Request form
Commission request form
A commission request form gives buyers one clear place to start. The best forms feel helpful, not cold. They gather enough information for you to quote while making it clear that a request is not automatically an accepted order.
Quick answer
commission request form
A commission request form should collect buyer contact, commission type, project description, references, deadline, budget or price expectation, usage needs, file needs, revision expectations, and any extra notes.
The form should explain what happens after submission: you review the request, ask clarifying questions if needed, send a quote, and start only after scope and payment expectations are confirmed.
Keep the language simple. Ask where the work will be used before asking about rights, and offer an 'I am not sure' option for file formats, usage, or scope questions buyers may not know yet.
Guide
How to make the process clearer without making it colder.
- Start with easy buyer-language questions.
- Make required fields truly necessary.
- Explain that submission is not automatic acceptance.
- Use helper text to reduce confused answers.
Open with a warm explanation
The first few lines of the form set the tone. If the page starts like a corporate intake portal, buyers may leave even if they were serious. If it starts like a guided handoff, buyers understand that you are trying to quote accurately.
Tell buyers they do not need perfect art-direction language. Ask them to share what they know, attach references if they have them, and choose unsure options when they do not know a technical detail.
- What this form is for
- How long it takes
- What details are optional
- What happens after submission
- Whether submitting means the commission is accepted
Make required fields earn their place
A required field should either help you contact the buyer, understand the request, decide whether it fits, or quote the work. Anything else can usually be optional.
Too many required questions make buyers feel like they need to have the whole project solved before talking to you. That is not how many custom commissions start. When in doubt, require the basics and let helper text explain what a useful answer looks like.
- Name or handle
- Contact method
- Commission type
- Project description
- Usage or where it will be used
- Deadline if timing matters
Use optional fields for details buyers may not know yet
Optional fields are useful for editable source files, exact dimensions, file formats, detailed brand notes, and long reference explanations. Serious buyers can provide them, but unsure buyers can still submit.
This is especially important for creator audiences. A streamer may know they need art for a debut but not know the exact export settings, panel dimensions, or rights language.
- Exact file dimensions
- Preferred formats
- Source file requests
- Extra reference notes
- Secondary usage
- Nice-to-have add-ons
Ask pricing questions directly but kindly
Some form questions exist because they affect price. That is okay. The buyer will usually understand if you explain why you are asking.
Budget range, business or merch use, rush timing, multiple versions, editable source files, animation, and detailed backgrounds should be surfaced before the quote, not after the buyer thinks the price is final.
- Budget range
- Business, merch, or money-making use
- Rush date
- Animation or complexity
- Multiple versions
- Editable source files
Explain the next step after submission
A request form should not imply that the buyer has placed an order just by submitting. It should explain the review step.
A simple flow is enough: request received, creator reviews it, creator asks questions or sends a quote, buyer approves, payment step happens, and work begins.
- Request received
- Creator review
- Clarifying questions if needed
- Quote sent
- Buyer approval
- Payment step
- Work starts
Practical use
Examples creators can recognize.
These examples show how the same guidance applies to real commission moments, from first request to final decision.
VTuber prop request form flow
A VTuber wants a prop asset for an upcoming debut, but they are not sure which file formats they need.
- Ask what they want made and what the debut date is.
- Ask where the asset will appear: stream, social posts, thumbnails, merch, or all of those.
- Ask for references and current model or brand assets.
- Offer file format choices with an 'I am not sure' option.
- Use the answers to quote the asset, usage, timeline, and file package.
Emote request form flow
A streamer wants a few emotes but has not decided the exact expressions.
- Ask for the number of emotes they are considering.
- Ask for rough expressions or moods, with examples like hype, sad, love, lurk, or rage.
- Ask for character or brand references.
- Ask whether animation is needed.
- Quote a base pack and leave room for expression details before sketch approval.
Details
Practical details to decide before the work moves.
Recommended form sections
Group fields so buyers understand the form. A long form feels shorter when the sections are logical.
- Contact
- Name, handle, email, Discord, or preferred reply channel.
- Project
- Commission type, description, purpose, and must-have details.
- References
- Uploads, links, and notes about what each reference means.
- Timing
- Deadline, launch date, flexibility, and rush needs.
- Budget
- Budget range or selected package if you publish starting prices.
- Usage
- Personal, stream/social, business, merch, or unsure.
- Delivery
- File formats, sizes, editable source files, and platform needs.
Required versus optional
Use required fields for decisions you cannot quote without. Let everything else support the quote without blocking submission.
- Usually required
- Contact, commission type, project description, intended use, and references when the work depends on them.
- Sometimes required
- Deadline, budget, file format, and usage details when they are essential to your pricing.
- Usually optional
- Exact dimensions, additional notes, editable source file request, secondary usage, and nice-to-have add-ons.
Client language
Wording you can adapt.
Use these as starting points. Keep the tone yours, but make the boundary or next step visible.
Tell me what you are hoping to commission. You do not need perfect art-direction language. References, purpose, and timing are enough to start.
Submitting this form does not lock you into payment and does not mean I have accepted the commission yet. I will review it and send a quote or follow-up questions.
If you are not sure which files you need, choose I am not sure and tell me where you plan to use the work.
Commissions open. Send a request here with your idea, references, deadline, and where you plan to use the work.
Thanks for reaching out. Please send the details through my request form so I can review everything and quote it clearly.
Fit check
When a request form helps most
Use this when
- You get repeated DMs asking what information you need.
- You want one link for multiple buyer channels.
- Your quote depends on references, usage, timing, or files.
- You want to separate inquiries from accepted orders.
- You need buyers to understand what happens next.
Skip or simplify when
- You only sell fixed premade items with no custom details.
- You are doing quick informal work for someone you already know and no scope risk exists.
- A short DM is enough to decide the request is not a fit.
Checklist
Commission request form checklist
Slatero is being designed as the link creators can send after a DM, so buyers can request custom work and creators can turn serious requests into approved orders.
- Buyer contact
- Commission type
- Project description
- References and notes
- Deadline or event date
- Budget or expected range
- Usage needs
- File format needs
- Revision expectations
- Must-have details
- Extra notes
- Clear next step after submission
Request form mistakes that turn buyers away
- Making the form feel like a job application.
- Using creator shorthand buyers may not understand.
- Failing to explain what happens after submission.
- Not asking about usage until after the quote.
- Requiring every optional detail before the buyer can send the request.
- Making buyers guess what counts as business use, editable source files, or rush timing.
FAQ
Common questions about commission request form.
Is a commission request form the same as an order form?
Not always. A request form gathers details so the creator can decide whether to quote. An order form or quote confirms scope, price, timing, usage, and payment expectations.
Where should creators put a commission request form?
Useful places include social bios, pinned posts, Discord servers, Twitch panels, Linktree-style pages, commission menus, and direct replies to buyer DMs.
Should a request form show prices?
It helps to show starting prices or example ranges. Buyers do not need every possible fee upfront, but they should know whether their idea is roughly in range before filling out the form.
Should buyers upload files in the first form?
If references are important to pricing, yes. If uploads create too much friction, allow links and screenshots first, then collect final files after the request is accepted.
How do you keep a commission form friendly?
Use plain prompts, explain why you ask pricing-related questions, make uncertain answers possible, and tell the buyer what happens after they submit.