Being a freelance graphic designer…it’s just one of those careers that sounds cool. You’re a creative genius and a tech whizz at the same time. You’ve got your finger on the pulse of the latest trends while also retaining an eye for classic principles of design – the things that never go out of style. And best of all, you get to do all this while working for yourself. You set your own hours and have the freedom to choose the most interesting project to work on. You’re not tied to an ad agency’s burnout schedules. But going it alone can also be a scary thing. Self-employment can feel less secure than a traditional job, and without the proper support in place, freelance graphic designers can feel vulnerable – both financially and professionally.
In this blog, we take a look at how insurance can be a safety net and companion to graphic designers, supporting you on your freelance journey as you build your business and make your mark on the world. There are different types of insurance that a business needs to consider. In this guide, Dinghy’s experts in freelance insurance talk us through which policies they think a freelance graphic designer should hold, and how they can help you.
Professional indemnity insurance for freelance graphic designers
Professional indemnity insurance is insurance that protects you and your work. If a client isn’t happy with something that you’ve produced and thinks it has caused them a financial loss, they can try and claim these damages back from you. This could be things like mistakes and negligence, bad advice, defamation, copyright infringement or breaches of confidentiality.
Claim examples:
You’ve used some stock images in a leaflet you designed for a client that you thought were royalty-free. The client has been contacted by the photographer claiming they are being used without permission, launching a copyright dispute. The client then tries to recover the costs and legal fees of this dispute from you, saying that you are responsible for the copyright breach.
How insurance can help:
Without insurance, you’d be left scrambling to find legal representation to defend against the claim, losing you precious work time. Your business could also find itself facing several thousands of pounds worth of compensation and legal fees. Dinghy’s professional indemnity policy, however, is designed to protect freelance graphic designers in situations like this. Our team of experts will step in and deal with the claim on your behalf. Your insurance will cover all the associated costs, up to the level of your cover, and there is no excess to pay.
Public liability insurance for freelance graphic designers
While professional indemnity insurance is there to protect you, public liability insurance is there to protect those around you. Public liability insurance is there for the times when someone else is injured or harmed, or their property damaged, because of the actions of your business. If you ever work in spaces outside your home – like clients’ offices, co-working spaces, or even cafes – then public liability insurance is recommended to protect you against the potentially high costs if an accident happens.
Claim example:
You’re working from your local cafe for a caffeine injection to get you through the day. Just as you’re adding the finishing touches to an important project, your battery starts to die, so you plug your laptop into one of the wall sockets. While you’re busy tweaking your designs to the client’s exacting standards, a barista comes by and trips over the trailing cable. Their badly broken arm means they can’t work while they recover – and so they decide to sue you for compensation, alleging that your actions caused their injury.
How insurance can help:
If you don’t have insurance at this stage, you’d be worried. Injury claims can cost thousands of pounds, especially if the complainant has to stop working. You’ve also got the stress and effort of finding decent legal representation to defend yourself and your business, all of which comes at a cost – both financially and in terms of time. With public liability insurance for freelancers from Dinghy, a legal team will be assigned to deal with the case on your behalf, and your policy will cover any damages that might be awarded to the other side to cover their medical costs or lost income, up to the limit stated. Our policies range from £1m to £5m of cover.
Business equipment insurance for freelance graphic designers
Every graphic designer needs a decent specced computer – older or slower models just can’t cope with the huge files and RAM-eating software that you need to throw at it. The tools of your trade tend to be expensive ones: high-res screens, graphics tablets, smartphones, DSLRs. If these things got lost, damaged or stolen, business equipment insurance can step in to help you get your hands on replacements ASAP.
Claim example:
You’re travelling home from a client meeting when your rucksack gets swiped from under your seat on the bus. A momentary distraction and the thief is off, pounding down the pavement with your precious tablet, laptop and external hard drive, as the bus pulls away slowly. Can you afford to replace all that gear? And how are you going to explain to your clients that you can’t meet your deadlines because you don’t have any kit to complete their projects on?
How insurance can help: Dinghy business equipment insurance for freelancers covers any gear owned by your business, anywhere in the world. If it gets lost, stolen or damaged, we’ll replace it with new models within 24 hours, or transfer the equivalent cash straight into your bank account, so you can get back to work straightaway. We’re also one of the few insurers to cover items in co-working spaces as well, providing they weren’t left unattended.
Graphic designer insurance with Dinghy
Every Dinghy insurance package for graphic designers also comes with Freelancer Assist included. This is an exclusive service designed to provide support for freelancers going it alone. As well as access to tax and legal advice, there’s a 24/7 counselling helpline and cover for lost income if you get called to do jury service. Most importantly though, we help our freelancers chase any unpaid invoices – with expert lawyers on hand to reclaim the debt if it remains unpaid – to ensure you’re never left out of pocket by unscrupulous clients. If you’re a freelance graphic designer and you need to get your business insurances set up, you can get a quote online through our website in just 30 seconds.
Hopefully, this guide has given you a rundown of the different types of insurance and how your freelance business can benefit from them, but if you have any unanswered questions there’s lots more advice in our Knowledgebase or you can speak to one of our friendly team on 0116 380 5654.
