Why agencies use e-signatures
Agency work slips in the gaps between agreements. The team is ready to start but the statement of work is “with legal”. The campaign is ready to launch but the client’s approval is a thumbs-up emoji in a chat thread. The freelancer has started designing but nobody has a signed contract that says who owns the files. Each of those is a small gap until a client disputes an invoice or a scope, and then it becomes the whole conversation.
SignPe closes those gaps by making the signature the easy step. You upload the document — PDF, Word (DOC or DOCX) or an image — place the fields each person needs, and send it. The client receives an email with a Review & Sign Document button and signs in their browser or on the SignPe app, with no account to create. When the last person signs, everyone receives the completed PDF automatically, and you keep an audit trail of who signed and when.
It suits a two-person studio as well as an agency with several account teams. The free plan includes three documents with unlimited pages and signers on each, so you can run your next statement of work through it before deciding on a plan.
Proposals and statements of work: start the project the day terms are agreed
A pitch won on Friday should not wait until the following Thursday for a signed statement of work. The longer the gap, the more likely the client starts adding “one small thing” to a scope nobody has signed.
- Several approvers on the client side. A marketing director may sign the scope while procurement or finance signs the commercial terms. Add every approver as a signer — there is no limit on signers per document — and use Set signer order so each is emailed in turn.
- Your director countersigns last. Put your agency’s signatory at the end of the order, so they only sign once the client has accepted the terms. Anyone who opens it out of turn sees “Waiting for <name> to sign”.
- Fees and deliverables on the page. Use Text fields for the fee, number of revision rounds or delivery dates, Initials on pages with payment and usage terms, and Checkmark fields beside the options the client has chosen.
- Copy the account manager. Add the account manager or project lead as an observer so they see the moment it is signed without being asked to sign it.
Proposals still under negotiation can be prepared and saved as drafts — a draft never uses up a document — and sent when the client says yes. Statements of work kept in Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box can be imported directly; see our guide to signing a Google document with SignPe.
Creative approvals: signed sign-off on concepts, proofs and final artwork
The most expensive words in agency life are “we never approved that”. An approval given on a call or in a chat thread is hard to point to when a client changes their mind after the print run or the media spend. A signed proof sheet is not.
- Upload the proof itself. Export the concept, layout or storyboard as a PDF or image (JPG, JPEG or PNG) and send it as the document to sign. Several images can be combined into one PDF automatically.
- Point to what is being approved. Shape fields — Circle, Square, Rounded, Star, Pentagon or Hexagon — and Text fields let you highlight the headline, the logo placement or the legal line the client is confirming. See add text and shapes.
- One box per decision. Add a Checkmark beside each item being approved — copy, imagery, colours — and a Date field for the approval date.
- Know when they have looked. The Opened status tells you the client has seen the proof, so your follow-up is about feedback rather than “did you get it?”
When the artwork changes
If a proof is revised after it has gone out, void the document. The signing link stops working, the client is told, and the old version can never be signed by mistake. Then send the new proof as a fresh request.
If the client does not want to approve, they can choose Decline to sign? and you are notified straight away, so the next round of amends can start immediately rather than after a week of silence.
Freelancer and contractor agreements: who owns the work, in writing
Most agencies flex with freelance designers, copywriters, developers, photographers and editors. Each one needs a contractor agreement that covers rates, deadlines and — crucially — the transfer of rights in what they produce, plus usually a confidentiality agreement covering the client’s brief.
- Send the contract and NDA together. Prepare each document with the fields it needs and send them in one sitting, so the freelancer can deal with both before the brief.
- Sign from any device. Freelancers sign in any modern browser or on the SignPe app for iOS and Android. They can draw a signature, type one in a script font or upload an image of their own.
- Your signature, saved. Countersign from your saved signatures library and use Apply to all fields of the same type to fill every box assigned to you in one go.
- Reminders do the chasing. Automated reminders nudge signers so agreements do not stall, and Remind emails anyone still pending with one click.
Our guide to signing an NDA online walks through the confidentiality side from the signer’s point of view.
Model, influencer and usage releases
Photo shoots, video productions and influencer campaigns all depend on permission to use someone’s image, voice or content — for a stated period, in stated channels and territories. Those releases often need to be collected on a shoot day, from people who will not be at a desk.
| Situation | How SignPe handles it |
|---|---|
| A model is on set | In person Signing — they sign on your phone or tablet before the shoot starts |
| An influencer is in another city | Email the release; they sign as a guest after the electronic-records consent screen |
| Usage period, channels and territory | Text and Checkmark fields completed by the person signing |
| The client wants to see it | Add the client contact as an observer |
| Proof of the agreed terms | Downloadable audit trail PDF with emailed, viewed and signed times |
A paper release signed on a previous shoot can be brought into SignPe with the app’s Scan option, which captures up to 20 pages with automatic edge detection, so every release lives in the same place.
A typical agency signing workflow
Prepare the document
Upload the statement of work, proof, contract or release, or import it from your cloud storage. Save it as a draft while terms are agreed — drafts do not use a document credit.
Place the fields
Drag Signature, Initials, Date, Text, Checkmark and Shape fields onto the page and assign each one to the client, the freelancer or your own signatory.
Add signers and observers
Choose Set signer order with the client first and your director last, and copy the account manager as an observer.
Send and follow up
Track Sent, Received, Opened and Signed in the Activity timeline, check the Waiting for Others filter, and use Remind if a client goes quiet.
Keep the record
When everyone has signed, all parties receive the signed copy. Download the audit trail PDF and keep it with the client or project file.
Compliance considerations for agency documents
Electronic signatures are recognised for most commercial agreements under laws such as the US ESIGN Act and UETA, the EU’s eIDAS regulation and India’s Information Technology Act 2000. Releases, intellectual property assignments and anything involving minors can have specific requirements depending on where you work, and data-protection law applies to the personal data in model and influencer releases. Confirm with your legal adviser what applies to your contracts. The legality guide covers India in detail.
- An audit trail per document. The audit trail PDF shows the document ID, sent and completed dates, and when each signer was emailed, viewed and signed.
- Only participants can open a document. Unlaunched campaigns and client briefs are visible only to the sender, signers and observers.
- Encryption in transit and at rest. Documents travel over HTTPS/TLS and are stored in encrypted cloud storage — see eSignature security.
- Aadhaar eSign in India. For Indian clients, Aadhaar eSign adds OTP verification through eMudhra and a PKI-signed PDF.
Apply your agency’s own retention and confidentiality policies to the signed copies and audit trails you download, particularly releases that contain personal details.
How to send creative work for client sign-off
Upload the proof
Upload the concept or final artwork as a PDF or image, or combine several images into one PDF.
Add the client
Choose Set signer order and add the client approver as a signer. Add the account manager as an observer.
Place the fields
Add a Signature and Date field for the client, a Checkmark beside each item being approved, and Shape fields to highlight key areas.
Send and track
The client is emailed a Review & Sign Document link. Watch for the Opened status and use Remind if needed.
Receive the signed approval
Once signed, everyone receives the signed PDF and the audit trail is ready to download.
