Terms of Service

Communication

Communication through email only please, no phone calls will be accepted.  Email answered Monday through Friday EST.   ABSOLUTELY NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT ANY TIME, LBD IS STRICTLY AN INTERNET-BASED BUSINESS.  PLEASE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION YOUR COMFORT LEVEL WITH THIS BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH YOUR ORDER.  Please respect my privacy and work/life balance and do not message me on Instagram or social media with business-related communication.

Files

Though we do try to save your graphic files for future updates (file storage included in design fee), we are not responsible if files are lost or damaged.  If you would like a copy of your master files to store yourself, please let us know.  Otherwise, we claim no responsibility for file storage.

Payment

  • Payment via Paypal or check only.  Checks should be made out to Little Blue Deer, LLC.  Address will be provided.  You do not need a Paypal account to use a credit card.  Outstanding balances after 30 days will be referred to attorney and professional collection action will be taken.  Final balance is due on installation of blog design.  Failure to pay final balance will result in your blog design being removed.  It will be restored when final balance is complete.
  • We do reserve the right to charge a progress payment if your site, blog or logo takes longer than 1 to 2 months  to complete.  This payment will only be requested if the delay is on your end, which we completely understand, you’ve got a lot going on!  This is not in addition to the design fee, it will just be a fraction of your final payment, generally 1/4.
  • If your site or blog takes longer than 1 year  (365 days) to complete, consider your project terminated and you will need to pay a new deposit to restart the project.
  • Submission of final balance indicates satisfaction with work completed.  No changes will be made after final payment is submitted and project will be considered complete.

Photos and Graphics

  • Your blog or site design will include a footer linking to Little Blue Deer, LLC.
  • Design proofs not used are the property of Little Blue Deer, LLC.  Your website and any associated graphics are your property and we will be glad to provide you with the graphic files.
  • We may use your finished graphics, blog or web design images in our own marketing materials and portfolio.  If you would prefer that we not please simply let us know.
  • Want to use a photo you found on Pinterest, Blogger or elsewhere on the Internet?  We do not claim ownership of any of the photos utilized unless specified.  Please keep in mind that LBD charges for design, not use of photos, as they are not our  property.  If you are the owner of a photo and wish to have it removed, please kindly email.  If you are the blog or site owner, we will replace your photo.  We encourage credit of photos utilized. If you require additional stock photography or illustrations, the fee for these will be added to your final invoice.
  • We utilize outside vendors including Photobucket and ImageShack for photo hosting.  We are not responsible for any service issues or interruptions from these vendors.

SEO | Site Functionality | Contact forms

We are not responsible for SEO, page views, analytics, any loss of content or traffic, any lapse in hosting or domain or any technical issues.  It is your responsibility to keep WordPress and plugins updated.  It is your responsibility to maintain your hosting and domain registration.  It is your responsibility to periodically test contact forms for continued functionality.  Site security is the responsibility of you and your hosting provider.  We are not responsible for any loss of profit or revenue.  We are graphic designers, not website or blog hosts.  You are solely responsible for upkeep of domain registration and hosting, we are not responsible for site or blog backups or lapse in hosting or domain. 

Accessibility

Accessibility is very important and we strive to make sites accessibility-friendly.  However it is your responsibility to ensure that your site is accessible and we are not responsible in any way for any accessibility issues or claims of any kind. 

Printing

We do not offer printing.  You are responsible for sourcing print and we are not responsible for any printing errors or cost.

Site Security

We are not responsible if your website or blog is hacked or otherwise compromised.  This is the responsibility of your site host.  It is your responsibility to keep your themes and plugins updated and to maintain your choice of site backup/site lock as offered by your hosting provider.  We are not responsible for compromised passwords on installation or host.

Ecommerce

We do not offer shopping cart or e-commerce of any kind.

Plugins

We are not responsible for 3rd party installed plug-ins (slideshows, contact forms, etc.).  We generally use “Best in Practice” WordPress plug-ins but are not responsible for updates or lapse in plug-in functionality.  We are not responsible for any loss of business, site traffic, sales, etc. due to any plugin or any other issues with your blog or site.  It is your responsibility to check your site upon design installation to ensure that functionality works and is acceptable to you.  It is your responsibility to monitor and test your contact forms and other plugins periodically to ensure proper functionality.

Service Agreement

  • We reserve the right to terminate contract/agreement and/or services at any time. This does not include blog/site hosting and domain registration, which are set up through a third-party vendor.  In the event that our design services are terminated for any reason, a full refund will be issued minus hours for work complete.  If you choose to terminate design services, the same conditions shall apply.  Ever had a bad date?  Well sometimes the designer client relationship is like that, and it becomes apparent that we  just don’t hit it off.  We understand if this happens on either end, and the above conditions will apply.  Being mean, nasty, yelling (yes, you can yell via email) or otherwise unpleasant is considered grounds for termination of services.  Refund will be based on work completed at time of termination.  Nice people only need apply.  We reserve the right to terminate projects that become lengthy or burdensome.
  • We reserve the right to refuse service if we feel that your requirements are not the right fit for our service structure.

Technical Support

  • All blogs and websites are turn-key, changes or updates to site are not included in fee.  We do not provide technical support, should a functionality issue arise with your site you will want to contact your site host/domain provider for assistance.
  • Technical support.  You may be provided with the contact information of your site host if you experience any technical disruptions to your website.  Little Blue Deer, LLC is not responsible for any lapse or disruption in your website or blog.  Additionally, we are not available to add or update plugins or change other functionality once your site is complete.  We will store your graphic files free of charge. Little Blue Deer’s services are turn-key.   Our goal is to design a solid website using the WordPress content management system that the client can either maintain on their own (eg. update text and photography).  We do offer a selection of WordPress tutorials to get you started.  If you wish for WordPress tweaks or ongoing WordPress maintenance or assistance, Little Blue Deer highly recommends our good friends at iMark Interactive.  Choose from their WordPress Maintenance or Quick Fix packages.

Additional Conditions and Terms

  • Little Blue Deer, LLC is not responsible for the outcome of any work, errors or damage to your site by site host, contractors, freelancers or other entities even if recommended by Little Blue Deer, LLC
  • Liability is limited to amount paid and will not exceed amount paid.  Use of our services is at your own risk.  It is prudent to back up your blog or site prior to beginning a new design project.
  • Design work of any sort does not bind Little Blue Deer, LLC to any present or future obligation, including communication and updates with client.
  • Completion of deposit and subsequent payments constitutes automatic agreement to all terms.
  • Little Blue Deer is incorporated in Shaftsbury, Vermont. This agreement will be performed in and governed by the laws of the State of Vermont. Any claims or legal action arising out of or related to this Agreement and services provided under this Agreement must be instituted in Vermont and within one year after the claim or cause has arisen.

    All claims, disputes, and controversies arising out of or in relation to the performance, interpretation, application, or enforcement of this agreement, including but not limited to breach thereof, shall be referred to mediation before, and as a condition precedent to, the initiation of any adjudicative action or proceeding, including arbitration.

    All claims, disputes, and controversies arising out of or in relation to the performance, interpretation, application, or enforcement of this agreement, including but not limited to breach thereof, shall be referred to arbitration. In accepting these terms and conditions, customers/clients explicitly waive their right to be heard in a court of law and waive their right to trial by jury. All arbitration shall be individual, and no party can join together with other parties, or act as a representative of a class of parties, in any sort of arbitral or judicial proceeding.

  • This information is subject to change or update as needed and does not represent any commitment on the part of Little Blue Deer, LLC in the future.

    • We love nice people!

    Be nice!  We do not work with mean, demanding, imperious or otherwise generally unpleasant clients!  Your site, blog or logo is your responsibility and use of our services is at your own risk and discretion.

    Please consider…

    A word about how I work.

    I offer semi-custom blog and site design.  After working with clients for almost 15 years, I have established some parameters for working together, and I will only accept clients who fully understand these limitations.

    I prefer to work with new bloggers however I will happily consider your blog design if you do not have a large number of posts.  The more posts you have, the more issues are likely to result from a theme change.  I expect you to be prepared for this.

    Please understand that the bulk of a blog design expense results from my graphic design expertise.  I am an artist, and I want your blog to be beautiful.

    That said, I use the out of the box Divi theme (a wonderful and reasonably priced alternative to Showit).  So do not ask for functionality customizations.   Even if it seems like a small customization, there may be a lot to it.  Please use my portfolios for style references.  Expect to hear (a very nice and respectful) “no” if you ask for these things.  I take your blog seriously and it’s important that you manage your expectations for a happy design experience.

    Please do not send me a major influencer’s blog and expect yours to look like that.  Blogs cost many thousands of dollars (truly, $20k is a good solid number for reference).  Our blog package is $500 so please do the math.  Please manage your expectations.  If you cannot do this, do not order a design package.

    I work part-time.  Please gather all of your thoughts into a few cohesive emails and do not send multiple emails and random thoughts.  I work very fast but please do not expect to hear back from me outside of regular work hours and definitely not on weekends.

    Do not request a phone call or text.  We communicate only via email.  Do not even ask, the answer is no.

    If you are a laid back and chill creative with a positive and serene vibe, we will work fabulously together!  If you are uptight, anxious, nitpicky or demanding, I don’t want to work with you.  I value my time as well as yours and have hundreds of happy clients, so let’s make sure we’re on the same page and get started today!

    Thank you so much!