A working posture, not a set of clauses.
Working at the level we do means making explicit what we don't always need to say. These commitments shape how we operate — across confidentiality, ownership, and the tools we use.
A working principle, not a clause.
Client work is handled under confidentiality, by default — not as a clause, as a working principle.
Confidentiality applies from the first conversation, whether or not a formal NDA is in place. Where one is needed, we review it carefully and sign — adapting to the client's preferred terms wherever practicable.
Within our team, project information moves on a need-to-know basis. Drafts, briefs, and intermediate work stay in environments we control, with file storage, sharing tools and access permissions reviewed regularly. When a project requires external contribution — translation, specific production — confidentiality terms equivalent to ours are agreed in advance, with the client's awareness.
The expectation is simple: what enters the project stays in the project.
Clear lines from the start.
Clients own the work we deliver — fully, on delivery.
Final deliverables are transferable to the client at the close of each project, with all reproduction and adaptation rights. Source files — layered documents, working files, editable formats — remain archived on our side for reference and continuity, and are made available to the client on request, as a standard part of our service.
Third-party licences (typography, stock imagery, music) are passed through transparently. Their terms are documented so the client knows what they own outright and what is licensed.
Some elements developed in the course of our work — production templates, internal frameworks, methodologies, and tools we build over time — remain the intellectual property of Ellipse Marketing. They are part of how we work, not part of what is delivered. When such an element is genuinely needed for the client's autonomous use of the deliverables, terms are agreed transparently in advance.
We retain the right to reference completed work in our portfolio. Where a client prefers confidentiality, that preference takes precedence — we don't.
New tools, same standards.
AI is a tool we use deliberately — with the right safeguards on client data, never to substitute judgement.
We use AI-assisted tools where they genuinely improve quality, speed, or scale. Most often that means production support: variations, iteration, technical tasks. AI does not replace editorial direction or design judgement — those remain human work, reviewed before anything reaches a client.
When AI is used on client information, brand assets, or confidential content, we work only with environments that meet our confidentiality and compliance requirements — no public, no training-enabled tools. Where AI assists in producing visual or written content, this is part of our production workflow, disclosed on request, and always reviewed by a human before delivery.
The field is moving fast. We follow it — regulation, model capabilities, professional standards — and adjust our practice as the landscape evolves.
Reading further
Working together
How collaboration is organised — from first conversation to delivery.
Q&A
Practical questions about working together, tools and workflows.