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As a long-established insurer, we have vast experience of the risks facing designers.
Our specialist insurance for designers provides expert cover for graphic designers, interior designers, web designers and other creative professionals.
An incorrect specification, a visitor slipping at your offices or the theft of a computer with expensive design software could have a serious financial impact on your business. Our designers’ insurance can give you the peace of mind that your business is covered against such risks and more.
Building your designers insurance policy is quick and easy. Our simple quote system will ask you about your design business and build you a tailored policy. You can choose to take all the covers quoted, or just some of them, so you will only ever pay for the cover you want.
Cover at a glance:
- Professional indemnity cover up to £5m
- Covers copyright issues, design errors and client disputes
- Public and employers’ liability available
- Suitable for freelancers and small agencies
What is designers insurance?
Designer insurance helps provide protection for you and your business in times of trouble. From claims arising due to unhappy customers accusing you of mistakes in your work, that have caused them to lose money, to visitors who picked up an injury on your property – designers’ insurance is there to protect you. This form of cover can be tailored to suit whatever field of design that you operate in – from graphic designer insurance, web design insurance, to interior design insurance, there are a wide range of policies available to ensure that you’re suitably insured in the event of unexpected financial fallout.
Cover starting at
£5 a month*
*Price based on a graphic designer requiring £1 million of public liability insurance.
What insurance do I need as a designer?
As a designer or design consultant, your work and ideas are central to your offering. Clients put their faith in you to provide a professional service, but despite your best efforts mistakes can happen. If an error or mistake is spotted and your client makes a claim against you for professional negligence, professional indemnity insurance could protect you, your finances and your reputation, and help with court costs.
If a client sustains an injury whilst on your premises, they may bring a claim against you. In this scenario, public liability insurance could cover you against such allegations and help with associated costs.
Example policy documents
If you have an existing policy with us, please sign in to view your policy documents.
Below you will find examples of the documents provided.
Freelance designer insurance
Ensuring you obtain the appropriate level of freelance designer insurance is a worthwhile consideration. From professional indemnity insurance, which covers you should claims arise from clients accusing you of professional negligence, to public liability insurance if you tend to work in clients premises and could potentially be accused of damaging their property. If you handle client data, ensuring you have appropriate cyber and data risk insurance in place is an important consideration.
There are plenty of forms of business insurance for freelance designers. Our insurance for freelance designers means you have added peace of mind, knowing that your business is protected should the worst happen.
Does product liability insurance cover design?
Public and product liability insurance covers designers, if the product has a design flaw that has caused injury to a member of the public of property damage. For example, if a bespoke wardrobe you designed collapses, and causes injury to a member of the public or damage to their property, public and product liability insurance could cover any claims made in relation to the design flaw.
Tailor your designers insurance with these covers
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Professional indemnity insurance
Professional indemnity insurance covers the cost of defending your business against allegations of professional negligence (such as giving your client incorrect or wrongful advice) and if unsuccessful, the cost of damages awarded against you. This is vital insurance for all designers and cover is available with limits ranging from £50,000 to £5m.
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Public and product liability insurance
Public and product liability insurance covers the cost of defending your business (including damages awarded against you if unsuccessful) if someone is injured, or their property damaged, which arises from you going about your business or supplying products. The legal fees alone could cost your business thousands of pounds. If you regularly visit clients, or clients visit your premises, you should give this cover some consideration. This form of cover protects you if someone makes a claim against you due to a faulty product. Limits range from £1m to £5m.
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Employers' liability insurance
Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement if your business has employees. It covers your business against claims for injury or illness suffered by employees arising from their employment. If your business employs staff, you are likely to need this cover. Cover for £10m.
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Legal expenses insurance
Commercial legal expenses insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided for the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.
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Directors and officers insurance
Directors and officers insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided in respect of the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.
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Office insurance
Office insurance covers your office buildings, office contents and computer equipment against accidental damage (including theft) whilst on your business premises. You can also choose to cover your business equipment (such as laptops and mobile phones) on a worldwide basis, and insure your business against loss of income and/or additional trading expenses following events such as damage to your property.
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Occupational personal accident insurance
Occupational personal accident insurance provides a weekly payment if you are unable to work due to temporary total disablement (subject to a 14-day deferment period) due to an accident at work, or when travelling to and from work. In the event of loss of limbs, sight, speech, hearing, permanent total disablement or death, a lump sum would be paid out. You should consider this cover if you would struggle to maintain an income following an accident that left you unable to work. Limits from £100/week to £500/week for temporary total disablement (£25k lump sum to £100k lump sum for permanent total disablement).
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Cyber and data risks insurance
Cyber insurance pays the costs of restoring data and equipment, informing clients, meeting ransom demands and loss of your net profit following a cyber-attack. It also pays your legal defence costs and damages you are legally liable to pay to other parties. If you hold confidential information about your clients and their projects on computers and other internet connected devices, you should consider to this cover.
How it works
Choose the cover you require
Get a quote you need in minutes
Buy online or contact one of our advisors
How much does insurance for designers' cost?
At Markel Direct, we offer designer insurance from £5 a month for £1 million worth of public liability cover*. When it comes to insurance, the cost varies from business to business depending on;
- The size of your business - your turnover and whether you have any employees
- The level of cover you choose
- The types of projects you work on and the equipment you use.
To get a clearer idea of how much you’ll pay, simply get a quote online.
*Price based on a designer needing £1 million worth of public liability insurance
Ready to build your quote?
Our simple quote process will help you to find the right business insurance for your individual needs.
Frequently asked questions
These frequently asked questions are designed to help you and include questions relating to policy cover, pricing and ‘technical’ terms.
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What's the difference between professional indemnity and public liability?
Professional indemnity insurance covers against allegations of professional negligence - which means it would cover you if you were to make an error or mistake in a piece of work (such as a project or report) for a client.
Public liability insurance covers against allegations of injury or illness caused to third parties by your negligence. This includes many of the slips, trips and falls that are associated with personal injury claims. In addition, public liability insurance covers against damage to third party property - for example, if you were to damage a client-owned laptop or smartphone.
As they insure against different scenarios, it's important you consider arranging both types of cover to ensure you are properly protected.
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I need to arrange insurance to start work - do you provide proof of cover?
Yes. We provide a dedicated 'Confirmation of Liability Insurance' document (detailing the cover you have with us) as part of the documents that are emailed to you if you purchase your policy with us. You can present this document to agencies and clients as proof that you are insured.
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Do freelance designers need insurance?
While there’s no legal requirement, freelance designers should consider obtaining the appropriate level of insurance to cover them against potential claims arising because of their work. An unhappy client may put in a claim against you over what they consider to be inadequate work, or be accused of causing damage to a client's property.
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What limit of cover should I choose?
Many clients and industry bodies with regulatory requirements will require you to have a minimum level of cover for you to undertake a contract, so it's worth checking this before you arrange cover. If you're unsure, give some thought to a worst-case scenario and the likely costs involved in putting your mistake right. We offer a range of limits on insurance, so you're sure to find the right cover for your business.
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Why should I choose Markel Direct's Insurance
Markel Direct has over 25 years of experience insuring contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals. We insure over 200,000 micro businesses and are highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com.
We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s of London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023
To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0800 640 6600 or get a quick quote online.
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How are Markel Direct regulated?
Markel Direct is a trading name of Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.
We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s of London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023
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