Privacy Policy

Studio Slate ABN 52 202 079 312 ("we", "us", "our") operates studioslate.com.au. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the 2024 Privacy Act reforms, and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

For visitors from the European Economic Area, we also comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

When you use our website and services, you may provide us with:

• Contact information: Email address and phone number when you use our contact forms, mockup generator, or Smart Intake widget
• Business information: Business name, website URL, and business description when requesting a quote or using our tools
• Communication content: Messages you send through our contact forms or WhatsApp

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect:

• Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type
• Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, referral source, and other analytics data
• Cookies and similar technologies: See our Cookie section below

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide our services: Responding to enquiries, creating quotes, delivering website design and development services
• To communicate with you: Sending project updates, responding to questions, and providing customer support
• To send marketing communications: With your consent, sending you information about our services, industry insights, and promotional offers
• To improve our website: Analysing usage patterns to enhance user experience and website performance
• To comply with legal obligations: Meeting our legal and regulatory requirements
• For AI-assisted routing: Our Smart Intake widget uses AI to help match your enquiry to the most relevant service (your message is processed but not stored by the AI provider)

3. Legal Basis for Processing

For visitors from the European Economic Area, we process your data based on:

• Consent: When you submit a contact form or sign up for marketing
• Contractual necessity: To fulfil our service agreements with you
• Legitimate interests: For website analytics and improving our services
• Legal obligation: When required by law

4. Cookies and Analytics

4.1 Cookies We Use

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly
• Analytics cookies: Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our site

4.2 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymised data about website usage. Google Analytics uses cookies to track:

• Pages viewed and time spent on pages
• Traffic sources and user journeys
• Device and browser information (anonymised and aggregated)

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

4.3 Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

5. Third-Party Services

We use trusted third-party services to operate our business:

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

• Provide our services and maintain our business records
• Comply with legal obligations (typically 7 years for tax records)
• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

Lead information from contact forms is retained for up to 3 years unless you request deletion. Analytics data is retained for 26 months per Google Analytics default settings.

7. Your Rights

7.1 Under Australian Privacy Law

Under the Privacy Act 1988, you have the right to:

• Access: Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or outdated information
• Complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) if you believe we have breached the APPs

7.2 Additional Rights for EEA Residents (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you also have the right to:

• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
• Secure, access-controlled database infrastructure
• Regular security updates and monitoring
• Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis

While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

9. Marketing Communications

In accordance with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), we will only send you commercial electronic messages if:

• You have consented to receive them, or
• There is an existing business relationship and the messages relate to similar services

Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link. You can also contact us directly to opt out.

10. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers are located outside Australia. When we transfer personal information overseas, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, including contractual obligations on recipients to protect your data in accordance with Australian privacy standards and, where applicable, GDPR requirements.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are directed at businesses, not individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child, we will take steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Continued use of our website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

We will respond to your request within 30 days (or sooner where required by law).