Conditions of Business

SCOPE OF CONTRACT
1. Terms and Conditions – These terms and conditions (‘Conditions’) set out the terms upon which STB Design (which expression includes Stocks Taylor Benson Limited) agree to provide professional services pursuant to a contract (‘Contract’). STB Design may accept reasonable modification to these terms but such agreement must be in writing signed by a Director of STB Design and cannot be inferred from a course of behaviour. These Terms govern the Contract to the exclusion of any other terms subject to which any order or quotation is accepted or purported to be accepted or any order is made or purported to be made by the Buyer and these Terms shall be deemed to have been delivered first and last in time.
2. Services – STB Design supplies its clients (‘the Client’) with design and consultancy services specified in a fee proposal (‘Fee Proposal’) relating to the Client’s identity, business, literature, branding, strategic market positioning and the packaging, promotion and sale of goods and services (‘Services’) for a specific project (‘Project’).
3. The Contract will come into existence upon either:
  1. Acceptance – The written, e-mail or verbal acceptance by STB Design of an order for Services from the Client; or
  2. Acknowledgement – The written, e-mail or verbal acknowledgement by STB Design of an authority to proceed given by the Client in accordance with a Fee Proposal (in both cases incorporating these Conditions). STB Design reserves the right not to start work on a Project until it is in possession of a written authority to proceed from the Client.
4. Entire Agreement – The Contract, when formed, shall constitute the whole agreement between STB Design and the Client and both parties confirm that they have not entered into contractual relations on the basis of any representations (to include statements about price, availability, delivery, design quality and specification) that are not expressly incorporated into the Contract provided however this is not intended nor shall it exclude any liability of either party for fraudulent misrepresentation.
INSTRUCTIONS, INFORMATION AND SUPPORT
1. Client’s Responsibility – It is an express condition of the Contract that the Client shall be solely responsible for providing STB Design with all necessary instructions, information and support concerning the Services, the Project (to include the Client’s goods, the market, any relevant legal or regulatory controls and generally) and the Client’s requirements. The Client’s knowledge and commercial information about such matters and its requirements are vital and STB Design shall not be responsible for any shortcomings in such information.
2. Incomplete Instructions – The Client shall be liable for all costs and expenses incurred as a result of any failure by the Client to provide full or proper instructions.
3. Communications – STB Design cannot guarantee that e-mails sent to it or its agents or representatives will be received and all critical communication should be sent or confirmed by personal delivery, post or fax. STB Design is not obliged to verify any instructions.
4. Discretion – In the absence of precise instructions, and in the event of the Client or his representative being unavailable for clarification at the appropriate time, STB Design reserves the right, without liability, to use its professional discretion in execution.
DELIVERY
1. Time – The specified delivery times of the Services stated by STB Design are reasonable estimates. Time shall not be of the essence in any respect unless STB Design has expressly agreed so in writing.
2. Client Response – The Client recognises that for STB Design to be able to perform the Services in a timely fashion and to meet any agreed timetable then the Client must also respond to the enquiries of STB Design relating to the Services or the Project in a timely fashion, to include the signing off and approval of materials submitted to it for such purpose and the giving of instructions in relation to the Project as requested. The Client acknowledges that should it fail in this regard STB Design is unlikely to be able to perform the Services within an agreed time period.
3. Variations – The Client acknowledges that any agreement to perform additional work as part of a Project or any variation of the Services is likely to affect the ability of STB Design to perform the Services within the specified time, and increase the costs of the Project.
PAYMENT TERMS
1. Credit – Credit accounts will be opened on receipt of two satisfactory trade references. Until a credit account is established all business will be on a cash-sale basis unless otherwise agreed in writing.
2. Payment Details – Accounts are payable to Stocks Taylor Benson Limited, 1 Grove Court, Grove Park, Leicester LE19 1SA. Unless otherwise agreed, credit accounts are to be paid in full by the end of the calendar month following the month of invoice. STB Design reserves the right to withdraw credit facilities at any time.
3. Invoice – STB Design will usually render an account prior to the commencement of each stage of work and reserves the right to render an interim account at any time.
4. Invoice Queries – Any queries as to the amount of the invoice should be raised, in writing, within seven days of receipt, otherwise the account invoiced will be deemed to be agreed. The Client is not entitled to withhold payment of, or make deductions from, invoices by reason of any claim or alleged claim and all rights of set off are excluded.
5. Advance Payment – STB Design reserves the right at its discretion to invoice a client in advance up to 50% of the total design fee and/or costs and will not be obliged to commence work on the Services or a Project until this has been settled.
6. Overdue Accounts – Amounts outstanding over 60 days from the date of invoice may, at STB Design’s option, be subject to an interest charge of 2% per month from the date of invoice on the outstanding balance. STB Design reserves the right to recover from the Client all costs incurred in the recovery of overdue accounts. STB Design reserves the right to suspend all Services to a Client on all Projects whilst any invoice is outstanding.
7. VAT – All prices quoted are exclusive of VAT which shall be charged at the appropriate rate.
CHARGES
1. Cost Variations – Quotations (whether or not forming part of a Fee Proposal) are based on information provided by the Client, and current costs of production and are subject to amendment after 30 days to meet any rise in such costs.
2. Rush Fees – Any part of the service that requires expedited delivery must be expressly agreed, and an additional charge may be made.
3. Subcontractors and Charges – Where STB Design undertakes to arrange and appoint specialist facilities on behalf of the Client (photography, illustrations, printing, exhibition contracting and the like), quoted rates from those facilities are passed on to the Client in good faith. In the event of additional charges being made by such facilities or if any additional expenses arise which could not have reasonably been anticipated other than as a result of negligence by STB Design, STB Design reserves the right to invoice those additional charges to the Client.
4. Expenses – Unless agreed as part of the Services the Client will reimburse STB Design costs for necessary travel, subsistence and other out of pocket expenses incurred by STB Design during the provision of the Services.
5. Management Charge – STB Design reserves the right to add a management charge to the cost of bought in or subcontracted Services in accordance with industry practice.
6. Modifications – STB Design will charge at its current rate for additional work necessitated by reason of corrections or modifications or changes required to the Services or after work has been approved by the Client (to include any Client led changes to dates for delivery of the Services and/or alterations in style).
7. Postponements – Should production be postponed or suspended at the request of the Client, or delayed through his default, for a period of 30 days or more, STB Design shall be entitled to payment for work already carried out and for materials specially ordered.
8. Delivery Costs – The Client will be charged for all delivery costs unless otherwise agreed.
CANCELLATION/SUSPENSION
1. Client Cancellations/Suspension – A Client may by notice in writing cancel or suspend a Contract. STB Design reserves the right to charge for all work carried out up to the time of any cancellation, and to charge for any materials or services specially delivered or ordered which cannot be cancelled.
2. STB Design’s Cancellation/Suspension – STB Design has the right to terminate the Contract at any time if it believes its professional reputation or its standing is threatened by its continued involvement with the Project if the Client stops trading or commits an act of bankruptcy or if a Liquidator, Receiver or Administrator is appointed or if the Client enters into an arrangement with its creditors or if STB Design has reasonable grounds to believe that the Client may not discharge its fee obligation to STB Design.
3. Suspension – Following notice of suspension STB Design may at any time decline to undertake any further work on the Project and it shall be at its complete discretion as to whether to maintain any design team that was assembled for the Project.
LIMITATION OF LOSS/LIABILITY
1. Liability – STB Design shall not accept liability for delay, loss or damage caused by carriers, as long as STB Design can provide proof of despatch.
2. Claims – Claims arising from damage, delay or partial loss of goods (including designs) in transit must be made in writing to STB Design within 3 days of delivery. Claims for non-delivery must be made within 28 days of despatch.
  1. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions limits any liability which cannot be legally limited including but not limited to liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of the terms implied by Section 12 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 or Section 2 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982.
  2. Subject to the above clause and the exclusions in clause 7.3.4 STB Designs, total liability to the Customer in respect of all breaches of contract or duty shall not exceed the contractual value of the goods and Services supplied to which the Customer’s claims relates.
  3. In this clause 7 the “total liability” means STB Designs, total liability including liability in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty or otherwise arising under or in connection with any contract with any Client to whom goods and Services are provided.
  4. The following specific heads of excluded loss and exceptions apply so that subject to clause 7.3.1 the types of loss listed in this sub-clause are wholly excluded by the parties in respect of total liability being loss of profits, loss of sale or business, loss of agreements or contracts, loss of anticipated savings, loss of use or corruption of software data or information, loss of/or damage to goodwill, direct loss or indirect loss or consequential loss. Losses not excluded are sums paid by STB Design to the Client in respect of any Services or goods not provided in accordance with any contract.
3. Force Majeure – STB Design shall not be responsible for any failure caused by events beyond its reasonable control.
4. Client Stipulations – STB Design shall not be responsible for any failure of any materials or items stipulated by the Client to be used in relation to the Project.
5. Third Party Rights – STB Design shall be under no liability to the client for any actions, costs, claims or demands suffered in respect of any infringement or alleged infringement of third party rights save insofar as such infringement is due to the negligence or default of STB Design.
6. Subcontract – STB Design accept responsibility for the work of its subcontractor unless they have been stipulated by the Client.
7. Orders Communicated Verbally – While every effort will be made to ensure accuracy, risk of error with orders rests entirely with the Client. Verbal orders should be confirmed immediately in writing or by fax.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
1. It is acknowledged that the Client holds full legal title and any copyright to any drawings, digital files, photographs, films, magnetic tapes, prints or otherwise which are provided to STB Design for the purposes of copying as part of any brief. The Client shall indemnify STB Design in the event of any copyright infringement as a result of the use of any materials and STB Design reserves the right to contact owners for clarification.
2. Intellectual Property Rights – All intellectual property rights including but without limitation copyright, design right and/ or moral rights recognised anywhere in the world in any work originated or created by STB Design in the course of any brief/ contract for a Client shall from the moment of creation belong to and remain vested exclusively in STB Design.
3. Subject to the payment of all fees due to STB Design in respect of any brief/contract, STB Design will grant an exclusive licence (non-exclusive in respect of any feature and aspects of the Services that are generally found in projects of a similar nature (and which do not give uniqueness to the project) in respect of the Intellectual Property in the final design work selected by the Client for implementation to use it solely for the purposes of the project only and for the avoidance of doubt this licence shall not include the right to modify or alter the work or use it for any other project or purpose unless expressly agreed.
4. Rough Work – Under no circumstances shall any work in a rough or uncompleted form be used or published as finished work or otherwise without the prior express written approval of STB Design.
5. Storage of Materials – Following completion of a Project STB Design may retain art work and materials as part of its own records but unless it shall have expressly agreed to do so as part of a brief it shall not be obliged to do so.
6. Disposal – Artwork, digital files, printing plates, screens, blocks, negatives, positives, slides, sketches, magnetic disks and tapes, type matter and the like may be effaced or destroyed by STB Design after they have been used in a Project and are no longer needed unless there is a written arrangement to the contrary.
7. Infringement – STB Design warrants that its work shall be original and will not knowingly infringe third party rights.
8. Searches – Unless STB Design expressly agrees otherwise, it shall not be under any obligation to make any search or enquiry with regard to third party rights such as trademarks, registered designs or market searches.
9. Confidentiality of Ideas and Concepts not Implemented – The ideas and concepts put forward by STB Design as part of the Services but which are either rejected by the Client or which do not form part of the final implemented work for any reason shall be the confidential know-how of STB Design and the Client shall not seek to use such ideas for any purpose and shall keep such confidential know-how secret and shall not disclose it to any third party until the same shall come into the public domain other than by reason of a breach of a duty of confidentiality due to STB Design or for a period of 1 year whichever is the longer.
10. Services not Included in the Contract – The Services shall not include, and Clients are reminded that they must obtain all relevant licences for the use and operation of, inter alia, proprietary software, typefaces and/or any media upon which materials delivered by STB Design as part of the Services are stored.
11. Moral Right – STB Design asserts its right to be identified as author of any design work which has been created as a result to the commission, and any publication of that work or reproduction thereof on any finished product shall bear a clear and distinctive credit to STB Design in a form and manner approved by STB Design. Any publicity given to the work produced by STB Design, as part of the Services shall give STB Design reasonable accreditation, and STB Design reserve the right to publicise work carried out for any client.
12. Multi Designs – If more than one design is chosen by the Client and this was not provided for in the agreed brief for the Services an additional fee may be payable by the Client.
13. Subcontractors – STB Design will use all reasonable endeavours to secure the relevant Intellectual Property rights of its freelancers, contractors and subcontractors.
14. Illustrators and Photographers – Clients are reminded that illustrators and photographers usually retain ownership of the original illustration or photograph and may demand its return undamaged although this should not restrict the Client’s use of any illustration or photograph within the negotiated usage rights.
15. Tolerances – Where the Service includes the supply of goods or materials, the Client accepts reasonable tolerances in respect of colour and quantity. The Client acknowledges that a final printed product may differ in colour from that shown on any proof. Where the Client requires the final colouring of a printed product to accord substantially with the proof then this must be stipulated as part of the initial brief so that the cost of procuring this can be incorporated into the Fee Proposal.
16. Approval – Proofs may be submitted, for the Client’s approval, whether in artwork, printed or photographic form, shall be dealt with promptly and STB Design accepts no liability for errors not identified by the Client.
17. Third Party Materials – All third party reports, materials, specifications, proposals and information supplied to STB Design in connection with the Project are held by STB Design and will be worked on as necessary at the Client’s risk. Clients are advised to ensure that they retain copies of such items provided to STB Design during the course of any Project. The Client is advised to insure high value property supplied to STB Design.
18. Confidential Information – Each party shall owe the other a duty to preserve the confidential information of the other (being information of a confidential nature not in the public domain and the disclosure or misuse of which would foreseeably damage the goodwill, business or reputation of the other.)
19. Non Solicitation – Whilst STB Design are providing Services and for a period of six months following the later of:
  1. Completion of the Project on which STB Design was engaged; or
  2. Completion of any other business Contract between STB Design and the Client;
  3. The Client will not contact or engage the services of or employ any person engaged in creative work; who was and remains an employee of STB Design during such period except with the written consent of STB Design.
GENERAL
1. Title and Risk – The risk in all goods shall pass to the Client upon delivery, but legal and beneficial ownership shall remain with STB Design until full payment has been received and any cheque or other negotiable security has been honoured. The Client shall pay all accounts in full and not exercise any right to set-off or counterclaim against invoices submitted.
2. General Lien – Without prejudice to other remedies, STB Design shall, in respect of all outstanding debts due from its Clients, have a general lien on all goods and property in STB Design’s possession (whether worked on or not), and shall be entitled, on the expiration of 14 days’ notice, to dispose of such goods or property as STB Design thinks fit, and to apply any proceeds towards such debts.
3. Data – All data that we may collect which might may be subject to any relevant data protection legislation including the GDPR will be collected and processed subject to our standard Data Collection and Processing Policy, a copy of which is on our website and/or a hard copy can be provided on request.
4. Third party rights – A person who is not a party to the Contract has no rights to enforce any term of the Contract pursuant to the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999. This shall not affect any right or remedy of a third party that exists or is available independent from that Act.
5. Assignment – The Contract is personal to the parties hereto and cannot be assigned in whole or in part.
6. Severability – Any of these provisions which may be unenforceable shall (to that extent) be severable.
7. Notices – All notices shall be in writing and either delivered personally or sent by first class recorded delivery pre-paid post which shall be deemed duly served in the case of a notice delivered personally at the time of delivery and in the case of a notice sent by post two clear business days after the date of despatch. Each notice shall be addressed to the required office or the principal place of business of the party concerned or to such other address as the party shall have previously have notified to the other in writing.
8. Law – The Contract shall be governed by English law and the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
BREXIT TRIGGER, RENEGOTIATION AND TERMINATION
1. Right to renegotiate or terminate. If a Brexit Trigger Event occurs, STB Design may:
  1. require the Client to negotiate in good faith an amendment to the relevant Contract to alleviate the Brexit Trigger Event; and
  2. if no such amendment is made to the Contract within 30 days, terminate the Contract by giving the Client not less than 10 days and not more than 30 days written notice. On termination under this clause, clauses that expressly or impliedly are intended to apply on or following termination shall continue to apply.
2. Brexit Trigger Event means any of the following events occurring at any time after the UK ceases to be a Member State of the European Union:
  1. any adverse impact on STB Design’s ability to perform the relevant Contract in accordance with its terms or the law; and/or
  2. any increase in the costs incurred (or to be incurred) by STB Design in performing the relevant Contract since the price for the Services was last agreed.
3. Overlap with other rights and obligations – Save as expressly provided in clause 10.2, a Brexit Trigger Event shall not terminate or alter (or give any party a right to terminate or alter) the relevant Contract, or invalidate any of its terms or discharge or excuse performance under it. If there is an inconsistency between the provisions of this clause and any other provision of the relevant Contract, the provisions of this clause shall prevail.