The Designer’s Insurance Mood Board: Coverage Options to Fit Your Style

When you work in the creative field, you get accustomed to vague client feedback. It’s usually something like, “This needs more oomph,” or “Can we get some razzle-dazzle?” As a graphic designer, you’ve probably learned how to interpret these nebulous directions based on what you know about the client, but you’ll probably have to make some creative guesswork once in a while. 

Finding the right insurance can feel like that, too. But protecting your graphic design business isn’t something that should be left to guesswork. Fortunately, we’re small business insurance experts. Here’s what we recommend.

Essential Liability Insurance Coverage for Designers

Professional liability insurance — the foundation

Mistakes can happen, even to the pros. And if a client claims you made one in the work you produced for them, this is a coverage you’ll be fortunate to have. Professional liability insurance typically covers claims regarding:

• Negligence or alleged negligence
• Legal defense costs
• Claims and damages

General liability insurance — the safety net

General liability insurance coverage may not always be required of you, but it is a workhorse coverage that just about any small business owner should consider. It typically covers claims of:

• Third-party bodily injury
• Third-party property damage
• Personal and advertising injury 

That last coverage is particularly applicable to graphic designers. If your client — or another company — claims your design infringes on their copyright or falsely damages their reputation, general liability typically helps cover your legal costs and other related expenses.

Cyber insurance — the digital shield

Because you work with your clients’ private information, it should be a top priority to ensure that information is safe. However, there’s no surefire way to avoid falling victim to a cyberattack, and it’s important to make sure that your graphic design business has the cyber protection it needs. Cyber insurance typically covers financial losses resulting from: 

• Cyberattacks
• Hackers
• Data breaches

Without cyber liability insurance coverage, you may have to pay to fix the breach, notify clients, and provide them with credit monitoring — all out of pocket.

Customizing Your Insurance Mood Board

Finding the best graphic designer insurance options for your business can be a lot like making a mood board for a project. What you include will depend on a variety of factors such as the clients you’re working with, the type of work you’re doing, where your business is located, and more. Your coverage needs may be just as unique as the designs you create.
At Simply Business, our goal is to take the guesswork out of shopping for insurance. We are small business insurance experts, and we understand that no two small business owners are exactly alike. Our online quote comparison tool makes finding tailored policy options fast and simple. In just a few minutes, you can browse coverages curated to suit the work you do. And you can get back to looking up color codes, adjusting kerning, and everything else you do so well in your designing.

Adding the Finishing Touches

As a freelance designer, you know that no project is truly finished without being thoroughly reviewed. A second set of eyes can be useful when finding protection for your small business. We recommend that you check local guidelines to ensure you’re meeting insurance requirements in your state. You also can consult with an insurance professional to make sure you have what you need.