Dot The i Studio Project Agreement

This agreement sets out how we work together. It’s designed to be clear, fair, and straightforward — because that’s how we approach everything at DTI.

We’ve kept this as human-readable as possible. If anything’s unclear, just ask. That’s what we’re here for.

1. Parties & Acceptance

This Agreement (“Agreement”) is between DTI Creative Pty Ltd (trading as Dot The i Studio, “DTI”, “we”, “us”) and the client named in the accompanying proposal (“The Client”, “you”).

Acceptance of our proposal — whether by signing, written acknowledgement, or payment of the first invoice — constitutes acceptance of these terms. This Agreement supersedes any prior agreements or understandings between the parties.

2. Effective Date

This Agreement becomes effective on the date of signing, formal acknowledgement, or receipt of the first project invoice — whichever occurs first.

3. What We Do

We’ll deliver the services and deliverables outlined in the accompanying proposal. The proposal forms part of this Agreement and defines the specific scope, timeline, and investment for your project.

Our work typically includes some or all of the following, as scoped in your proposal:

• Bespoke Webflow website design and development
• Webflow + Shopify integration (where applicable)
• Content structuring and CMS setup
• Launch readiness, QA, and performance optimisation
• Ongoing site evolution and support (post-launch, as agreed separately)

4. Strategic Partnerships

Where specialist expertise is needed beyond our core strengths — such as branding, graphic design, copywriting, photography, or SEO — we collaborate with a small number of trusted partners.

These partner services may be:

• Scoped directly into our proposal and managed by DTI, or
• Run as parallel engagements with us coordinating and aligning the work

Regardless of the arrangement, DTI remains accountable for how the website is planned, built, and evolved. Any third-party costs included in our proposal will be clearly itemised.

5. How We Work Together

Communication

Clear, consistent communication is central to how we operate. You’ll work directly with us — both founders are involved in every project. There are no account managers, no outsourcing, no handoffs.

Throughout the project, expect:

• Regular progress updates and check-ins
• Personalised Loom video walkthroughs at key milestones
• Direct access via email and Slack (or your preferred channel)
• Honest, constructive feedback and creative direction

We ask the same of you: timely responses, clear feedback, and trust in the process.

Decision-making & Sign-off

We work in clearly defined stages. At the end of each stage, we’ll present our work and ask for your sign-off before moving to the next. This keeps the project on track and avoids surprises.

Please nominate a single primary decision-maker for the project. Where multiple stakeholders are involved, we’re happy to facilitate alignment — but final sign-off should come from one point of contact.

Timelines & Availability

Timelines in our proposal are based on both parties maintaining reasonable momentum. We’ll always be transparent about our availability and workload.

If delays occur on your side (content, feedback, approvals), we’ll flag it early and work with you to adjust the timeline. However, significant delays may require us to reschedule your project around other commitments, and we’ll always communicate this clearly.

6. Your Responsibilities

Great websites are a collaboration. To keep things moving smoothly, we need you to:

• Provide all required content (text, images, logos, brand assets) in digital format by the agreed dates
• Respond to feedback requests and approval stages within agreed timeframes (typically 5 business days unless otherwise discussed)
• Ensure your nominated decision-maker is available and empowered to approve work
• Communicate any changes to scope, priorities, or business context early

Content delays are the most common cause of project timeline slippage. We’ll provide clear content briefs and guidance, but timely delivery from your end is essential to keeping the project on track.

7. Scope, Changes & Additional Work

The proposal defines what’s included. We scope carefully upfront so there are no surprises.

If either party identifies a need to adjust scope during the project, we’ll discuss it openly and document any changes in a simple Change Order before proceeding. A Change Order will outline:

• What’s changing
• Any impact on timeline
• Any additional investment required

Minor adjustments are a natural part of the design process — we’re not going to nickel-and-dime you. But significant scope additions will be treated as additional work and quoted separately.

Once a design stage has been signed off, subsequent changes to approved work are considered Author’s Corrections and will be billed at our agreed hourly rate of $140–$180 + GST per hour (as confirmed in your proposal).

8. Investment & Payment

Your total project investment is outlined in the proposal. Payment is structured across project milestones, with the specific split confirmed in your proposal. We typically work with one of two structures:

Option A

Option B

The applicable payment structure will be confirmed in your proposal.

Payment terms

• Invoices are due within 14 days of issue unless otherwise agreed
• For projects exceeding eight calendar weeks, we may issue monthly progress invoices based on work completed
• The deposit is non-refundable once work has commenced
• Late payments (beyond 14 days overdue) may incur interest at 2% per month on the outstanding balance. We’ll always reach out to discuss before applying this

9. Webflow Platform & Hosting

Your website will be built on the Webflow platform. Here’s how the technical setup works:

During the project

• Your site is built within DTI’s Webflow workspace during development
• You’ll have access to preview and review the site throughout the build process via a staging URL

At launch

We offer two hosting arrangements, confirmed during the project:

• DTI-hosted: Your site remains in our workspace and we manage hosting on your behalf. You are responsible for the hosting costs, which are billed through to you
• Client-hosted: Your site is transferred to your own Webflow account, with DTI retaining access to manage and maintain it

Regardless of the hosting arrangement, we’ll guide you through hosting plan selection and domain setup. Your site’s domain connection and go-live are coordinated by us.

Ongoing access

• You’ll have full CMS (content management) access to update day-to-day content
• Designer-level access (layout and structural changes) remains with DTI unless specifically transferred
• If our engagement ends entirely, we’ll transfer full site ownership to your own Webflow account — it’s your site

10. Intellectual Property & Ownership

What you own

Upon final payment, you own the completed website design and all approved creative outputs produced under this Agreement. We assign all rights, title, and interest in the copyright of approved materials to you.

What we retain

• Ownership of concepts, designs, and proposals not approved or not paid for
• The right to use approved project materials in our portfolio, website, case studies, and social media. If you’d prefer we don’t showcase your project, let us know in writing and we’ll respect that
• Ownership of any reusable code components, frameworks, or tools developed independently of your project

Pre-existing materials

Any pre-existing intellectual property (yours or ours) brought into the project remains the property of the original owner. We’ll grant you a licence to use any of our pre-existing materials incorporated into your website.

Third-party assets

Stock imagery, fonts, plugins, or other third-party assets used in the project remain subject to their respective licences. We’ll ensure all third-party assets are properly licensed for your intended use.

11. Ongoing Support & Evolution

We believe the best websites are living assets that evolve with your business. That’s why we offer ongoing support partnerships post-launch.

Following project completion, we’ll recommend a suitable ongoing support tier based on your goals and internal capacity. Our support partnerships include:

• Core Platform Care — for stability, reliability, and peace of mind
• Continuous Optimisation & Growth — for active improvement and conversion
• Strategic Digital Leadership — for teams wanting a long-term digital partner

Ongoing support is optional but strongly recommended to protect and build on your investment. The terms of any ongoing partnership are covered in a separate Ongoing Support Agreement.

12. Confidentiality

We respect your privacy and won’t disclose confidential information related to your business, clients, or strategy — during or after the project — except as required to deliver the services or with your written consent.

If you require additional confidentiality protections beyond this clause, please provide a separate Confidentiality Agreement and we’ll review and sign it. In the absence of a separate agreement, this clause represents our commitment.

13. Warranties & Limitations

We warrant that:

• All work will be performed with professional skill and care
• The website will function as demonstrated and approved at the time of launch
• We will not knowingly infringe any third-party intellectual property rights

We do not warrant that:

• The website will achieve specific business outcomes, traffic, or revenue targets
• Third-party platforms (Webflow, Shopify, payment gateways, etc.) will remain unchanged or uninterrupted
• The website will be free from all defects indefinitely — digital platforms evolve, and ongoing maintenance is part of responsible ownership

Our total liability under this Agreement is limited to the total fees paid by you for the project. Neither party shall be liable for indirect, consequential, or incidental damages.

14. Termination

Either party may terminate this Agreement by providing written notice.

If you terminate

• Payment is due for all work completed up to the termination date
• The deposit is non-refundable once work has commenced
• We’ll provide all completed work in its current state
• Any incomplete work or unused concepts remain DTI’s property

If we terminate

• All completed work will be provided to you
• We’ll refund any fees paid for work not yet delivered
• We’ll provide reasonable handover support to help you transition

Pause & restart

Life happens. If you need to pause the project, let us know. We can hold your project for up to 30 days without impact. Beyond that, we may need to reschedule around other commitments, and a re-engagement fee may apply to cover the cost of context-switching.

15. Dispute Resolution

If a disagreement arises, we’ll handle it like adults. Our process:

1. Direct conversation between the parties to resolve the issue informally
2. If unresolved within 14 days, mediation by a mutually agreed mediator
3. If mediation fails, the matter may be escalated to the relevant courts

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia.

16. General

• This Agreement, together with the proposal and any Change Orders, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties
• Amendments must be agreed in writing by both parties
• Neither party may assign this Agreement without the other’s written consent
• If any provision of this Agreement is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full effect
• Failure to enforce any provision does not constitute a waiver of that right