Terms of Service

Alba Designs ("we", "us", "our"), registered in the Republic of South Africa as 2020/636646/07, is a web and graphic design studio based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

These terms cover two things: your use of this website, and a plain-language summary of the terms on which we take on client work.

1. Using this website

This website is provided for information about our studio and services. By using it you agree not to misuse it — including by attempting to gain unauthorised access, interfering with its operation, scraping it at a scale that degrades service, or submitting unlawful or abusive content through our contact form.

All content on this website — including text, layout, design, code, graphics and the Alba Designs name, logo and dragon emblem — belongs to Alba Designs unless stated otherwise. You may view and share it, but you may not reproduce, republish or reuse it commercially without our written permission.

Client work shown on this website remains the property of the respective client and is displayed for portfolio purposes.

2. What we provide

Alba Designs provides services which may include:

• Website design and development
• Web application and digital development
• Search engine optimisation
• Graphic design, branding and identity design
• Logo design and business stationery
• Social media and digital content
• Website maintenance and support
• Domain- and hosting-related assistance
• Technical consultation

The exact scope for any given project is set by the accepted quotation, proposal, invoice or project brief. Anything not included in that agreed scope may constitute additional work and may be quoted separately.

3. Quotations, scope and enquiries

Submitting an enquiry through this website does not create a contract and does not oblige either of us to proceed. It is a request for us to get in touch.

Quotations are based on the scope described at the time they are prepared. If you later request changes that materially alter that scope, we may issue a revised quotation, charge for the additional work at an agreed rate, adjust the timeline, or hold off on the extra work until the new scope and cost are agreed.

4. How an engagement begins

A binding agreement may arise when you sign our Master Client Services Agreement, accept a quotation or proposal, confirm acceptance by email or WhatsApp, instruct us to begin, pay a deposit or invoice, or supply content and credentials for the purpose of starting the project.

If you are instructing us on behalf of a business or other entity, you confirm that you have authority to do so.

5. Your responsibilities

To deliver the work, we need you to provide the information, content, branding materials, approvals, feedback and access we reasonably request.

You warrant that you have the right to give us everything you supply — text, images, logos, trademarks and other media — and you remain responsible for its accuracy and legality. We are not responsible for delays caused by missing content, late approvals, inaccurate instructions or inaccessible third-party accounts.

6. Feedback, approvals and revisions

Please review work submitted to you within a reasonable period and send feedback in a clear, consolidated form where practical.

Revisions are limited to the number or nature included in the applicable quotation or scope. Additional or substantial changes beyond that may be charged separately.

7. Payment

• Amounts and payment arrangements are as set out in your quotation, invoice or agreed written record.
• Invoices are payable by the due date stated on the invoice.
• Where a deposit or staged payment applies, we may pause further work, deployment or delivery if a required payment has not been made.
• A payment plan is a concession and does not waive our right to be paid in accordance with the agreed arrangement.
• Invoice disputes must be raised promptly and in writing. A dispute does not by itself entitle you to withhold undisputed amounts.

If an amount stays unpaid past its due date, we may issue written demand and — subject to South African law — suspend services, withhold undelivered files, suspend a staging environment, or take lawful debt-recovery steps.

8. Cancellation and non-response

Design and development work involves time, skill and effort spent before anything is delivered or launched.

Subject to your rights under South African law, if you cancel after we have started, you remain liable for work actually performed, approved third-party costs, and any non-refundable third-party purchases authorised for the project. Choosing not to launch or use a completed deliverable does not by itself remove liability for work properly rendered.

If you stop responding for a prolonged period, we may issue notice, and if there is still no response we may suspend or archive the project, remove temporary preview environments, and invoice for work already done. Resuming later may require settlement of outstanding amounts and a revised quotation or timeline.

9. Delivery and launch

Completing development and officially launching are separate stages. We may require an agreed payment before registering or connecting a domain, configuring hosting, moving a site to production, releasing final files, or launching.

Preview, staging and demonstration environments are temporary and provided for review. They do not constitute final delivery, and we may remove or disable them where a project is cancelled, abandoned or materially overdue.

10. Domains, hosting and third parties

Domains, hosting, email, licences, plugins and APIs may carry their own terms and charges. Unless expressly included in writing, recurring third-party fees are not part of our design or development fee, and renewals remain your responsibility.

We are not responsible for outages, policy changes, price changes or interruptions caused by third-party providers.

11. Intellectual property

We retain ownership of our pre-existing intellectual property — our methods, processes, reusable components, templates, tools and know-how.

You do not acquire ownership of unpublished or undelivered work simply by viewing a preview or demonstration. On full settlement of all amounts properly due for the project, you receive the rights set out in the applicable project agreement or quotation, subject to the rights of third parties whose materials or licences form part of the project.

12. Portfolio use

We may display completed work in our portfolio, on this website, on social media and in marketing material — unless we agree otherwise in writing, or confidentiality reasonably prevents it. If you would prefer your project not be shown publicly, just tell us.

13. Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, consequential or special losses arising from your use of, or inability to use, the services or deliverables.

We do not guarantee specific search engine rankings, specific traffic levels, specific sales or revenue, uninterrupted availability of third-party platforms, or outcomes that depend on factors outside our reasonable control.

Nothing here excludes liability where the law does not allow it to be excluded.

14. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Nothing in them is intended to deprive you of rights that cannot lawfully be excluded, including under the Consumer Protection Act where it applies. If any provision is found invalid, the rest continues to apply.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The "last updated" date above reflects the current version. Changes to this page do not alter the terms of a signed agreement already in place for an existing project.

16. Contact