You can’t protect a client against themselves. The client is well… the client. Like it or not, it isn’t quite an equal partnership when designing something for someone. They ultimately have the final say so. You can cajole someone all you want, but if they (the client) don’t want to go along, they won’t, no matter how hard you try. I learned this at the very beginning, and fortunately very few clients are this way. Most actually want help and listen to the advice they get.
We have all heard the expression, “They are their own worst enemy”. This is what I am talking about. This client has made their way through the ups and downs of the business world and they are now experts in all matters concerning their business. This became very apparent while working with Baylor College of Medicine (and M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic). A hugely talented doctor (usually a surgeon or anesthesiologist) would be sponsoring a conference in his specialty and everything revolved around them and their decisions. I would hear from the team I worked with that Dr. So-and-so wants to change the design at the eleventh hour, even after testing the design’s effectiveness on the target market. Then if the conference attendance was less than expected, it must be the designer’s fault. Nope, not really. The team would just shake their heads and move to the next job. (see next para) Certain doctors (and clients) earn a “special reputation” among designers, and those in the industry, and (sometimes) certain fees are adjusted accordingly for this kind of behavior in the future.
Is this the hill I want to die on? That is the natural follow-up question after realizing design rule #1. Do I fight to the death over that brochure, logo or webpage design? Is my ego getting in the way of actually listening to the client and their needs? Is my desire to “win awards” keeping me from being a professional to this client who is nice enough to hire me in the first place? Something I always keep in mind so that I can stay focused on meeting my clients needs.
I feel it’s my job to mention and discuss any design conflict with the client as (I suppose) they have hired me to do a job for them and protecting the design’s integrity is part of that responsibility. But, many times the clients are not willing to budge. I have had clients tell me to design something “outside the box,” something new and different, Or “wow me,” only to be surprised by the clients statement “We can’t do that.” “I’ve never seen anything like that before,” and “I wouldn’t be comfortable putting that out in the public.” So the design goes into that grey area of the compromised watered down designs that don’t fulfill their objective and get mediocre results. Or what I call, 85% of what you see everyday. Why would someone hire a professional and not listen to them? Beats me, but it does happens.
But fortunately most of my clients these days see the world in a very similar way to me (or me to them). We see what design, correctly done, can do for a client’s bottom-line, and place in the culture. It can have a huge impact. Quite a while ago, I worked on a job for a home furnishings store in Northeast Louisiana. In one year with just a few billboards, we improved his business by 1100%. No typo… eleven times over the previous year! While this is an anomaly, it was extremely gratifying. This client was hidden behind an industrial business park and no one could find him. So we did a new brand for him that represented him as an upscale merchant with very low prices. and it was true. It wouldn’t work if there wasn’t some truth behind it! The billboards were simple and easy to read, and he had the best year he has ever had, once everyone could find him. Go figure! The power of good design and good marketing.
If you are considering hiring a graphic designer or web designer, you should pay attention to whether or not you have rapport with them. In my case, you would look at my work, see if it was in keeping with your design desires and was appropriate for the job. Do not be dissuaded if you don’t see something designed for your industry. Marketing and design are built around humans and their needs, not industries. So if your clients are humans, then we can work really well together. If they are automatons, maybe you should switch industries. Also, discuss your needs with me, and see if we are “on the same page” in regards to your end objective. Remember that most communication is for your prospective clients’ needs and how you will meet and fill them. (ie: make their lives easier). Since talking about something visual can be a challenge for some folks, it may be a good idea to have some examples of what you consider “good design work”. Clipped ads, brands or saved websites as examples. This will quickly build a framework for your designer to work within, or at least discuss as an option. These examples should be inspiration only and not copied in any way. You want your design to be something unique and stand out.
After all the above, what can I say about myself? I solve my clients design needs. I make their lives easier by keeping the end result clear. And I don’t bring a huge ego and attitude to the table as it only gets in the way of the work. Keeping the work at a high level will get high level results.
That leads me into the next topic with a quantum physics twist… Everything has a vibe!
