Salish Sea Consulting

Salish Sea Creative

Terms of Service

Salish Sea Consulting – Terms of Service

By Chester Beard of Salish Sea Creative

These are my standard terms of service for any project involving copywriting, brand design, or automation workflow development. Please review these terms carefully. If anything stands out as a concern, reach out before we begin work so we can make necessary adjustments for your project.

Payment

Deposits, Final Payments, and Delivery

I reserve the right to request a 50% deposit before beginning any work. If a deposit is required, I will send you an invoice by email, and payment is expected within 30 days of the invoice date. By paying the deposit, you agree to these Terms of Service and enter into a working agreement with Chester Beard (Salish Sea Consulting / Salish Sea Creative).

Final invoices for the remaining balance will be issued prior to delivering final project files. I reserve the right to withhold all deliverables until payment has been received in full.

If you become unresponsive for 30 days or more, I may issue an invoice for work completed up to that point.

You are welcome to request a payment plan, which may be granted at my discretion. Any plan must be agreed to in writing.

All payments are due within 30 days of the invoice date.

Unpaid accounts beyond 30 days may be subject to late fees or collections charges.

Typefaces and Software Licensing

For design or automation work, any fonts, icons, templates, or third-party software licenses used may be subject to commercial licensing. Any such assets must be licensed by you for ongoing commercial use.

I will always identify the assets used and provide links or sources for your licensing needs. I cannot and will not transfer licenses that I have purchased personally.

Project Assets and Restrictions

Any early concepts, sketches, drafts, writing samples, automations, templates, or other ideas I share during the project remain my property unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.

You do not have the right to copy, reuse, or adapt unused concepts or proposals. I may reuse any unused concepts, frameworks, or design ideas in future projects.

Unless we’ve agreed to confidentiality or signed an NDA, I reserve the right to showcase the completed project and select in-process elements in my portfolio or marketing materials.

Once final delivery is complete, you are free to adapt or modify the work as you see fit—at your own risk.

Ownership and Copyright

All working files and draft materials remain the property of Chester Beard (Salish Sea Consulting / Salish Sea Creative). Ownership of final deliverables transfers to you only once full payment is received.

If the project is not paid in full, I reserve the right to reuse or modify the work and display it in my portfolio or use it for other clients.

Unauthorized use of unpaid work may result in legal action.

Final payment grants you ownership of only the final approved version. All alternate drafts and unused options remain my intellectual property unless otherwise agreed.

Trademark, Naming & Legal Checks

If you’re planning to trademark a name, logo, or slogan developed during our project, it’s your responsibility to seek legal counsel and ensure the name is available for use.

Please confirm that any business or product name is legally available before initiating the project. Changing a name mid-project can be time-consuming and may require renegotiation of the fee.

Project Cancellation

If you cancel after concepts or drafts have been presented, previous payments will not be refunded. In some cases, a partial refund may be issued based on work completed.

If I am unable to complete the work due to illness or unforeseen events, a partial or full refund will be issued depending on the status of the project and materials delivered.

Project Suspension

I reserve the right to pause or cancel a project due to:

Excessive micromanagement
Unreasonable revision demands
Lack of communication or delayed feedback
Failure to pay agreed invoices

I’ll provide advance notice and an opportunity to resolve the issue before taking action. No refunds will be given if the project is suspended for any of these reasons.

Force Majeure

If I’m unable to fulfill a project due to circumstances beyond my control (natural disaster, illness, power outage, government action, etc.), this will not be considered a breach of contract. I’ll notify you as soon as possible and resume work once the situation allows.

Limitation of Liability

You agree that Chester Beard (Salish Sea Consulting / Salish Sea Creative) is not legally responsible for:

Loss or damage caused by your use of the work produced
Any third-party actions, recommendations, or linked content
Legal disputes related to business names, slogans, content, or trademarks

I will always provide original work and make a good faith effort to avoid plagiarism or infringement. That said, you are responsible for conducting any legal or trademark checks as needed.

Terms of Service // Questions? Email Chester at ChesterBeard