So today’s post will be a post from a designer’s point-of-view on how the perfect client > designer relationship should be. Just a head’s up, you may not agree with my opinions but they are after all just my opinions. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients in my career and this is my own personal observation. Feel free to debate by commenting on this post!
Okay, I’ll start out with listing some things designers dislike. I mean, some of these things can and will entirely de-motivate a designer to the extent that he/she doesn’t care about the paycheck as much as leaving the client.
- Beating around the bush. Putzing around. Being broad, indirect, general - whatever you want to call it. Many designers simply can’t tolerate this. When a designer creates a work - a revision or mockup - to present to the client, he wants the direct truth. I’ve been with many clients in the past that won’t pinpoint or critique the mockup, rather, they’ll say things such as “Okay… alright.” or “Cool.” … et cetera. When I create a mockup, at least, I want to know whether my client hates it, loves it, or likes it *BUT! (*common mistake: skipping the following step) providing specific critique about what is wrong with the new revision. Clients: Do not be afraid to BE DIRECT! If you don’t like something created for you, unless you’ve signed a crazy contract, you are under no obligation to make your designer feel good about producing utter ugliness.
- Being honest with each other. Designers! If your client dislikes something you’ve made, though you truly feel your revision, or conceptual idea thereof, is a far more logical and better way to go, then be honest to your client about it! Explain to them thoroughly why you believe your concept is ‘better’ then their perspective of something. It may work, and chances are if your perspective is logical and your client sees the light, he/she’ll take it. (Which means your client’s success, and less work for you :p)
- Ensure happiness. This goes for both parties of the system. Designers: Make sure you ask for a very specific description of what the client is after. Ask them about everything of the project’s everything (if you understand the phrase). Clients: Make sure you PROVIDE a full, descriptive, and specific brief of what you’re after. Make sure to take advantage of your designer’s unique skills, if you see something you like. Ask for everything and anything you want. And like I keep saying, DON’T BE TOO BROAD! Success never comes from “Oh, I don’t know. Just make something cool and if I like it we’ll go from there.” - NO!
- Lastly, be cheap and expect cheap. The quality of your price determines the quality of your design. Don’t pay someone $300 for a three page blog design and expect to get something incredible. Sure, depending on who you hired, it may not be bad. BUT, paying $100 for anything is just absolutely ridiculous. Designers: If you’re still charging $100/logo or $100/template - you’re ruining the market. I have to be honest with a controversial observation I’ve carefully made. Clients like to pay for quality. Most clients don’t even look for designers for under $500, some don’t even look for under $5,000. (One of my favorite blog posts was made by Tyler Cruz on design prices.) Basically what point #4 is saying, is… The cheaper the price (VARIES!!!), the cheaper the quality. Don’t pay pennies and expect a dream come true back.
Just a few little tips on how to achieve good client > designer relationships.
Please, if you liked this post, feel free to either comment or DIGG THIS POST!
Update: This is probably the best conclusion, which came in via comments. I did mess up with not clarifying this point when I said be specific, so here’s the quote submitted by Ryan - “I have found that finding the perfect balance between being descriptive; yet giving the designer some freedom to do what they do best produces the best final results.” - Thanks for the comment!
Damn right. Although I don’t sell my work for much, I agree with all your points.
I do without a doubt agree with most of what you said. I personally end up outsourcing a good chunk of my design work and focus on coding because it’s what I tend to excel in.
One thing I have noticed is that yes, as a client, being descriptive and specific about what I would like done is in the best interest of both parties. However I found there needs to be a happy median. Being way too vague will lead to the client not being satisfied as the designer had no way to know what the client was actually seeking, after all, we should be so fortunate that designers also happen to be psychic. But on the flip side of that, I have noticed that when being very detailed with what I want done, sometimes I receive unpleasing results. And no, I’m not talking about being so detailed to the point where I would say that an element must be x number of pixels from there and must have no other element within x pixels from the right and x pixels from the bottom. The designer tends to get so focused in trying to meet exactly what the client is looking for that the end result comes out poor and not up to the standards of that designer, as noted in other work they have done.
I have found that finding the perfect balance between being descriptive; yet giving the designer some freedom to do what they do best produces the best final results.
Excellent points Ryan! After all, if the client knows exactly what he/she wants, what’s the point of hiring a great designer?
I entirely agree with your last statement. I will update my post.
I totally agree with #4. Wonderful designs come with wonderful paychecks, nothing over the extreme but quality is provided with the right amount of money.
Great post Tar
This is truely why I love Targowski. Read my mind and told it like it is. I learned a lot from working with, and hiring you. You really work hard to ensure the client loves their work and you live up to all those categories you gave.
[…] A new day and a new blog post. Recently I read Fruda’s guide on a “perfect client realtionship”. I am afraid to say he got it all wrong. So I have decided to write a guide to show you all how it is done. This is intended for anyone who is starting in the web design area. […]
Loved your post Zane. Thanks for the wonderful comments guys!
Wow, great post! I completely agree with your statements, even though I am just a humble coder.
I just remembered I never commented..
Great post Julek, I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t find this helpful. Nice.
I’m gonna be cheeky and say that a 3-page blog design that cost $300 damn well better definitely not be “bad”
I have to agree fully with #4 in that clients like to pay for quality. Also, I believe that undercharging for design will communicate to the client that you don’t believe your work is high quality, or worth high dollar.
Secondly, I believe undercharging is like fishing for ungrateful clients. If the client perceives that not only are you unsure of the quality of your work, but that there is room to push you in other ways besides price. For example, they might push you into 5 comps when you only agreed to 2.
Au contraire, a large, but confident price tag or hourly rate conveys security, prior experience, and that a client will receive proper attention (hopefully).
Great post Julek.
Great post. We strive to have great relationships with our clients. Its simply easier to sell a current client something else than to find a new one. Keeping your clients happy means two things: They will keep buying from you and they will tell everyone they know about you. I love referred leads more than anything only because most of the hard work has been done for you.
And I completely agree with #4. I know of some business owners seriously considering those “we-build your website from a pre-designed template” for $30 bucks a month…I straight up told them that they’re getting exactly what they pay for. The truth hurts but thats the way it is.
[…] For a more detailed analysis, visit the perfect client relationship and learn those important lessons in the exciting world of clients and designers. […]
Some great ideas, and I think it would be interesting to see this list expanded to a ‘10 commandments’ of client/designer relationships.
On another note, RE point number 4, there is a fine line between what is perceived as ‘cheap’ and what is perceived as ‘quality’. Because both parties will have a different perception. How many times have you quoted a job that was insanely expensive and the client didn’t even flutter an eye lid when they saw the quote? Or quoted something you thought was an extremely fair deal but the client thinking it outrageous?
As a designer as well I know the difference, and ‘cheap’ usually implies bad quality. But let’s take company X for example, who in the past have only dealt with the ‘budget end’ of design houses but for their new project they thought to go up-market instead.
So while now they might be allowing 5x the budget they might have in the past (which is expensive in their eyes), to the designer that still might be considered inexpensive.
Something to think about.
very nice thoughts. i have found that clients desire varying degrees of creativity. for me, the tighter the criteria or demands the client places on a project, the easier the project is. however, it isn’t as satisfying as if the project was left more open to interpretation. i agree that there is a great deal of effort wasted in designers and clients coming to a mutual understanding of what is needed to accomplish the established goal. it is in exceeding expectation (the established goal) that the designer legitimately feels that he/she has done a job that satisfies their toughest critic, themselves. let’s face it, designers are a fickle bunch. we don’t like to work too much. we believe that our creativity is a justifiable reason why we won’t work in a structured an environment as others (which is a long way of saying that we don’t like working 40 hours a week).
ultimately, it is in the challenge of dealing with someone that doesn’t know exactly what they want and exceeding their expectations that we feel the highest reward as designers.
my advice to those who are looking for the perfect client/designer relationship (in addition to the ones listed above): for your personal satisfaction and professional investment, always exceed your client’s expectation.
Excellent article! I have always charged what I thought was a “valuable rate” to my clients but, increasingly, I am being told (from clients and peers) that I am not charging enough. I have been on a roll, lately, designing better and better web sites each time. I am in the process of raising my rates and because the quality of my portfolio is increasing. Thanks again!
I do some basic work for people around my school for only around $200, because I’m still learning about design, and I’m not even out of high school.
Though $500 may be a low price for a professional designer, what about an amateur, or an intern, or even just a student?
[…] Found this article on Digg. Great article on Fruda about some effective steps to improve the client designer relationship. To sum it up .. Clients, don’t be afraid to be specific in your critique, your designers most likely just want to create you a quality product as quickly as possible so they can move onto the next project aka make more money. Beating around the bush because you are afraid to ruffle feathers means either you are stretching out the development period/going to get something you aren’t happy with. Designers, don’t be afraid to explain to clients why you think you should go a certain way. If your arguments are logical, most likely the client will go with it. if (typeof window.Delicious == “undefined”) window.Delicious = {}; Delicious.BLOGBADGE_DEFAULT_CLASS = ‘delicious-blogbadge-line’; […]
[…] story No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTMLallowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> […]
[…] read more | digg story […]
Nice observations. I’d previously written this article which yo might also find helpful.
http://www.heavy-backpack.com/archives/articles/10-ways-to-get-your-client-to-love-you
I want all my client and potential clients to ready this ……….. gr8 post
Too bad the only people that will ever read this are all designers.
[…] read more | digg story […]
[…] gang up and batman A post from a designer’s point-of-view on how the perfect client > designer relationship should be, and how to achieve closerness to client utopia. gay batman and robin cartoonsread more | digg story […]
Julek you owe me BIG time for putting your link in my post
. So much for the I’m beating you on the digg thing hahaha 
. Your post here is great though so it doesnt matter.
[…] hentai wonder woman A post from a designer’s point-of-view on how the perfect client > designer relationship should be, and how to achieve closerness to client utopia. wonder woman adult costumeread more | digg story […]
[…] El cliente perfecto […]
[…] scooby doo cartoon pumpkin pattern A post from a designer’s point-of-view on how the perfect client > designer relationship should be, and how to achieve closerness to client utopia. scooby doo cartoon drawingsread more | digg story […]
Personally I think template monster is ruining web design for everyone :p
absolutely. this doesn’t just apply to graphic design. i do server side technical design (very, very different) but the same principles hold. directness, honesty and getting and giving what you pay for.
Spot on! I love people who contact you and want to know what you can do for them for $100. Um… I can turn on my computer and send you a picture.
[…] Fruda.com […]
[…] How to achieve a better client > designer relationship […]
[…] Starting Out. (Make sure you client is alright with your bluntness, and make sure he/she/they are aware of your honesty and are open to it before you give it to them.) “Okay I always end up doing this to my clients so hopefully you won’t mind if I’m blunt. Here’s what I’m going to do for you: http://www.fruda.com/2007/01/20/the-perfect-client-relationship/ #2 … Being honest with each other. If that’s alright with you, then I’ll go ahead and begin.” […]
excellent article, some really good advice in there that we all wish we had heard before our first job
[…] For a more detailed analysis, visit the perfect client relationship and learn those important lessons in the exciting world of clients and designers. […]
Designers: If you’re still charging $100/logo or $100/template - you’re ruining the market.
No truer words were ever spoken.