Terms and

Conditions

UNDER COVER DESIGNS: CONTRACT

PUBLISHING RIGHTS AND BRAND NAMING

  1. The client acknowledges that they have obtained all rights and permissions to publish materials used in the project and shall be solely responsible for their validity, including copyrights and trademarks. The client agrees to indemnify, hold harmless, and defend Under Cover Designs and its employees from any legal actions related to materials they provide. The client confirms that any book material provided is not in the public domain unless they are the original author.

CONFIDENTIALITY

  1. All client information and materials are considered confidential and will only be used by Under Cover Designs for quoting or completing a project. Client information will not be shared with third parties unless explicitly requested by the client.

  2. Under Cover Designs retains the right to use the client’s name and information, like book title for promotional purposes, including but not limited to showcasing work in our portfolio and marketing materials.

OWNERSHIP RIGHTS

  1. Upon receipt of full payment, Under Cover Designs grants the client a license to use the final cover design artwork (PDF, JPEG, or other publishing-ready format) exclusively for their book and promotional materials. However, all rights (full copyright and ownership) to the design remain with Under Cover Designs.

  2. The client may not alter the final cover design except for resizing. Any other modifications require approval from Under Cover Designs and may be subject to additional charges.

  3. The client agrees to adhere to any third-party licensing agreements for stock images or assets used in their design. Under Cover Designs is not responsible for any licensing disputes arising from materials provided by the client.

  4. Under Cover Designs retains the right to use the final design, the client’s name, and book title for marketing purposes. All draft materials remain the exclusive property of Under Cover Designs.

  5. If the client provides materials subject to third-party intellectual property rights, they must secure proper usage rights. Under Cover Designs may request proof of these rights. The client assumes all liability for intellectual property disputes.

  6. We are firmly against the use of AI in the creative process. All of our designs are 100% human-made, and all stock-based images is carefully researched to ensure it is properly licensed and sourced.

    Our designs are strictly prohibited from being uploaded, processed, or used in any AI system, including all generative AI work, including for the creation of teasers, reels, social media content, advertisements, or other marketing and promotional materials.

    Any unauthorized use of our designs in AI-generated or AI-assisted content, or any substantially similar reproduction of our original designs, may result in the matter being referred to our legal team for further action.

FILE HANDLING AND EDITING RIGHTS

All design files created by Under Cover Designs remain the intellectual property of the designer. The client receives only the final, flattened artwork files (PDF, JPEG, or other publishing-ready formats) and is not entitled to the editable source files (such as PSD, AI, or similar). These source files are for internal use only and will not be shared. The client agrees that no one other than Under Cover Designs may alter, edit, or manipulate the design in any way. Any unauthorized modifications, including but not limited to font changes, color adjustments, or compositional edits, are strictly prohibited and may result in the revocation of usage rights. The client purchases the final product only—not the editable design assets used to create it.

ATTRIBUTION

  1. A design credit is required to appear in the client’s book, either on the back cover or copyright page, in the following format:
    “Cover design © Under Cover Designs.”

CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. The client is solely responsible for proofing the final cover design. Under Cover Designs is not liable for any errors after the final approval, including but not limited to printing issues or publishing platform requirements.

COVER FORMATTING AND TEXT SUBMISSION

To maintain professional quality and layout consistency, all text elements—such as book descriptions, taglines, author bios, or review quotes—must be submitted in a Word (.docx) document. If the client has specific formatting preferences (e.g., italics, underlining, capitalization, or spacing), these must be clearly indicated within that document prior to design. Under Cover Designs is not responsible for formatting discrepancies or rework resulting from incomplete or unclear text submissions. Any later formatting adjustments or text revisions may incur additional charges.

LIABILITY

  1. Under Cover Designs is not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including loss of revenue, business, or reputation. We are also not responsible for inaccuracies in our services or any written materials provided by the client.

PAYMENT

  1. Pre-Made Designs & Promotional/Discounted Services
    All pre-made designs and pre-made services offered by Under Cover Designs require full payment upfront before the order is reserved, scheduled, processed, or delivered. This includes, but is not limited to, pre-made book covers, logos, formatting services, sale items, bulk-sale purchases, discounted packages, promotional offers, and other services or products sold at a reduced or special price.

    Unless otherwise stated in writing by Under Cover Designs, all payments for pre-made designs, sales, bulk purchases, discounted services, and promotional offers are final and non-refundable. Payment confirms the client's purchase and acceptance of the applicable terms.

  2. Custom Design Services
    Custom design projects require either full payment upfront or a non-refundable 50% deposit before any work begins. If a 50% deposit is chosen, the remaining balance is due once the final design has been completed and approved by the client.

    No final files, high-resolution files, print-ready files, editable/source files, or other deliverables will be released until the project has been paid in full.

    Once the final design has been approved and the remaining balance has been paid, the project will be considered completed and accepted by the client. The client's final payment constitutes confirmation that the client has reviewed and approved the completed work and that all agreed-upon services have been fulfilled.

  3. Payment Delays & Discontinuation of Services
    Under Cover Designs reserves the right to pause, postpone, or discontinue services if payment is not received according to the agreed-upon payment terms.

    Any deadlines or turnaround times provided by Under Cover Designs may be adjusted accordingly when payment is delayed. Work will not resume, and files will not be released, until any outstanding balance has been paid in full.

  4. Deposits
    Deposits are non-refundable and are applied toward the total project cost. A deposit reserves the project and allows Under Cover Designs to allocate time and resources to the work. Cancellation, abandonment, failure to provide required information, or a change of mind by the client does not entitle the client to a refund of the deposit.

  5. Ownership & File Release
    Payment does not constitute permission to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, or otherwise utilize any design files beyond the agreed-upon project terms. Under Cover Designs retains all rights to unpaid work and may withhold all final deliverables until the outstanding balance has been settled.

  6. Please note: After final files have been delivered, any adjustments, modifications, or resizing—regardless of whether the files have been published—may incur a fee of $45/hour if requested more than 10 days after delivery. This fee may be waived at the designer’s discretion, depending on the nature of the request, scheduling availability, and whether the update is time-sensitive.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

  1. All sales of premade designs and any designs purchased during sales or discount events are final, with no refunds, exchanges, or resales permitted under any circumstances.

  2. For custom designs, the client may cancel within seven days for a full refund, fourteen days of purchase for a 50% refund. After fourteen days, no refunds will be issued.
    If the client ceases communication, after five emails they forfeit 100% of the total payment, and all design work remains the exclusive property of Under Cover Designs.

  3. If a client terminates their relationship with Under Cover Designs, for whatever reason, they forfeit the right to use any designs they have purchased or ordered. Designs may not be resold, transferred, gifted, or repurposed by the client.

PROJECT SUSPENSION

  1. Under Cover Designs reserves the right to suspend a project if the client exhibits excessive micromanaging, demonstrates a lack of trust, or refuses to move forward after multiple reasonable concept revisions. If a project is suspended or terminated for these reasons, no refunds will be issued, and all design work remains the property of Under Cover Designs.

AI, COPYRIGHT & WORK-IN-PROGRESS MATERIALS (UPDATE)

By commissioning Under Cover Designs, the client acknowledges and agrees to respect these restrictions and to not use, submit, reproduce, modify, trace, train, or otherwise process our work through generative AI or similar automated systems without our express written permission.

PLEASE READ FULL AI DISCLAIMER

COMPLETE AGREEMENT

  1. This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between all parties. No additional promises, conditions, or verbal agreements apply unless included in writing within this contract.

  2. Under Cover Designs is firmly against the use of artificial intelligence in any part of the creative process. All work is created by a human designer.