Breaking up with your website design firm is hard to do. I know. I’ve had to breakup with several clients.
Both you and the web design firm have invested time, money, and energy into the project/relationship, but it just isn’t salvageable. Here are a few things you can do to create value for both of you during the break up process:
1. Be civil and professional.
2. Understand and follow the terms of your signed contract regarding termination. If you have no written contract, see #1 then #3.
3. Pay your designer for the work they have done or what was agreed to and delivered under contract.
4. Avoid going down the “call my lawyer” path. No one wins when you take this path except the lawyers.
5. Get control and possession of your assets (content created, graphics, illustrations, fonts, files, licenses for plugins, account info, etc.). Consult the contract to see what assets you have rights to. If you don’t have the rights by contract, ask your web designer for a price to purchase rights to the assets.
6. Move your website hosting to an account where you have total control.
7. Create a formal contract termination document that explains the details and both parties sign.
8. Then wish them well. Don’t hold grudges. Move on to the next project.
I’ve had a couple of clients that actually came back to me to work on a project or two, and they have become steady, reliable clients. You never know.