How Designers Are Annoying Their Clients
As a graphic designer, I love talking to other graphic designers about clients and I have had my fair share of people complaining to me about their clients. While working at a small design company, I have come to work with a lot of different clients and I have learned how to deal with them. However, I do know that there were things I did in the past that I could have handled better.
Under-Selling Yourself or Design
I have learned that in the design business it is important to stand behind your design and your accomplishments when dealing with clients. Always believe in yourself and your design work.If a client asks you how much or how long something is going to take, do not undersell yourself. Always value your time and how long something is going to take you. Sure, it may take you a few hours to create the poster after you have the proper copy, dimensions, theme, and color palate. But what about the research, sketching, and the multiple drafts of the poster? That takes a lot of designing too. I have found that if you value your time and your designs, the right client will too.
Assuming Your Client Understands Design Lingo
I am all for throwing design related words around but know your audience. If you repeatedly use design terms around in a client meeting and the client isn't familiar of the meanings, you could be inadvertently making your client feel inferior. As a designer, it is easy to slip into your own vernacular when describing your work. Instead, focus on meeting your clients' needs and how you are meeting them. That way the client has a better understanding of what you have accomplished.
Delivering Work Late
There can be a few things that will lead to late work. Whether you are spreading yourself too thin, procrastinating, or have a very relaxed relationship with your client, turning in late work can hurt or ruin your relationship with a client in more ways than one. I would suggest developing a good way of communicating with your client early on. That way, when there is a discussion of deadlines, you and the client can develop a reasonable time for you to complete an assignment. Life inevitably happens and sometimes gets in the way of our daily lives, and that is okay. If you already have a strong foundation of trust and reliability, when accidents do happen it is not the end of the world! (Just try not to make a habit of always having 'accidents'.)
I always tell people that working with a client is like being on a date. The client wants to find someone they can trust and depend on. And as a designer you hope that your client will tell other people about you and your work. You never know how your work with one person will be passed on to someone else, so it is important to be on your best behavior, to be honest, and to show your client respect. Yes, sometimes you may have a client that may be cruel, but hopefully you will gain some excellent experience from it.