Suggestion please

Hello guys. I`m starting a new project, a bookshop to be precise. In terms of my skills, i`m not a begginer nor an expert. I`m somewhat in between. The path that i wanted to go was a vintage design but after a couple of days the client was not so happy about the style that i`ve chosen. My confussion is that if i abbandon the style and choose a more modern look it might not be the most suitable style for the project. It might satisfy the client but i feel it wont satisfy me. Any suggestions ?

 

The client comes first unless you own half each or something. You can give suggestions or ask questions about areas which could be improved, but the client's paying you to make their site how they want it.

 

To me the question would be what exactly do you mean by "vintage design" -- a bit vague at best.

Really if the resulting page is semi-fluid, elastic and responsive, with dynamic fonts on the content and legible colour contrasts based on the rules as set down in guides like the EGA/VGA specification and WCAG, and it gracefully degrades images off, scripting off, CSS off, or any combination therein with proper semantic markup progressively enhanced as you went -- then you're golden regardless of what you're hanging on that layout for window dressing; give the client anything they want that doesn't compromise those basic principles of what a website SHOULD BE. Any client that wants things that violate those, well... needs a healthy dose of education or a nice big double helping of sierra tango foxtrot uniform. Or as I actually once said to a client, "If you don't want me to build it correctly and plan on ignoring every bit of advice I'm giving you, what the **** did you even hire me for?!?"

However if you're dicking around in Photoshop before you even have semantic markup or a working set of CSS layouts, using presentational markup with development methods from the late '90's like the vast majority of people sleazing out websites any old way -- working from an idiotic fixed width with idiotic px fonts on everything with color choices that scream "Accessibility, what's that?!?" -- well, then it doesn't really matter as it would already need to be taken 'round back o' the woodshed and put down like Old Yeller with a shotgun blast to the head.

Unfortunately that seems to describe most of the crap people are sleazing out these days with their idiotic CSS frameworks, javascript frameworks, and nonsensical bull like HTML 5 that seems carefully crafted to set coding practices back a decade and a half!

 

You are working for others, so you had to do what is asked, since that "other" is paying. If you want to satisfy yourself, make something for yourself only.

 

You can make your suggestions about your vision of the project to the client but in the end it's up to them to decide what their vision is. If you are receiving recompense for the work, then I'd say play your role, deliver what they need and place your own vision in a project of your own, which will release your creative drive and make working for someone else's vision easier in the long run.

 

Sounds like you and the client are not on the same page at all. I would definitely schedule a quiet conversation with them about who their target customers are and explore making their website match the experience of being in their shop, if they have a physical location. The conversation shouldn't be so you can convince them to come to your way of thinking, it should be to get a clearer picture of their vision and the needs of their customers.

Why vintage? Unless they are primarily a book store specializing in older books (thinking collectable rather than simply pre-read) or arts and crafts-related (vintage is really hot in that market), I'm not sure vintage would be right.

Vintage may indeed be the better call but unless your client agrees, you need to come up with a new concept or suggest the client find another designer.

 

You need to make a good look design for your client and send to him if he accept it then start works on it.
If you are worry about your design then visit this website www.templatemonster.com here alot of design you will find. To make your website attractive and intresting you need to make its design good.

 

I apologize for my late response and for my grammar, english isn't my native language.

@HuggyStudios, @BeltHosting, @nicoo I understand that the client pays but i feel that the client isn't allways right. I can work with client ideas, i can resonate to some extent but in the end it`s my vision on how the design should be. Since i was hired to do a thing i believe that i should do it in my way, and they should trust my decisions. After these words you might think that i`m a dreamer or a bit naive. I`m a little of both.
I`ve seen in the last days, doing some research about the design, a lot of websites that look the same and feel the same. I dont wanna be another designer that spills out websites just for the market or just to be aligned with the new next "cool thing". I want it to be different. I dont wanna reinvent the wheel but the tires are different. Same circle but with other matterials. Maybe not the most ideal analogy.

@YMC In the beginning we weren't on the same page since our style choises were so different. I`ve thought that a nice vintage style would suit better the idea of a book store since old and new books would be sold there. Maybe i was wrong but that was the feel that i`ve got at that moment. After another meeting and a design review i had to drop my arguments cuz i can't afford to loose this project. It pays the bills. So yeah..i`ll keep my head down low and i`ll do as he likes.

@deathshadow I like to start things in chrome alongside with sublime text for the basic foundation and the layout of the website. After most of the elements are created then i go to photoshop to fine tune. I never start a project in photoshop. Perhaps this is not the best way but i`m allways willing to learn. Regarding crapy people and websites, i used to be one of them creating project on frameworks. I liked them but i was never an addict of them.

@John Michael TemplateMonster and other website marketplaces are the last place for design inspiration. Sorry to say that.

 

You should make sure the client is happy, try to help them see your vision and ideas about why the "vintage" is better. But they need to be happy in the end

 

I think @SKMoe said it simply, but I think as a designer, you can try your best to connect their vision to yours. It's so important to fully understand what the client wants as well because perhaps what they want is not too far from your vision. Once you understand what the client wants and get a better feel for who they are, their goals and so on, you will have a better attitude about designing it and only have the desire to please the client .