Client Wants Editable Files and a Scope Dispute
A freelance designer signs a fixed-fee contract to design a 12-page brand style guide and a logo. The contract states the client receives 'final production files for the agreed deliverables.' After delivery, the client asks for the layered Illustrator source files, all working files, and the font files used, so their in-house team can edit the logo and extend the system. The designer used two licensed commercial fonts and built the logo with live text plus custom paths. The client threatens to withhold final payment. The designer wants to keep the working files and the fonts.
1. Analyze the contract language and identify what the designer is and is not obligated to hand over, and what the font licensing adds to the picture.
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'Final production files for the agreed deliverables' is ambiguous and typically means the files needed to use the deliverables - e.g., the exported logo assets and the style guide PDF - not the editable working files. The layered source and working files are generally the designer's unless the contract assigns them. So the designer likely owes the production exports but not necessarily the layered source.
Fonts are a separate matter: the designer's font licenses almost certainly do not permit transferring the font files to the client. The designer cannot legally hand over the font files. If the client's team needs to edit text, they must license the fonts themselves, or the designer should outline the text (with the caveat that outlined text is no longer editable).
The withholding of payment is a contract dispute, not a license to the files; the designer should point to the delivery terms and resolve payment separately from any file transfer.
2. Propose a resolution that protects the designer's position while keeping the client relationship, and state what should be documented.
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Offer a clear, tiered handoff:
- Included (already owed): final production exports - logo in SVG/PNG/PDF, style guide PDF - as the agreed deliverables.
- Optional, for a fee: the layered Illustrator source files, under a written addendum that defines the license granted (e.g., the client may edit for their own use but may not resell the source).
- Fonts: explain the licensing restriction in writing; offer to outline the logo text for the client's use, and recommend they purchase their own font licenses for ongoing editing.
Document everything in a short written summary: what was delivered, what the addendum covers, the font-licensing explanation, and the payment terms. Keep the working files archived on the designer's side. This separates the payment dispute from the file question and gives the client a legitimate path to what they need without the designer breaching font licenses or giving away working files for free.