Buying what you cannot make.
WHAT TO PREPARE BEFORE APPROACHING ANYONE
A clear brief Reference material The quantity required Your budget Your deadline
WHY REFERENCES MATTER MOST
Written descriptions of style are interpreted differently by everyone.
WHAT TO AGREE IN WRITING
Scope and deliverables File formats required Number of revisions included Payment schedule Ownership of the work
WHY OWNERSHIP SPECIFICALLY
Without an explicit assignment, you may hold only a licence.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
That you own the work outright, or precisely what you may do with it.
WHAT TO START WITH
A small paid test piece.
WHY
It reveals whether the style and working relationship fit, cheaply.
WHAT TO PROVIDE
Technical constraints: sizes, formats, budgets
Examples of existing assets Prompt feedback
WHAT DELAYS WORK
Slow or unclear feedback from you.
WHAT TO PAY
Fairly, and on time.
WHY THAT IS ALSO PRACTICAL
Good collaborators are scarce, and reputation travels.
WHAT TO KEEP
Source files, not only exports.
WHY
Future changes are otherwise impossible.
