Posted by: Catherine Morley
Category: Designers Working With
Bookmark on: del.icio.us

On the last post, photographers answered the question, “As a professional designer, what are the main points you want clients (potential and present) to know before contacting you about a project?” Another way to learn how to work with photographers is to find out what not to do.

So, borrowing from what could potentially be a leap over hindsight, I asked the question, “When working with designers, what do you see as the top problem areas?”

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Bill

No major problems! However, sometimes a designer or art director will say something like: “well, this will only take you half-a-day” — while I know it will take longer.

I’d prefer it if they’d just describe the job, and then ask me how long I think it will take to do. Designers’ time estimates sometimes fail to factor in such things as packing, loading, unloading, setting up, breaking down, repacking and reloading the lighting equipment — not to mention the time spend in digital post production.

I shoot all-digital — almost always RAW files. My rule of thumb is that the post-production time needed to perform digital processing and preliminary color correction and optimization of the pictures, and then produce digital contact sheets, or an on-line gallery for the client, plus a few samples of fully optimized images, will take me at least as long as the photo-shoot itself did.

Also . . . if the time and money required to produce a shoot a certain way is too much for the budget the designer has, it’s often possible to do the shoot a different way . . . for instance, without the big lights, and thus without the time and the assistant(s) that the big lights require.

Maybe, for instance, the job could be shot in a quick photojournalistic manner with no lights, or just with small battery powered lights bounced off a wall or a ceiling — this may create a somewhat different look and feeling than my the big lights do, but it can be extremely effective for certain projects.

All this should be discussed candidly, but one problem is that it’s often hard to find out what the designer’s true budget really is for the job.

Many times I will ask up-front, how much are you planning to allocate for all this photography, what is your budget? And the designer or art buyer will say, “Oh, we don’t have any budget number in mind, just give us an estimate.” Then I put together an estimate for them — which for a complex shoot may take me hours of work — and when I deliver the estimate, sometimes the reply is “Oh, that’s much more than our budget, which x dollars!” Well, only the day before, the designer told me they had no specific budget number in mind.

Of course, if you read and believe some books on negotiating, it’s smart to do that. According to some business gurus, the party who gives a price first in a negotiation is at a disadvantage — hence the coy little charade by the designer or art buyer.

But I think it’s dumb. I’d rather get at least a ballpark estimate or range from the designer or art buyer, so I can either craft an appropriate photographic approach that will do the job within their range, or tell them I can’t do the job that I believe they want within their range — and not waste my time on putting together a great proposal that will be out of their area of possibility.

I think being realistic and candid about the budget range is actually a smarter way for the designer to go. And it by no means precludes responsible negotiating. Indeed, it may result in a better result for the designer — and for their client.

Bill Wisser | Advertising and Editorial Photographer
Bill Wisser Photo.com | The Naked Eye

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Bruce

Low level experience combined with the need to CYA can be tough on a photographer. This isn’t limited to designers nor is it limited to photographers. Experience helps give the designers the confidence to let go a measure of creative vision thus giving the photographer some room to breath and add greater value. I love them all but many of my best designer clients are very fastidious about the finest detail which can detract from the emotion of a photograph and can even add needless tension to the set.

Bruce DeBoer | Photographer
DeBoerWorks Photographic Productions

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Damian Counsell

I’ve only ever worked for one designer—and he’s a friend who’s done me plenty of favours so I did the jobs for free. I imagine the most likely source of trouble would be if the client was unclear about his or her goals. It’s harder to score a bullseye if you don’t know where the target is.

Damian Counsell | Photographer
Sepial fine film photography | The Wedding Photography Blog

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Dave

The single biggest issue is that fine art photography sites need to be changing all the time. Suppose that you are a great (but unknown) fine art photographer. You have say 50 wonderful images to display. Oh - make it a hundred. The typical potential buyer, assuming that they find your site somehow, will browse through images, and maybe email you, but they won’t buy anything at the time. They need a reason to return.

Generally this means that the website has to be changing in some way. If it means adding photographs, then the site has to make this easy for the photographer to do. But the biggest single issue is that the fine art photographer doesn’t have money for online advertising. And frankly, even if he/she does - online advertising doesn’t work well for fine art photography.

So that means you are reliant on the search engine for exposure. What follows is that the web designer should be totally conversant with how search engines work - esp. Google - and has to think twice for example when they are going to design the site in Flash. In other words, the very design of the site is related to how visible it will be.

So those are the biggest problems I see with designers: not having a site that is easily updateable by the photographer, and not being concerned enough with the sites’ search visibility.

Dave Beckerman | Photographer / Owner
Dave Beckerman Photography | Black and White Photography

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Jeffrey

Not to drive this into the ground, but designers need to know what they want or don’t want. If a designer doesn’t know what they want that’s fine… really, it’s just they have to be honest about it. Clients call me all the time and not really know what they want but they know they like my creative result so I’m asked produce a similar result (or something new). Good communication is very important, it amazing how “creative communicators” often fail to communicate with each other. Some clients know what they want but have difficulty explaining their ideas or their client’s ideas. I might add if I don’t understand your needs it is up to me to tell you and be sure I understand your needs before I accept the project. Communication is a two way street.

Jeffrey Jacobs | Photographer / President
Jeffrey Jacobs Photography Inc.

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Jon

Copyright & licensing:

Designers who don’t want to understand the way professional photographers charge. Many a time a call has ended with “that includes the copyright doesn’t it”? I’m afraid it doesn’t! It’s equally as important for designers to protect the intellectual property rights in their designs as it is for photographers to protect the intellectual property rights in their images. I have met many young (and old!) designers who routinely throw copyright in for free with their designs which is quite unbelievable.

Selling the copyright to your designs or images is a bad business decision. Even if (what may appear at the time to be) a large amount of money is offered for your copyright you have no way of knowing what uses your work will be put to, or how valuable your work really is to the client. What may appear to you as a major payday now could be folly in years to come if your logo or image is reused worldwide in prolific ad campaigns or becomes the “signature logo/image” for your client’s business. This is why licencing your work is best - you get usage fees based upon the use of your work.

If someone is offering you $$$ for your copyright then it figures that it must be valuable to your client have that copyright! So by retaining your copyright and licencing your work - if your logo/image goes big time then you will get royalties proportionate to its use rather than a lump sum up front that may equate to a couple of years use only. Good at the time but 10 years down the line when you’re getting no revenue but seeing your work everywhere will you feel it was a good deal?

Jon Boyes | Advertising and Editorial Photographer
Jon Boyes

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Patrick

Designers/clients who do not take the time to give final approval of an important large image before the set has been struck and upon reviewing the image at a later date decide they would like to make adjustments. Although the designer cannot always be available during the shoot, they should make time for approval via jpeg emails or other means. Reshoots for minor adjustments are demoralizing, a waste time and cost money.

Designer/clients often expect electronic post processing and/or color correcting to be done at no charge, when in fact, these processes take additional time, expertise, and should be charged accordingly. In the old days of film, this work was farmed out to film strippers and film retouchers and was invoiced separately.

Patrick Chuprina | Photographer
Chuprina Studios

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Rochelle

Designers need to provide adequate direction as to the photography that they are looking for. I would really discourage photographers from agreeing to do a lengthy photo shoot without any guidelines, because none of those images could end up being used, causing a re-shoot, more cost and delays. Plus, the frustration is not usually conducive to creative thought!

Rochelle Dahl | Photographer & Designer
Rochelle Dahl Designs

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Tom

Be sure to talk to the photographer about the intent/purpose of the project and allow them a chance to offer their experience on what they can bring to the project. We all (designers included) grit our teeth at those clients who want to have complete and total control over project and micromanage the process. Make sure all the decision makers are involved early in the project and everyone is working towards the same goal.

Tom Smalling | Photographer
Tom Smalling Photography & Design | Tom Smalling’s Photography Blog

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Will

Lack of focus on one problem at a time, some designers will bounce between projects and problems. While multi-tasking is essential, having a predefined work flow can make a project run smoother.

Will Williams | Photographer and Designer
Perspective-Images.com

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Next up is question three where I asked our photographers, “How do you work?” When writer Tom Chandler was asked the same question, he gave the honest answer, “Some days more slowly than others.” Yeah, I sure can relate.

until the next
Designers WW,
cat

Posted by: Catherine Morley
Category: Designers Working With
Bookmark on: del.icio.us

For new business owners, it’s invaluable to know what could, and often does go wrong. Equally valuable is being told industry specific treats.

In the first section of the Designers Working With Series, designers shared their problems with clients.

So for the (hopefully) nip-in-the-bud realities when working with writers, I asked:

When working with designers, what do you see as the top problem areas?

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Cheryl

They don’t try to understand my target reader.
They submit alternate proposals that are too similar.

Cheryl Stephens | Mentor/Muse
plainlanguage.com | Building Rapport | Building Rapport : CafePress.com

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Gerald

Number one: Ego. A designer needs to have a rather large ego, but needs to keep it under control in service of her client. Many do not do this well. My book, “Becoming a Technical Leader,” deals with this problem, as does my book (with my wife) “General Principles of System Design“.

Number two: Maybe related to number one: Inability to listen and really hear. My book on feedback (with Charlie and Edie Seashore) “What Did You Say?: The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback” deals with this problem.

Number three: Inability to surface assumptions (his or the client’s) and to do the work to clarify them. My two books with Don Gause, “Are Your Lights On?: How to Know What the Problem Really Is” and “Exploring Requirements: Quality before Design,” deal with this problem.

And, of course, many designers are simply poor communicators, either in writing or face-to-face, and my writing book and my consulting books deal with this problem.

Gerald M. Weinberg | Writer, consultant
Weinberg on Writing | The Secrets of Consulting | gerald weinberg books and leadership courses

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Judy

They just want to get things DONE. Fast. Unless they have had to write a website, they probably don’t understand the various facets that go into writing an effective website. Like studying writing, demographic, search engines, visitor trends every day, most days.

There are more things, but at least this gives you an idea. And the following is part of what I send to people who want a new website or a makeover:

1. Why do you want a website?
2. How much business do you expect it to bring in percentage over what you’re bringing in now?
3. What are your target audience demographics? In other words, who do you want to reach? Be as specific as possible (age range, profession, income, interests, etc.).
4. How does your business benefit your target audience?
5. What problems do your prospects have that your business solves?
6. What can your business offer your visitors (what’s in it for them?)
7. List features of your services.
8. Do you perceive your website as a static but attractive online brochure, or do you perceive it as interactive and offering various elements that will make people want to return?
9. Do you have a budget set up for website startup?
10. Describe your business.
11. Do you have a business slogan or “tag line”?
12. What is the approximate number of pages you have or will have?
13. Do you have any content ready that can be used as a basis for your site? Examples: Welcome message, mission/vision statement for your business, company overview, business philosophy, and why visitors should do business with you rather than a competitor.
14. How do people learn about your business now?
15. How much time will you be able to spend online, responding to inquiries, etc.? Once a day? Several times a day?
16. Do you have a company logo?
17. How can you encourage repeat visitors and referrals?
18. Who is you online competition?
19. Describe your ideal client(s).

Judy Vorfeld | Webmaster Services; Editing and Writing Services
www.EditingAndWritingServices.com | Judy’s Blog

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Liz

Listening, Personal involvement, Trust, Commitment to the Work, Ego. In a mix on both sides, make for a messy relationship in any creative endeavor.

All of which are fixed by a high trust relationship that is built on communication.

To make the best product, both parties need creative input and deep personal investment, they need to trust each’s commitment to the work, setting aside ego by realizing that what’s on the page or the screen is the work not them. It is at best difficult at moments to do that.

In a great relationship, two ground rules are set –implicitly or explicitly.
They are that:

1. It’s about the work and each person has a right and a duty to say what he or she thinks about the whether the work is going in the right direction without feeling that it will hurt the relationship or that he or she will be thought of as difficult.
2. Both people agree that when someone finds something about the work that isn’t working, if they find a way to solve it that meets the needs of both parties, the work always becomes better than if one person had won out over the other. In other words, working through problems for solutions that meet everyone’s needs gives me the best of two minds on the problem. I want an equal partner who listens and takes on my problems as part of his or her challenge. A client relationship doesn’t work for me. A prima donna makes me very unhappy. A designer who sees me as someone who comes from a place of personal taste make me what to sit him or her down to read my resume. :)

Designers need to know that they are as easily swayed by their own personal tastes and quirks as editors and publishers. They also need to know that I speak for my market, not for my personal taste. I ask for different things depending on who my readers will be.

I need feedback and partnership to get to the vision. I don’t like to make work for anyone.

ME (Liz) Strauss | Writer | Career coach | Strategic planner
Successful Blog | Letting Liz Be | Liz Strauss.com | The Blog Herald | Performancing.com | Write With ME

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Louise

The biggest problem is when designers focus only on the design. The copy is equally important - design and words need to be in harmony with each other. If the designer forgets this, it makes working together very difficult and also means that the project may not be 100% successful. Sometimes designers need to be willing to accept advice or criticism from a copywriter and be prepared to modify the design. Another problem is that designers can occasionally become obsessed with cramming in too much design, especially fancy stuff like Flash, and be unwilling to recognise that less is often more.

The main problems are not passing on a proper brief from the client (do web pages need to be search-engine optimised, for example? If yes, I need to use key words), and not allowing me any time to proofread before publication (because the copy I send will be perfect when it leaves me and errors always creep in at the design end when being laid out) - this last point is very important as the projects I work on with designers rarely involve bringing in an additional proofreader.

I’m not sure how helpful these responses are going to be as I very rarely work FOR the designer as opposed to WITH the designer. Usually, I’m hired separately by the client and invoice separately, but obviously I need to have close and regular contact with the designer as I can’t work in a vacuum. I can’t say I’ve encountered any major problems to date - so far, I’ve been lucky enough to work with designers who understand that the copy is as important as the design. Usually, the problems lie with the client being uncontactable at a crucial point or unclear about what they want.

Louise Bolotin | Writer, consultant
PlainText Editorial Consultancy

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Lynn

I have had the good fortune to work with wonderful designers. For me, the key is recognizing when there is a fit and when there isn’t. If people can tell at the beginning that their business styles, aesthetics, or budgets don’t match, they should not work together and should not feel guilty about it.

It would be a problem if designers did not return phone calls or reply to email, did not keep their commitments, or did charge for services that had not been agreed upon in advance. I am glad to say that has not been my experience.

Here is the answer to the question you did not ask:

Having a good design is the difference between having a lackluster presentation and earning instant admiration. Before any words make an impression, the design does. I am grateful every day that I work with excellent, happy designers. I count them among my most valuable partners.

Lynn Gaertner-Johnston | Founder, Business Writing Specialist
Syntax Training: Tools for Better Business Writing | Business Writing Blog

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Matthew

Briefing aside, the biggest issue with web and print designers is that they view copy as a commodity. They don’t seem to understand the writer’s process, the need for interviews and research, time to write well, edit and rework if necessary. They just see a bunch of ‘lorem ipsum’ and say to themselves “writer to insert copy here.” A bit more mutual understanding would help everyone. Not all designers are like this of course!

Matthew Stibbe | Writer-in-chief
Articulate Marketing | Bad Language

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Nancy

Not being regarded as a full partner on the project. (I must say this happens rarely; I’m fortunate to work with some very experienced, knowledgeable, and sensitive designers.)

Nancy Friedman | Chief Wordworker
Wordworking | Away With Words

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Roberta

Underestimating the time/cost needed to complete a project

• Forgetting that the work, while still very much a creative enterprise, is not about the artist — it’s all about meeting the objective of the promotion. In short, it’s business.
• Sloppy final art — fonts and images missing, items not labeled, PMS colors not identified, no folding dummy, etc.
• Too casual approach to returning calls and emails

Roberta Rosenberg | Pres/CEO
MGP DIRECT, INC. | The Copywriting Maven

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Roy

Writers can be assholes. They act as if the designer is there to service the writer. The writer can be a narcissist and forget that the designer needs to be brought into the conversation. The designer needs time, so it’s imperative that the writer meet deadlines and provide as much advanced information as possible.

Roy Peter Clark | America’s writing coach
Poynter Online - Writing Tools | Book: Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

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Tom

If I have one rant in me, it’s about designers who render headlines and copy unreadable.

We’re trying to sell something, and setting a headline in four different sizes or copy in heavily leaded 7 point type might impress design students, but if the average person can’t read it, we’ve failed.

The testing doesn’t lie; your average person can’t (or won’t) read type that’s set outside a fairly narrow set of parameters. Don’t get too cute.

Tom Chandler | copywriting : online/blogging : marketing plans
Chandler Writes. You Profit. | The Copywriter Underground

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tom

Thinking of writers as simply wordsmiths rather than idea generators. Writers think visually/idea first and words second.

tom mullen | writer & proprietor
EXIT3A.com | ANONYMOUS, JR

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Following the set format for the DWW series, next up will be How Writers Work: The Process

until the next
Designers WW,
cat

Posted by: Jeanette Wickham
Category: Ask jay
Bookmark on: del.icio.us

Get a hold on creep

Dear jay,

One of my clients is driving me nuts by continually asking for changes or alterations to her jobs. She doesn’t seem to comprehend that these modifications take time and are beyond the original brief. Worst of all, she thinks that she shouldn’t be charged extra. Help!

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We refer to this issue as ’scope creep’ and the key to handling creep starts with a good upfront and dynamic documentation, and continues by managing the project efficiently and effectively. As the project manager, you have to lead your client through your process, eliciting their commitment at each stage.

Not being an advocate of the “scope creep is absolutely unacceptable” paradigm, I hold the view that scope creep should be expected and processes put in place to handle it. Of course, it is wonderful when a project goes exactly as planned but the larger the project, the more likely you will have to deal with creep even if in only a minor capacity.

Detailed Design Brief

A design brief from your client is vital. If they do not have one, then include the production of one as the first step in your proposal. Getting your client’s views in writing documents their expectations and direction; A valuable tool when the project looks like going off the rails. Check out our Proposal and Creative Brief Resources for further reading, including Stacy King’s Using the Creative Brief at HowDesign.com.

Detailed Proposal

We will save putting together a brilliant proposal for a later time but you can get started with Crafting the perfect proposal by Neil Tortorella over at Creative Latitude and Roger C. Parker’s Write better proposals.

A detailed proposal tells the client exactly what they are getting for their money. It will include your process where you give a clear plan for each phase or major milestone (and minor if necessary), listing for each:

• client input expected including assets and decisions,
• the scope to be covered in detail,
• what is not included, if known,
• the time required,
• the deliverables, and
• the payment required.

As an example, you may need content in electronic format but not included data entry and/or proofreading in your budget. The detailed scope may include the X number of scans and images and Y number of pages.

Out of Scope Process

Include your process for handling out of scope requests, but be prepared to make compromises. An arrangement that suits both you and your client is more likely to be adhered to when it comes to the crunch. Requests for major changes, for example, may mean a halt to the current project while a new proposal is prepared, or they could be assigned to a follow up project.

Inexperienced clients often are unaware of the consequences of what they perceive to be a ‘minor’ change. By discussing this prospect upfront, they have the background to accept your assessment later in the project and can then decide whether to go ahead, defer or cancel the request.

A Change Order should be among your collection of documents and used for every change request whether major or minor. Get it signed by the client! Documenting changes not only saves invoice disputes but also allows you to build a record for future estimating.

Give the consequences of delays in time and cost, clearly and precisely. This especially important, if delays will affect other projects on your schedule. If necessary, you could include a statement to the effect that nonadherance to the timetable will result in the project being downgraded in priority or put on hold.

Make sure you highlight your ‘out of scope’ rate(s) and how it will be applied. Include examples: extra image scans may be a set cost, while extra pages may be charged by the time necessary to produce them.

Project Management

Document each task, how long each takes, where problems arise and how they were resolved. Even though the client is unlikely to see this accumulation, it is an invaluable assistant to fine tuning future proposals and anticipating possible problem areas.

As each phase is completed get the client’s signoff; Include the agreed scope as well as any extra tasks involved listing the relevant Change Orders. Invoice the cost of the changes straight away along with the progressive payment for the next phase. You do get progressive payments, don’t you? Again, include the Change Order numbers or other identification on the invoice, so there is no confusion in your client’s finance department.

Busy clients may forget that a change requested during Phase 1, resulted in an extra charge in Phase 3, so review the next phases to ensure the consequences of any past changes have been recorded and give the client an updated phase plan, if necessary.

Good documentation can help solve client problems. You project a professional image and it gives you the basis to communicate your policies and procedures to your client. A frank discussion is all that is needed to get the money into your bank.

Good luck!

Until the next
Ask jay

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You too can Ask jay!

Posted by: Catherine Morley
Category: Designers Working With
Bookmark on: del.icio.us

With the first question in the Designers WW series, I asked, “As a professional designer, what are the main points you want clients (potential and present) to know before contacting you about a project?”

The next logical step was to ask about client problems, if any, with “When working with clients, what do you see as the top problem areas?”

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Adrian suggests poor communication

The projects that I have worked on that “blew up” seem to all suffer from poor communication between me and the client. It can be difficult for a non-design person to understand what you are doing, and if you aren’t communicating well, disaster is inevitable. I think many good designs never get off the ground because the designer assumes that the client is sensitive enough to recognize a good idea when they see one. Part of our jobs as designers is to educate our clients.

Adrian E. Hanft | Art Director | Photographer
Be A Design Group | Found Photography | Adrian3

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Andy says it’s unrealistic or inflated expectations

The two main client issues I see occurring on a regular basis are unrealistic or inflated expectations, and the tendency to offer solutions rather than outline problems.

The majority of clients have little or no experience in building a website which is why they come to design professionals for help. There is a popular misconception that web design is easy, and this is something that has been propagated by tools manufacturers and educators over the years. Because of this, many clients have unrealistic expectations when it comes to budget, timeframe and features.

As web professionals, it is our job to manage our clients’ expectations and make sure they understand exactly what they will be getting as a result of the design process. Unfortunately in the rush to sell services and win pitches, agencies often over promise and under deliver. This may win clients in the short term, but in the long term they will be left feeling short changed. I think it is much wiser to under promise and over deliver. That way clients will always be delighted with the work you produce.

Good communication at the start of the project is vital as it allows you to manage client expectations. It is also an opportunity to set some ground rules and explain to clients exactly how the design process will work.

Design is all about creative problem solving. In an ideal world your clients will define the problems they are facing, and then you will come up with the best solution to solve those problems. However people are naturally helpful and clients really enjoy getting involved with design projects. As such, rather than coming to you with a problem to fix, clients will often come to you with one of several possible solutions and ask you to implement them. Examples of this could be anything from a client suggesting that a button needs to be made bigger, through to recommending functionality like a blog or a forum. In these situations, it is important to understand that the client recommendation is just one possible solution to a much deeper problem, and it is your job to examine what that problem is, look at all of the available solutions, and then suggest the best one for the job.

To avoid these situations, it is important to explain the design process up front and make sure your client is explaining what the problems are rather than simply offering one of several solutions. That way your client will get the most out of your design knowledge and the project has a much higher chance of success.

Andy Budd | Managing Director | Web Designer | Author
Andy Budd::Blogography | CSS Mastery

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Brian offers a list

1. Proofing. Clients just don’t proof their copy.
2. Unreasonable expectations: yes it can be done, but are you willing to pay for it?
3. Clients don’t always understand that our expertise is valuable, and that our time is therefore billable. If you want to ask for our opinion or input, you must therefore value it. Please be willing to pay for it.
4. Clients who claim expertise because they have experience in some sort of marketing. More and more, if a client contact isn’t a communications professional, then I anticipate that the project may not go smoothly, and there will be frustration on both sides.

Brian Sooy | Design Consultant
Brian Sooy & Co | Altered Ego Fonts

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Chris doesn’t design on a dime

I have to go back to price again. Whether I’m proposing a website or a business card, there’s always a client who says “Well, I can get it 10x cheaper at We Do Cheap Design.com” And they’re right, they can, but where will that company be when the client needs something ASAP? Will they answer their emails right away or just sound out a blank response telling the client that they’ll get back to them very soon?

Not knowing exactly what they want before approaching a designer. I’ve had clients unsure about the color scheme or metaphor of their website, to the client who is not sure how many business cards s/he even needs or wants. I’m not saying designers shouldn’t do a bit of leg work and research, but feedback from the client _prior_ to developing the product/project is very important.

I’m not going to design on a dime. And I mean this as in Spec work. As a “noob”, it’s tempting for me to do whatever I can to help a client get their product. But when asked to sketch out ideas or present some comps with little or no information, I’m not going to do it. I have a customer right now who wants some refrigerator magnets for his annual event. He’s not real sure what he wants, how many, what colors or even the content he wants to include. He asked that I come up with 2-3 ideas and then we can meet and figure it out. I told him no and asked that we have more information before we design/develop anything.

Chris Tomlinson | Communication Designer | Printer
Gonink | Gonink blog

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Daniel feels clients are not clear

The two most common, frustrating and damaging problems is that clients have preconceived notions that are actually at odds with what they want to accomplish, and the fact that they aren’t clear about what they want to accomplish.

1. Preconceived notions. Clients want a logo or web site that looks like someone else’s or even looks like something they have in their head–it’s blue and it has circles and over here there’s a picture of a donkey wearing a crown… I have to disabuse them of these notions, because the look of something should only come after it’s really clean to them, and everyone else, what they want to say. Which leads to point 2.
2. Clients hand you lemons and expect you to make wine. Creatives need something to work from. The more specific, concise and focused the client is about their needs, the more creatives can meet them. These have to be specific, and within reason.
3. Creating graphics for themselves instead of their clients and potential clients. Design may be about you, but it’s for your potential and current customers. Customers want to know, “What’s in it for me, and why am I bothering with you?” as quickly and clearly as possible. It’s more important what your target market thinks–than whether you, or your 13 year old like it (unless the target market is you or your 13 year old son).
4. Unrealistic expectations, deadlines and budgets. Time. Money. Results. You’ve got to be clear about all three up-front, and if your client is unrealistic, it’s your job to to set them straight now, or they’re just be angry or disappointed later.

Tell them a reasonable timeframe, and if they need it much faster, make sure they know the additional cost.

Explain that “It’s not reasonable to expect your new logo, as fabulous as it is, to turn you into IBM overnight. A good logo is a vital building block, but you have to market it so it becomes familiar and this takes time and money.”

Or, “Yes, the new web site is utter and complete genius, but it still may take 3-6 months of marketing and promotion before people start finding it, unless you want to buy tattoo space on Britney Spears (that real estate value has gone down in recent months) in which case you’ll get a lot of traffic, but maybe not the kind you’re looking for.”

Or, “Yes, it would be great to have Norman Rockwell design those icons but 1) he’s dead, and 2) if he weren’t he’d be outside your budget.

I wrote How to, and not to work with a designer for clients everywhere, and designers everywhere are sending it to their clients. You can read it, and point your clients to it.

Daniel Will-Harris | Communication Designer
Will-Harris House | Schmoozeletter

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Danita sees a lack

• Lack of understanding the value of design.
• Lack of understanding the process.
• Lack of consistency and importance of Branding.

Danita Reynolds | Communication Designer
Creative Expertise | Creative Expertise blog

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Dan says less is more

Generally I have better success with more experienced clients. With a less experienced client I spend more time managing the expectations of the project, where as the more experienced client the expectations are closer to reality, and easier to meet or exceed.

Dan Sturdivant | Communication Designer | Editor
TexasDesign.com

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Dawn went for client education

While I don’t have a problem justifying the value of design to clients now, I can certainly remember when it was a challenge for me, because I used to look at it as “client education” when instead all it really is is a sales presentation. Once I looked at it that way, it was much easier to sell. I can see where design/dollar justification is a huge concern to newer designers entering the market. How do they compete with the “cheapo design online” when they haven’t been able to cultivate their business/presentation skills? We’re never going to get rid of the lowballers, so designers better know how to SELL themselves. (Sidenote: If a designer doesn’t know how to sell then how can they be effective? It’s the business we’re in, we sell our clients’ products or services everyday, don’t we?)

Clients who don’t understand the importance of consistency—even after I’ve tried to educate them. I have clients who will hire me to manage their brand/message, then do things on their own that completely go against it. It creates customer confusion and an overall weakening of the brand. Why hire me if you’re going to go against my advice?

Clients who can’t make up their mind. Let’s get a gameplan together, and stick to it. Quit second-guessing every little thing and then change the focus mid-stream, it just muddies the original intent and increases the chances for failure.

Clients who don’t offer up information. (As designers we need to ask the leading questions to get the answers we need.) I have problems with long-time clients who just want to send me something and say “work it up” because they think I should instinctively know what they want by now, and I in turn think they should know what I need by now. Catch-22. :)

Dawn Burgess | Communication Designer
abdfla.com

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Metin needs trust

I dislike clients who give me the feeling that they don’t have enough trust in my capabilities, by continually trying to guide me and constantly checking out what I have done so far. Also, clients who have the biggest mouths are usually the worst payers.

Metin Seven | Communication Designer
Seven’s Heaven - design and illustration

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Neil wants a clear picture

Changes, at or near the end of a project, can be very problematic. They often require work outside of the scope of the original specs, resulting in increased costs for the client.

Not having a clear vision of what they’re trying to accomplish is another problem and often results in changes mentioned above.

Another problem can be a client who isn’t willing to go through the process. Some seem to think we pull this stuff out of the air. Although a winning design can come in a flash of inspiration, more often than not, it takes time to explore potential solutions.

One more problem can be dropping the ball in the middle of a gig. Both clients and designers can be guilty of this. At the onset, there a lot of energy, but somewhere in the middle people get busy, fires crop up that need to be put out and life, in general, happens. The problem part is not communicating to the other party that there’s going to be a delay. When that happens trust may begin to fall apart. Trust is critical to the client/designer relationship.

Neil (nt) Tortorella | Marketing Manager
Tortorella Design | The Marketing Mind | Creative Latitude | BoDo Team | Marketing Minute

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Nigel says clients don’t read

I’ve been told many times by clients that my project briefs are the most professional that they’ve ever seen. By this, I think they mean that they like the font I used or the way I laid out the headings, because I’m constantly amazed by how few clients have actually read the content. I keep having to point out that the number of changes allowed for within this budget are stipulated within the brief, or that images and copywriting is not included.

Other things:

• The deadline for payment is not a suggestion.
• And, no, I won’t assume that the deposit is in the mail and begin working anyway.
• I don’t spend all day sitting in front of my computer, watching it execute designs; I do actually have some input.

Nigel Gordijk | Web Designer | Consultant
Common Sense Design | Common Sense Small Business Toolkit | Creative Latitude

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Roger wants clients to focus on marketing issues

One of the biggest problems is that clients tent to approach design issues from an aesthetic, rather than a marketing point of view. They’re more concerned with colors, typefaces, and “fitting everything in,” rather than marketing issues like “What is the message?” and “Why should they care?”

Lack of organization can be another major roadblock to a smooth client relationship. Often, projects are assigned before the copy is written and approved, leading to frustrating delays and wasted effort. Depending on the terms of the project, this lack of organization will either result in higher feeds, or the designer losing money (and sleep!) on the project.

Projects proceed smoothly where a single individual has received delegated authority to speak on the client’s behalf, and the client has reasonable expectations for reasonable design and production costs.

Closed minds are another significant hindrance to successful relationships. An unwillingness to listen to new ideas signals trouble ahead. It reduces the designer’s role to simple production, rather than a creative search for solutions to satisfy the client’s needs.

Unreasonable expectations and the “last bullet” scenario are clues to client problems in the making. If a client leads me to think that their entire survival depends on project’s success, it’s probably not a project I want to get involved with. No matter how good the project performs, it probably will not be enough to pay off all the client’s outstanding bills and provide a launch pad for future success. There’s no substitute for due diligence and careful listening to clues to the client’s financial situation.

Roger C Parker | Designer | Writer | Marketing Consultant
Design To Sell Online | Roger C. Parker Design to Sell Blog | Design to Sell

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Scott is crystal clear

Communication and responsiveness.

Communication is a key principle in design in the first place and presenting ideas, concepts and designs to clients can be challenging at times, especially when clients have a preconceived notion of what they think they need. A related problem is the client wanting something in terms of the design or functionality (in the case of web site/application) because they don’t like it. They forget or misunderstand who the real people things should be geared towards — the final end-user/audience.

While I feel that it’s important the client is happy with the work, it’s more important that it is appealing to the target audience. Being mostly focused on the web, this is a harsh reality that some clients have a hard time grasping and a harder time letting go of. As a designer, I feel it’s my job to advocate for the user, for the people who will actually interact with a website, application or print ad. It comes down to the client hiring you because you’re the expert. But everyone wants to art direct. It comes down to knowing which battles are worth fighting and knowing when to just play along.

Scott Boms | Communication Designer
Wishingline DS

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Stefan sees a need for education

Some of our top problem areas when working with clients begins with many clients not understanding the value of great design. That by enhancing the image of their company using great design they will receive a very high return on investment. Too many clients are worried about the cost of design even though the return they receive from it will be ten fold. We also run into the problem of clients who want too much control. In those cases, if they can’t stand back and let us do our job, then we won’t work with them. They have to trust us to have their best interests in mind.

Also, we run into many clients who fail to come to us with a serious budget. Often times they put great design at the bottom of their budgets at the beginning of the year and are forced to try to get cheap design. Cheap and design really should never exist in the same sentence.

Appropriate timelines can also become a problem. Many clients do not understand that great design takes time, thought, and many versions before the final idea is selected for presentation. Plus, printing itself and/or the implementation of that design can take weeks.

There is often a great need for serious education about how we work in order for clients and designers to work in harmony. This kind of educating often ads time to every project because clients aren’t familiar with the process.

Stefan Bean | President/Creative Director
Pulse Creative Partners, Inc. | BoDo Author | Bean’s Biz

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Tamar touches on lack of information and lost deadlines

Lack of information. Many clients appear to know just enough to be difficult. They think that what looks good online will look fine in print. They don’t understand that good, effective design takes much more than a few mouse clicks. And they think nothing of pointing to something that already exists, and saying, “I want that.” Copyright infringement never enters their mind.

Not adhering to deadlines. They think that even if they get their information to me late that I’ll work double time to stick to the original deadline. Again, we’re designers, not magicians. If the client makes me wait on something for a week, chances are the whole project will be delayed by a week.

Nickel and diming. It clearly states in my contract that the prices are an estimate only, and anything over 10% of the original estimate will require approval from the client. So why get in a huff over $10 or $20 (even though I get approval for EVERY charge over the original estimate)?

Not knowing what they want…but knowing that they’ll “know it when they see it.” We are designers, not mind-readers. If you can’t, or aren’t willing to share your ideas/thoughts/concerns, etc., then we can not effectively do our job, and we’re just wasting each other’s time.

Tamar Wallace | Communication Designer
Tamar Graphics | Tamar Graphics blog

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Von’s answer is short and sweet

• Communication
• Reliance on tools rather then creativity

Von R. Glitschka | Illustrator
Glitschka Studios | IllustrationClass.com | Art Backwash | Three Thumbs Up Award

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Summary

What do you do with the client who has unrealistic or inflated or unreasonable expectations, unrealistic deadlines and budgets, doesn’t adhere to deadlines, believes the deadline for payment is a suggestion, thinks the sentence ‘the deposit is in the mail’ actually means something, has a lack of understanding when it comes to the value of design, nickel and dimes, drops the ball in the middle of a gig, doesn’t offer information, has poor communication skills, does not have a clear vision, doesn’t know what they want, has preconceived notions, can’t make up their mind, doesn’t understand the importance of consistency, doesn’t understand the process, has an unwillingness to listen to new ideas, approaches design issues from an aesthetic (rather than a marketing) point of view, designs by committee, lacks organization, isn’t willing to share ideas/thoughts/concerns, offers solutions rather than outlines problems, wants too much control, lacks consistency and importance of Branding, hands lemons and expects wine, is unwilling to go through the process, relies on tools rather then creativity, doesn’t proof copy and misunderstands copyright infringement?

Sometimes you run. Sometimes you educate. It’s all in the degree of the problem really. Mostly, you are patient and understanding. You educate. You communicate. And sometimes, you slap them with a PITA charge.

If you are at the end of your rope with nowhere to go but out of the working relationship, you could send them the Clients Guide to Professional Conduct in the Design Industry. But that’s not even a ‘don’t try this at home’ suggestion as we’ve never done it ourselves. It sure has been tempting though.

In the coming posts we’ll tackle solutions to basic client problems. But if you have specific questions on dealing with problem clients, our very own Jay will field all at Ask jay. In case you weren’t watching, just this past Thursday she posted a timely Four steps to a client contact policy.

until the next
Designers WW,
cat