What do you absolutely hate hearing from your clients?

As a graphic designer, it is important to understand client expectations and mindset, but things don't always go the way we want them to. What are some of the most annoying things you've heard from your clients?

 

I am not a designer but have hired and worked with many over the years. Complaints that I've heard from designers pertaining to clients are as follows:
(1) Even though they followed the directives from the client to the letter, the client will state that this is not what they wanted.
(2) The client being not 100% satisfied tries to pay less than the agreed price.
(3) The client takes forever and a day to pay the designer.
(4) The client makes every excuse in the world why they have not yet paid. Then in the end claims that what they got was not what they wanted, and never pays at all.
(5) The client accepts the design then when it is sent off, the client then claims that it is not original.
(6) The client insults by stating that your submission is childish and substandard.

Having written all of that, most clients are decent and respectful as well as prompt with their payments.

 

Im not a designer but being a client for a designer is always hard, everyone has different angles and sentiments so its difficult to cope.

 

To handle these complaints you simply make them sign a contract! I had the same problems in the real world and it was made even worse when clients find out that they can sign up with forums and pay lower fees and have more choices when they create a contest, instead of using a single designer.

Those that want to work with you will always come back for more it's called loyalty. Those that want to scam you, will scam everyone. So you have to use the pay-to-play rules.
1. Every design includes your logo watermark.
2. Give them a limited number of reworks, I only allow three, even if it means losing them as a client. If they can't decide by then, then they don't know what they want and they're just wasting your time and talent.
3. Once the design is agreed on, get them to sign a contract stating what both sides are getting.
4. Deliver unmarked design ONLY AFTER YOU ARE PAID IN FULL!

I covered this in the contest section but I think it was removed. And this one probably will be too..

 

Thanks for sharing! I've been doing that for years. It's a little bit different with contests though, since it's all public, and it's less likely to get scammed. Most contest holders here pay before you send the files. I'm assuming that's why your post was removed?

Working directly with clients though, everything you've mentioned is a must! That's not even a question.

 

That's what can happen when you are a lowly Peon. But now that you are a Greenhorn, I'm sure they will give you more respect from now on.

 

Well I guess we'll find out...here's what I wrote.

Logo and Design contests should be banned from forums and the internet! These types of contests are nothing more than design "jobs" masquerading as contests and are only meant to cheat, decieve and devalue an individuals skills and talents. In most cases these types of contests are used as a marketing scheme to convince someones clients that they have an entire design(logo) team to help meet their clients needs. And you may tell yourself, "I'm getting noticed!" yeah but not in the ways you believe which is why most forums do not allow contests only "job opportunities" sections. You can still get noticed, be protected and earn what your skills and talents are worth!

The price for logo designs can be anywhere from $500 - $100,000.00 depending on the size of the business, and all must have a signed contracts so both parties know what they're giving up and/or getting in return of payment! The lowest amount you should accept for these "jobs" is $500.00 again, that depends on the size of the business. Companies pay out a lot of money to register the logo, colors, fonts etc. so getting the intial logo shouldn't be any different!

For those of you who don't know how these types of contests work, I'll explain it to you.

1. Someone who knows nothing about graphics, graphics design, html etc. decides
they want to start a web design company and make lots of money. Knowing
nothing about anything they begin by holding contests.

2. They pay you "prize money", usually extremely low, for winning the contest
and claim all the rights to the logo, without a contract, because they paid
you for it.

3. Once "their" client decides they want the logo, they "charge" the client
hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for the design or creates a licensing
contract whereby they recieve money each time the logo is used on something.
If they sell all the rights to the logo it will cost the client thousands of
dollars and you got squat. Not even the recognition.

4. You posted your unmarked designs on the internet for the whole world to see
and steal, and while you're trying to win an uncontracted contest others are
taking your work and making decals, t-shirts or even turning them into their
own product lines.

5. Months down the road you see the logo you created for the contest on the side
of a van and begin bragging that you created it and no one will believe you
because you entered an uncontracted contest and gave away any rights to claim
the logo as your own creation for chump change!



Ways to protect yourself and save you from the hassel:
1. Know that anything placed on the internet can and will be stolen eventually!
Including all your hard work!

2. Know that your skills and talents at any level are always worth something
to someone that needs them and/or doesn't have them.

3. Know that anything "you" create, "you" own! Unless you sign away that
right! Accepting payment, no matter the size, without a signed written
contract that establishes what both parties get in return means giving
up all ownership.

4. Always keep the original documents used to create the image! This shows
you own the image and can make modifications upon request. Where one
individual may turn it down another may want their company name added to
it and will pay you what "you" ask! Company logos are worth alot!

5. Always mark your (online) images with your name, website address, your
own logo or something that identifies you as the creator. This keeps
others from claiming your work and helps others to identify you from
the frauds.

6. Always post an image that's smaller than the original. There are apps
that can enlarge images (hence the marking), but since you own the
documents needed to make the image and/or resize it you are still in
control.

7. Know that the chances are, the individual posting the contest is going to
make a lot more money off of your design than they are going to pay you
for winning the contest. Meaning, the no talent hacks are robbing you!


The same rules can be applied to help protect website designers, by submitting your templates, page designs etc. as images(screenshots) and marking them. It's not always about self-promotion, but self-protection of all of "your" work on the net!


Creating A Good Watermark
The best watermark is white with a black outline! Maybe you havn't noticed, or put much thought in to it, that your cursor can be seen anywhere on the desktop no matter whats behind it. The white shows on dark colors and the black on light colors, simple contrast. Watermarks should also have a transparency that's light enough to still make out the image clearly, but dark enough to see that the image has been marked. Transparency levels vary with different applications.

Know your rights!
c1lonewolf!

 

Why would a customer's request or complaint annoy you?

 

I never mentioned either of these two. As I’ve written in the original post, it is important to understand client expectations and mindset, but you can’t expect from everyone to be nice and respectful towards you, and what you’ve created. This is a question for designers who have experienced working with such customers. It’s not meant to be taken seriously.

I also saw a similar thread in a different forum, and none of the active designers had an issue with it, so I thought it’d be interesting to see what members here have to say.

 

i hate it when a client gives me specific directions then changes again when i've done what they wanted and how they wanted

 

I believe that there is such problem in every sphere not just design, when you work with people you have to be a psychologist a little bit and understand them without a lot of words, But I agree that this aspect is much more complicated and frequent in design services