesy adjustments are provided at the discretion of The Graphic Palace and do not permanently expand the original project scope.

Staying connected

Communication

Project communication should remain within the approved communication channel, such as email, the client portal, or another designated platform.

Response times

Messages are answered during normal business operations. Replies may not be immediate, particularly during active design, production, weekends, holidays, or scheduled closures.

Professional conduct

Respectful communication is required throughout the project. Threatening, abusive, discriminatory, harassing, or excessively hostile behavior may result in the project being discontinued without refund.

Final delivery

Design files and delivery

Final deliverables are provided in the formats listed in the service description or project agreement. Common formats may include PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, or other approved export types.

Editable source files

Editable or working files, including PSD, AI, INDD, project files, templates, raw assets, or layered source files, are not included unless specifically listed and purchased.

File storage

Clients are responsible for downloading and securely storing their completed files. The Graphic Palace is not required to maintain indefinite backups after final delivery.

Final approval

Once final approval is provided, additional changes may require a new fee. Final files are released after all outstanding balances have been paid.

Instant-access items

Digital products

Digital products, templates, guides, workbooks, courses, downloadable assets, and instant-access materials are final sale due to the immediate and nonreturnable nature of digital delivery.

Access and downloads

Customers are responsible for providing a valid email address, downloading files, and confirming that their device or software supports the purchased format.

License

Unless otherwise stated, digital products are licensed to the purchaser only. They may not be resold, redistributed, shared, uploaded to group drives, copied for others, or repackaged as a competing product.

Software compatibility

Some products may require specific software, applications, fonts, subscriptions, or technical knowledge. Customers should review product requirements before purchasing.

Production and shipping

Physical products

Physical products may require design approval, production, processing, quality review, and shipping. Estimated timelines may vary depending on the item, quantity, supplier, destination, and carrier.

Production approval

The client is responsible for approving spelling, colors, dimensions, placement, and design details before production begins. Changes may not be possible once an order enters production.

Color variation

Printed colors may vary slightly from colors displayed on a monitor or mobile device. Differences may occur because of screen settings, print methods, materials, finishes, and supplier processes.

Shipping

Carrier delays, incorrect addresses, lost packages, and delivery disruptions outside the control of The Graphic Palace may require coordination with the shipping provider or supplier.

Creative rights

Ownership and permitted usage

Upon full payment, the client receives the usage rights described in the applicable service agreement. Usage rights do not automatically include ownership of unused concepts, drafts, working files, creative processes, templates, or internal production assets.

Unused concepts

Unselected concepts, alternate directions, rejected drafts, and preliminary designs remain the property of The Graphic Palace and may not be used, recreated, distributed, or provided to another designer.

Resale and redistribution

Completed designs may not be resold, sublicensed, redistributed, or converted into templates or digital products without written permission.

Showcasing the work

Portfolio and promotional permission

The Graphic Palace may display completed or publicly launched work in portfolios, websites, social media, educational content, case studies, promotional materials, and design presentations.

Confidentiality requests must be discussed and approved before the project begins. An additional confidentiality or private-label fee may apply when the work cannot be publicly displayed.