Privacy policy.

1. About this policy

Proof Creative Group Pty Ltd ABN 59 127 077 410 (“Proof Creative”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects the privacy of the people who visit our website, make an enquiry, engage our services, collaborate with us or otherwise deal with our business.

Proof Creative is a Brisbane-based Brand Realisation Studio led by Carl Curcuruto. Our services include brand identity, design realisation, packaging and production artwork, visualisation, web design, AI-to-Reality creative services and related brand and production support.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use, disclose and protect personal information in connection with:

• our website at proofcreative.com.au;
• enquiries and communications by email, telephone, video call, social media or in person;
• proposals, quotations and client onboarding;
• creative, branding, packaging, visualisation and production projects;
• our dealings with suppliers, contractors, collaborators and professional advisers; and
• other ordinary business activities.

We handle personal information in accordance with this policy and, where applicable, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

2. What personal information means

Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

Information about a business is not necessarily personal information. However, information identifying a business owner, employee, client representative, supplier or other individual may be personal information.

3. The personal information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with Proof Creative and what is reasonably necessary for that interaction. It may include:

Contact and identity information

Your name, business or brand name, position, email address, telephone number, postal address and professional or social media details.

Enquiry and project information

Information about your business, product, audience, objectives, project requirements, preferred services, timeline, indicative budget and other details you include in an enquiry, brief, meeting or project discussion.

Client and account information

Information required to prepare proposals, enter into agreements, issue invoices, receive payments and maintain business records. This may include an ABN, billing address, purchase-order information and relevant payment or bank details.

Project content and creative material

Brand assets, logos, packaging artwork, product information, photographs, illustrations, written copy, specifications, dielines, technical files, supplier information, AI-generated concepts, prompts, reference imagery, research and other material supplied for a project.

Some project material may contain personal information about founders, employees, customers, models, photographers, contributors or other individuals.

Communications and relationship information

Emails, meeting notes, feedback, approvals, revision requests, complaints, testimonials and records relating to our professional relationship.

Supplier and collaborator information

Contact, professional, payment and project information about printers, manufacturers, developers, photographers, copywriters, production specialists, consultants and other project partners.

Website and technical information

Our website host or related technical providers may automatically process information such as your IP address, browser and device type, requested pages, visit dates and times, referring website, error reports and security logs.

Marketing preferences

Information about whether you have asked to receive, or not receive, occasional news, project updates or promotional communications from Proof Creative.

4. Sensitive information

Proof Creative does not ordinarily need to collect sensitive information, such as health information, biometric information, political opinions, religious beliefs, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or criminal-record information.

Please do not include sensitive information in a general enquiry or project material unless it is genuinely necessary and has been discussed with us.

Where sensitive information is required, we will only collect and use it with appropriate consent or where otherwise permitted or required by law.

5. Information about other people

Where you provide personal information about another person—for example, a staff member, customer, photographer, model, founder or supplier—you should ensure that you are authorised to provide it and that the person is aware of the intended use where required.

Please tell us if supplied material contains personal or confidential information that requires specific restrictions or security arrangements.

6. How we collect personal information

We generally collect personal information:

• directly from you when you contact us by email, telephone, social media, video call or in person;
• through the Start a Project enquiry process;
• during discovery, briefing, research, design development, approvals and production;
• from documents, files and creative assets you provide;
• from another person in your organisation who is authorised to communicate with us;
• from a referrer or professional adviser;
• from publicly available business and professional sources where appropriate;
• from suppliers, contractors and production partners involved in a project; and
• automatically through website hosting, security and technical logs.

At the effective date of this policy, the Start a Project page submits your enquiry through a third-party form-processing service (Formspree Inc.), which delivers it to Proof Creative by email. The provider may process the submitted information on servers located outside Australia.

7. Dealing with us anonymously

You may browse the public sections of our website without identifying yourself.

You may also make a general enquiry using a pseudonym where that is practical. However, we may need accurate identity, business, contact and billing information before we can provide a detailed proposal, enter into a contract, undertake paid work, coordinate production or issue an invoice.

8. Why we collect and use personal information

We may collect, hold and use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries and arrange discovery calls;
• assess whether a project is suitable for Proof Creative;
• prepare quotations, scopes, proposals and agreements;
• provide branding, design realisation, packaging, visualisation, web design, AI-to-Reality and related services;
• understand a client’s product, market, audience, production requirements and commercial objectives;
• manage projects, meetings, feedback, approvals, deliverables and deadlines;
• prepare production-ready artwork, specifications, visualisations and brand assets;
• coordinate printers, manufacturers, developers, production partners and other client-approved suppliers;
• administer client, supplier and contractor relationships;
• issue invoices, process payments and maintain accounting, tax and insurance records;
• maintain project history, production references and version records;
• prevent fraud, misuse, security incidents and unauthorised access;
• protect our legal and commercial interests and resolve disputes;
• meet contractual, professional, regulatory and legal obligations;
• improve our services, processes and website;
• request feedback or permission to publish a testimonial or case study; and
• send marketing communications where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law.

We may also use information for a related purpose that you would reasonably expect, or where you have given consent.

9. Project material, portfolios and case studies

Proof Creative may retain copies of completed creative work and associated project records for production reference, version control, professional recordkeeping and the administration of the client relationship.

We may display completed work in a portfolio, case study, credentials presentation, award entry, social media post or other promotional material where this is permitted under the relevant client agreement or separately approved.

We will not knowingly publish private contact information, confidential personal information or an attributable testimonial without permission or another lawful basis.

10. AI-assisted and digital creative tools

Proof Creative may use AI-assisted, generative, visualisation, rendering, image-processing or other digital tools to explore, develop, refine or produce creative work.

Where an external tool is used:

• information entered into the tool may be processed by its provider;
• the provider may operate or store information outside Australia;
• we will take reasonable steps to avoid entering unnecessary personal information;
• we will not knowingly submit sensitive personal information unless this has been specifically agreed and appropriate safeguards are in place; and
• where client material contains personal or confidential information, we may remove or minimise that information, use appropriate privacy settings, obtain authority or use another method.

Clients should tell us before providing material that must not be processed using external AI or cloud-based tools.

Proof Creative does not currently use personal information to make solely automated decisions that significantly affect an individual’s legal rights, access to services or other significant interests.

11. When we disclose personal information

Proof Creative does not sell or rent personal information.

We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to:

• contractors, consultants or specialist collaborators working on a project;
• printers, prepress providers, manufacturers, packaging suppliers and production partners;
• photographers, illustrators, copywriters, web developers, CGI artists and other creative specialists;
• website hosting, email, cloud storage, file-transfer, backup, project-management and communications providers;
• accounting, invoicing, banking and payment service providers;
• software, visualisation and AI service providers used to deliver agreed work;
• insurers, lawyers, accountants and other professional advisers;
• a client-authorised third party or supplier;
• government agencies, courts, regulators or law-enforcement bodies where required or authorised by law;
• a purchaser, investor or adviser involved in a proposed sale or restructure of the business, subject to appropriate confidentiality arrangements; or
• another person where you have consented or would reasonably expect the disclosure.

We seek to limit disclosures to the information reasonably required for the relevant service or purpose.

12. Overseas processing and disclosure

Some of the technology providers used for email, cloud storage, file transfer, creative software, accounting, website hosting, backups or AI-assisted work may process or store information outside Australia.

Likely overseas locations may include the United States and other countries in which the relevant provider maintains infrastructure or support operations. It may not always be practicable to identify the location of every server or subcontractor used by a global provider.

A project may also require information or creative material to be shared with a client-approved printer, manufacturer, supplier or collaborator in another country. Where practicable, we will identify material project-specific overseas disclosures before they occur.

We take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances when selecting service providers, controlling access and protecting information handled through overseas or globally distributed services.

13. Our website, cookies and technical records

Our website and hosting provider may use technical records, cookies or similar technologies where reasonably necessary to:

• display and operate the website;
• maintain website security;
• detect errors or misuse;
• remember essential settings; and
• understand general website performance.

Proof Creative does not use information derived from website activity for behavioural or targeted advertising unless that practice is clearly disclosed and any notice or choice required by law has been provided.

If we introduce non-essential analytics, advertising pixels or other material tracking technologies, we will update this policy and any relevant website notice.

You can control many cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential browser functions may affect how some websites operate.

14. Direct marketing

Making an enquiry or becoming a client does not automatically mean that you will be added to a general marketing list.

Where Proof Creative sends an electronic marketing communication, we will do so with consent or another basis permitted by law. Marketing communications will identify Proof Creative and provide a straightforward way to unsubscribe.

You may opt out at any time by:

• using the unsubscribe facility in the communication; or
• contacting us at hello@proofcreative.com.au.

We will action opt-out requests within a reasonable period. Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending necessary project, contractual, invoicing or service communications.

15. How we hold and protect information

Personal information may be held in email accounts, project folders, cloud storage, accounting systems, business devices, backups and physical records.

We take reasonable steps appropriate to the nature of the information to protect it from loss, misuse, interference, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. Measures may include:

• password protection and multi-factor authentication;
• limiting access to people who require it for their work;
• using reputable technology and cloud-service providers;
• maintaining software and device security;
• secure or controlled file-transfer methods;
• backups and recovery procedures;
• confidentiality obligations for contractors and collaborators; and
• deleting or de-identifying information that is no longer reasonably required.

No internet transmission, email system or electronic-storage method is completely secure. You should therefore avoid sending highly sensitive information through ordinary email unless suitable arrangements have been agreed.

16. Data breaches

If Proof Creative becomes aware of a suspected loss, unauthorised access or unauthorised disclosure of personal information, we will take reasonable steps to contain the incident, assess its potential consequences and reduce the risk of harm.

Where the Privacy Act and Notifiable Data Breaches scheme apply, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner when legally required.

17. How long we retain information

We retain personal information only for as long as it is reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected or for another lawful business purpose. Relevant considerations may include:

• the duration of a client or supplier relationship;
• production and reprint requirements;
• project history and version control;
• contractual commitments;
• accounting, taxation and insurance obligations;
• potential disputes or professional-liability periods; and
• security, backup and recordkeeping requirements.

When information is no longer reasonably required, we will take reasonable steps to delete, destroy or de-identify it, subject to technical, legal and backup limitations.

18. Accessing and correcting your information

You may ask to access personal information Proof Creative holds about you or request that it be corrected if it is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, irrelevant or misleading.

Requests should be sent to hello@proofcreative.com.au and should provide enough information for us to understand and locate the relevant records.

We may need to verify your identity before giving access or making a correction. We will respond within a reasonable period and will not ordinarily charge for making a request. Where permitted, a reasonable charge may apply for substantial retrieval or reproduction work.

There may be circumstances in which access cannot be provided. Where required by law, we will explain the reason and any available complaint process.

19. Privacy complaints

Please contact us if you believe Proof Creative has not handled your personal information in accordance with this policy or applicable privacy law. Your complaint should include:

• your name and contact information;
• a description of the issue;
• relevant dates, communications or documents; and
• the outcome you are seeking.

We will acknowledge the complaint and aim to investigate and respond within 30 days. If additional time is reasonably required, we will let you know.

Where the Privacy Act applies and you are not satisfied with our response—or we have not responded within 30 days—you may be entitled to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

20. Contact Proof Creative

For privacy questions, access or correction requests, or complaints, contact:

21. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, technology providers, website functions, working practices or legal obligations change.

The current version will be published on our website with its effective date. Material changes may also be communicated directly where appropriate.