This page should answer the majority of your questions regarding my service, the artwork, and other general areas. If you have any other questions or require further information, please don't hesitate to contact me.

| general FAQ | terms & conditions | website | copyright |

General FAQ

How much will it cost to use your artwork for our show?

Please see the prices page for more detail, but in brief it's £30 for amateur theatre companies and £15 for schools - less than half the price of most mainstream licensing agencies. The idea is to make it affordable to those on a budget.

How do I get the artwork?

The artwork will be supplied to you as digital files in the format that you have requested. They will be sent via email if not too big, or via DropBox if the file size is bigger.

How quickly will I get the artwork?

For ready-made artwork, as displayed on this website, it will usually be the same day as payment is received. Sometimes it will be the following day - depending on where I am. As per the terms of agreement, it will be no later than seven days - but in reality it will very rarely be that long.

If you have commissioned brand new work, or customisations to ready-made artwork or a poster template, then this may take a little longer, but a deadline will be agreed with you beforehand.

Terms & conditions (you can find the terms and conditions here)

Why do I have to pay for your artwork if I want to use it?

Taking someone else's work and using it without agreement is - horrible to have to say it - a form of theft. You must have a license from the copyright holder giving you the right to use the work - whether that's paying for a license to peform a piece of art on the stage (eg. a play or musical), or for reproduction rights for a piece of art on a poster. All professional artists, whether playwrights, lyric writers or illustrators, should be reimbursed for their work - that way, more art gets made! See more on copyright below.

How do I agree to the terms and conditions?

The terms and conditions will appear on your invoice (they can also be read here). Paying the invoice indicates that you agree to abide by the terms and conditions. There are also terms and conditions for me - by accepting your payment I agree to abide by the terms and conditions too.

Why can't we use the artwork for more than one production run once we've paid the license fee?

The production run encompasses the entire run of your show, whether that's a week or a month. As the copyright holder of the artwork I want to keep control over the use of my work, so I only provide a limited-use license. If you'd like to use the artwork for another production of the same show, then a new license must be agreed.

Why can't I put the high-resolution artwork on our website?

If someone comes across a high-resolution file of my artwork, perhaps found through image search, then they can more easily print their own publicity material without having to pay the artist. Most people who have stolen my work and used it without agreement have had to make their own printable version - still illegal, but at least it's not quite as good! Hopefully they'll find it's less hassle - and a lot more legal - to pay the low license fee and get the real thing.

Why must I include a credit and link to your website as part of the terms of agreement?

The main reason is that if anyone searches online for an image for their show and they come across my work then they'll know they can't just take it and use it - a credit line makes the copyright explicit. If they really want to use my work then the link will lead them to my website where they can learn more about licensing artwork. Pointing people to my website could provide me with more business, and that helps me to keep my prices as low as possible.

If a credit and link is not included with the artwork as part of your website, either before or after the performances have finished (for instance in your 'past shows' archive), then I will ask for my artwork to be removed from your site due to breaching the terms and conditions originally agreed to.

Why must I provide you with a link to my website?

This is mainly to help me keep a record of who is using my artwork and where it is being used. It also acts as proof of who you are for licensing purposes (eg. theatre company or educational establishment). Also I quite often tweet and promote shows that license my art!

Why must we pay extra to use the artwork for merchandise?

It is normal practice for additional fees to be charged for the different uses of an image. Merchandise is generally used as a supplemetary fund-raiser - even if it is just for the cast and crew. As I already keep my license fees at rock-bottom prices I feel it is quite reasonable to add a small amount (normally just £10) for other commercial uses.

Why can't we change or distort the artwork once we've paid for it?

As my name is attached to my artwork (explicitly or not) it should remain as my artwork - severe editing or distorting could be to the detriment of the art itself, but also to the quality of work associated with Logos For Shows. A certain amount of minor editing is fine - for instance changing a black silhouette to a purple one.

What is 'reasonable technical support'?

If you have any queries or problems with the art files once they're sent, then I will always be happy to help as best as I can. I'm also happy to offer technical advice for using the artwork, and how to prepare it for print. Basically anything I can do to help as long as it doesn't bleed into me actually making the poster for you! I do offer that service - for a small extra fee (see price list).

Website

Why don't you put bigger images on your website?

I don't mind presenting bigger image files for the more complex illustrations, but for the simpler logos (often the most popular) they can be - and are - more easily copied (illegally). This is the same reason, in my terms and conditions, I ask licensees not to post high-resolution files on their own websites.

Why don't you have an 'add to basket' button so I can buy the artwork online?

I want to give as personal a service as possible and I always send the artwork myself to make sure you're getting exactly what you want. Different people have different requirements, so it's not easy to have a 'catch-all' price for everyone.

Copyright

What is copyright?

Very simply put, copyright is the right to copy something. It is a separate thing from the art itself - if I sell the original of a drawing I will still own the copyright. Copyright is created as soon as a person puts pen to paper or clicks the shutter on a camera. Copyright usually lasts for the creator's lifetime plus seventy years.

Can I draw my own version of your artwork, so I'm not using your actual image?

No - that would still be a copy of the work and an infringement of copyright.

Isn't artwork found through Google Image Search, or found on the Internet, 'public domain', so free for anybody to use?

All work (art, photographs, letters, sculpture, etc.) created by someone, whether displayed publicly on the Internet, printed in a book or magazine, or put through your letterbox on a leaflet, is protected by copyright law. Downloading images from the Internet for your own private use is usually fine. Any publication of those images, commercial or not, is illegal.

If there's no copyright notice with the artwork, doesn't that mean I can use it for free?

Copyright belongs to the creator the moment the work has been created. A copyright notice (often including the character ©) is useful to identify the owner, but the lack of one does not indicate lack of copyright.

If I don't know who owns the copyright doesn't that mean I can use it?

If you're not the copyright owner (and you'll know if you are) then you don't have the right to copy or use the work.

What's the difference between owning the copyright and having a license to use the work?

A copyright owner has full say on how, when and where a work can be used; a license is provided by the copyright holder to allow another party to use the owner's work under certain agreed conditions. If I'm the copyright holder then I can offer a license for others to use the work within limited parameters, but it does not transfer the copyright.

If I can't use art I find on the internet then how can I create promotional material without breaking the law or the bank?

The first and best solution is to make something original for yourself, if you can, then you can use it with total freedom (and maybe even license it out for others to use). It may be that you have the skills to personally do this or you can ask someone creative in your team, or hire an artist or designer to do it for you.

If you're unable to do that then you can try and find something on the internet, but if you do you must seek permission from the owner to use it - they may ask for a license fee or they may let you use it for free. If you can't find the owner then you cannot use it.

Another option is to find something suitable on one of the licensing sites such as Shutterstock, iStockPhoto, clipart.com or AdobeStock (etc.). Usage fees are often much lower than you think.