Client rejects design

If a client rejects a design, do you still charge them for your time?

 

Depends on the terms you set originally. Usually designers allow revision points so that the client has ample time and opportunity to review the design and alter course if necessary. You can not expect someone to compensate you for your time in a scenario like this unless the job was contracted so. There is also the possibility that he or she may have given you a clear starting point with clear requirements where you met each but I doubt that is the case here.

 

Personally i would only pay if i was satisfied with the design. I would never sign a contract in which that wasnt the case.

So in my if i never took the design then i wouldnt pay. I would imagine most other people would be in the same mindset.

That is purely my opinion though.

 

My clients can either pay me hourly (and obviously then pay for me rejected designs), or pay me via a quoted price with a fixed number of revisions

Normally I don't get any rejected at all anyway, but I work in a very methodical manner and I'm very good at communicating with the client to find out what excatly they need and expect out of the job.

 

Can i get some samples from your designs?

 

Entirely depends upon the agreement you had with the client prior to carrying out your design work ... personally I charge per hour regardless of final result BUT that is always agreed with the client upfront.

 

For me when client satisfied to my design, I will let client sign for approval for make sure they will not change anything in the future.

 

I only pay if I am satisfied. And, If I am giving design work to someone, I will monitor them every hour or couple of hours and will stop sooner if it is not my cup of tea which will save my time as well as their time.

 

I ask my clients to pay advance payment so that if anything goes wrong at least I have something for my time.

 

Nope, I don't charge them if they reject my design. Nor will they get the rejected source files.
But thankfully, it never happen to me before.

 

Everyone is pretty much saying the right thing. Do NOT put a lot of time and energy into a design, because you are wasting money.

The content should come first anyway. It determines the design. Form follows function.

As Kye and others said, preventing fires like this needs good, constant, direct communication with the client. If a client comes out of the blue and says, what can you do? Show them other sites you've done; that's your portfolio. If a client comes out of the blue and says, can you make a design (or a few designs) for us? Then you need to sit down, talk, make a contract for this, etc. Don't just make designs for free. If the client just wants some random design they can go to any free template page and get one that suits their fancy.

If you just like making designs, have thumbs and not-great-resolution larger images, and if someone wants to use one, sell it to them (choose unique, meaning you never sell it again, or normal). They then get the full-sized images and design.

 

I think more important here is the reasons why you ended in this situation... the fact is that clients know what they LIKE, they know what they DON'T LIKE, but they DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT... it is very rare the situation when clients know exactly what they want... so one of your most important task as a web designer should be always "helping client know what they want", that is not the same thing with forcing them... you could help clients figure out what they want by requesting them to answer a web design questionnaire, and making a consistent brainstorming session based on the answers... and only when you know exactly what the client wants and exactly what is expected from your side, only then you should start designing the website... this way, you can always avoid situation like this one...

 

Crap, that is SO true. People will say "I don't care, just make something nice" and then after its made they'll comment and critique it. This is normal, and it's easier for people to think of what they want after they see something already in place.


One reason wire diagrams rock. I draw boxes on napkins with what's going on written inside all the time : )

 

Well, I would not use my time to design layouts for clients just for them to figure out what they like/dislike, you can figure that out by asking for examples of websites they like, or by analyzing with him/her the websites of companies that they consider their competition, or just by browsing web galleries... this way you don't risk working for nothing... of course you will make revisions and modifications till they are 110% happy with the work, but for the design you will make when you know/they know what they want/expect... this way you will work more efficiently with less risks, you'll make a more professional image for yourself, and I can bet you will make a BETTER DESIGN for your client

 

That's why I prefer drafting designs and sending them to clients for approval before I start putting a lot of time into them.

 

I don't charge for rejected designs. But i also don't give more than 4-5 hrs of time, if I feel that client is not liking even 20% of my design. When I feel that I am not even understanding his/her requirements, or he/she is not clear what he is looking for, I leave it.

 

Hi,

If you want to save your time than first of all you create drafts of website & pass-out by the clients thats way if he sure them your designs than create website.Its really good suggestion for both sides.

 

I never start the job if I didn't take the half price of the work... however it s communication between webdesigner and client... it should be asked to client how it should be designed... and if he doesn't like it, it should be redesigned in the way he wants, but no refund...

 

I design for outdoors, so I can offer some advice.

If someone only wants to pay if satisfied, then they have to wake up to the reality of paying by the hour.

Or, they supply the design on paper, and have the code designer match the web appearance.

Just like in our field, you don't get skill for nothing, and the good designers won't work for free until someone sees something they like.

The best way to go, is for a clearly written contract ahead of time. With web designs, it seems beneficial for customers to show the web designer a few websites with elements that they like.

And it needs to be clear if this is going to be "site building" or "site design". Because one is artistic, and you can't really describe in contract what an artistic rendering will look like, unless it's a sketch.

 

I've had designs rejected in the past - usually when the client had no idea to begin with. Moreoften than not I didn't end up working with the client anyway. Didn't get paid for them, didn't spend too much time on them, you win some you lose some...

For the last few years I haven't taken on too much contract work, and the stuff I have taken is usually recommendations, friends of friends, or people I can probably work with on a human level (this really helps, believe me).

I'll usually ask them to detail everything they want on a site, and often suggest things I feel they've missed. I'll also ask them to tell me all the websites (as in 10 or 15 - not necessarily in the field they work in) they really like the look of (really, really helps), what colours they like, the 'feel' they like etc. etc. If you have a broad idea of their tastes, it's a lot easier to pitch somewhere in the middle. After that it's usual only minor tweaks.

When I've been in an agency, they usually send 4 or 5 different flat image mock ups to the client and ask them to choose. The web-designers them just cut up the one they like the most and try to code it as close to the picture as possible.