Glossary and template index

Glossary

ACH. A US bank-transfer network commonly used for domestic US payments. Some virtual USD accounts available to Nigerians are reported to receive ACH payments [VERIFY with your provider].

Async (asynchronous) communication. Communication that doesn't need both people online at the same time, such as email, recorded video and design comments. Essential across time zones (Chapter 6).

Brand guidelines. A document that explains how to use a brand identity correctly: logo versions, clear space, colour values, typography, imagery and examples (Chapter 7).

Brand identity. The visual system that represents a business: logo suite, colour, typography, imagery style and how they work together across applications.

Case study. A portfolio entry that explains the context, challenge, process, solution and honest outcome of a project, rather than just showing images (Chapter 2).

Deposit. An upfront payment, usually a percentage of the fee, made before work starts. It secures your time (Chapter 5, Template 2 clause 3).

Discovery. The first phase of a project, when you learn about the client's business, audience, goals and constraints, usually through a questionnaire and a call (Template 6).

Floor rate. The minimum hourly rate you need to cover your costs and personal pay. You should not price below it (Chapter 4).

Force majeure. A contract clause covering events outside either party's control (Template 2 clause 13).

FX. Foreign exchange: converting one currency into another, and the rate at which it happens.

Governing law. The country or jurisdiction whose laws apply to a contract (Template 2 clause 14). Decide this with a lawyer.

IP (intellectual property). The legal rights in your creative work. In this kit's contract, ownership of the final deliverables passes to the client only on full payment (Template 2 clause 8).

Kill fee. The amount payable if a client cancels a project partway through (Template 2 clause 11).

Milestone. A defined point in a project, such as concept approval, that triggers a payment (Template 2 clause 4).

Niche. The specific group of clients or type of work you focus on and are known for (Chapter 1).

One-line offer. A single sentence that states who you help, what outcome you deliver and how (Chapter 1).

Positioning statement. A short paragraph that expands your one-line offer for your website and LinkedIn (Chapter 1).

Rails (payment rails). The underlying networks money travels on, such as ACH, wire transfers or card networks. Providers support different rails [VERIFY].

Retainer. A recurring monthly agreement for ongoing design support, usually paid in advance (Chapter 4).

Revision round. One set of consolidated written feedback from the client and your response to it (Template 2 clause 5).

Schedule A. The scope attachment to the contract, listing deliverables, revision rounds, timeline and exclusions.

Scope creep. Gradual expansion of a project beyond what was agreed, usually without extra payment. Prevented with clear scope and change clauses (Template 2 clause 6).

Trigger. A visible event that makes brand work relevant to a business now, such as a launch, fundraise or expansion (Chapter 3).

Text model / image model. AI tools that generate text (e.g. chat assistants) or images from prompts. See Chapter 8.

Prompt. The instruction you give an AI tool. Template 10 collects prompts by deliverable.

Virtual foreign-currency account. An account from a fintech provider that gives you foreign bank details (e.g. USD, GBP or EUR) for receiving payments, which you can hold or convert (Chapter 5) [VERIFY provider details].

WAT. West Africa Time, UTC+1, Nigeria's time zone all year, with no daylight saving.

White-label work. Design work you do for an agency that the agency presents to its client under its own name (Chapter 3).

Template index

All templates are supplied as editable Word (.docx) and Markdown (.md) files in the templates/ folder of your download.

#	Template	File	Main chapters	Key sections
1	Proposal	templates/01-proposal.docx	4, 5, 8	Situation, goals, scope and exclusions, timeline and time-zone overlap, three options, payment schedule
2	Contract (not legal advice)	templates/02-contract.docx	5, 8	Currency, transfer fees, deposit, milestones, revisions, IP on full payment, kill fee, governing law
3	USD rate card	templates/03-rate-card-usd.docx	4	Packages, agency day rate, retainer, add-ons, terms
4	NGN rate card	templates/04-rate-card-ngn.docx	4	Packages, validity period, bank details
5	Outreach scripts	templates/05-outreach-scripts.docx	3, 6	WhatsApp, LinkedIn, cold email, agency pitch, trust answers
6	Discovery questionnaire	templates/06-discovery-questionnaire.docx	2, 4, 6	Business, brand, project, working together
7	Invoice	templates/07-invoice.docx	5	Line items, payment options [VERIFY before use], fee policy
8	Receipt	templates/08-receipt.docx	5, 7	Amount received, fees in transit, IP transfer line
9	Handover checklist	templates/09-handover-checklist.docx	7	Files, licences, IP, walkthrough, testimonial and referral
10	AI prompt pack	templates/10-ai-prompt-pack.docx	8	Prompts for text and image models by deliverable; rules and caveats