How to Protect your Creative Work

The internet is great for creatives. Sharing your work online can grant you an instant audience of millions.

Working freelance for remote clients can give you access to projects you could ordinarily only dream of.

But, with all this opportunity there’s an element of risk too. How do you protect yourself against your work being stolen or clients taking your work without payment?

At Twine, it’s our mission to empower creatives and give them the knowledge they need to protect themselves.

There will always be a small amount of risk that goes with putting your work out there in the public domain. It’s rare, but sometimes images are used without permission, ideas are ripped off, clients can take your work without payment, even code can be stolen.

However, the good news is there’s plenty of ways to protect yourself, so get tooled up.

Copyright

Firstly, it’s good to know that in the UK at least, any work that you create is automatically covered by copyright law. So, as long as you have a way to prove that the work is your original creation, you’re automatically covered. Laws in other countries may differ so it’s always best to check.

Contract

On Twine, we recommend making sure your work is protected before you send it to your buyer for review.

A good first step is to draw up a contract with your buyer before you start working together. It doesn’t have to be a fancy document, just something that states the copyright belongs to you until payment has been received (assuming that after your client has paid, your work becomes their property).

Watermarking

As we’ve discussed in a previous article, a lot of creatives turn to watermarks to protect their work.

Watermarking can’t stop your work from being stolen entirely, but it might go a partway to deterring potential thieves. You can take it a step further and be a little sneaky too – for example, if you’re an illustrator, artist, or designer you could add your logo or name into a small, inconspicuous corner of your work.

Something that’s barely noticeable but part of the original artwork. That way you’ve got proof that it belongs to you.

Don’t send the final files

When your client needs to review your work before they sign it off, don’t give them something they could take and use without sending payment.

If it applies to your creative discipline, try sending a low res version of the finished project. If you’re a filmmaker, send a few scenes, but not the final cut. If you’re a musician, try using audio tags.

Keep a paper trail

It pays to keep a record of all your communication with your buyer. On Twine, you can see your message history with everyone you’ve chatted with, which can really help if you encounter a problem.

Get a reference

If you’re suspicious or doubtful about a buyer’s legitimacy, check out their past history by talking to their previous clients. You’ll get a good idea of what they’re like to work with and whether you can trust them.

Twine lets you see a buyer’s work history and who they’ve worked with previously. You can also get a good idea of whether someone is trustworthy with ratings and testimonials.

Avoid work on spec

Don’t do work on spec, then send the work to the client expecting to be paid.

There’s a high chance they could just take your work and use it anyway without paying. If a client asks you for this kind of work, it could be a signal that they don’t value your skills and talent and they’re after something for free.

Only work with clients who are willing to respect your creative talent.

Take a deposit

Before you start on a project, ask the buyer for a deposit. It doesn’t have to be much – 5%, 10%, 20% – just something so that the buyer has an investment in you, and will be more willing to see the project through to completion.

Don’t send until you’ve been paid

Don’t transfer those final project files until you’ve been paid.

Here at Twine, we protect both the buyer and the client at this delicate stage of the process. The buyer sends payment once they’ve approved the final project draft. Payment is sent to us at Twine and we hold it on their behalf.

You release the final project files to the buyer, and as soon as this is done, Twine releases payment to you. Simple, and both parties are protected.

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Ready to get hired? At Twine, we have dozens of top-quality jobs being posted each and every day. From design to marketing, development to copywriting – there’s a job ready for your skills. Join the marketplace of creative talent here.