argggg design clients that drive me nuts!!!

[blabbba]

I'm a freelance graphic designer and am constantly being driven nuts by my certain clients who think they can design; requesting horrible changes to my work and it ends up being a warped and tacky version of what it once was...sob

I try my best not to be passive aggressive, to steer them in the right direction towards good design etc. But often there's no budging. I disagree the client is always right! I know i am getting paid and I should not care but I do as it affects my own portfolio (I can't show off shoddy work) and also compromises on my values as well as driving me nuts.

Maybe I need to work with different clients. It almost hurts me to compromise my work in this way! That said often other clients come up with good changes and suggestions and I agree there has to be a balance and I try to always be polite and accommodating. But sometimes I am seething inside!!

Anyone else got any tips (I have seen the clients from hell website and always have a good laugh)... on how to deal with these people?

Have you tried the Theory of The Hairy Arm?

It's brilliant. I'm not a graphic designer, but I use this tactic a lot; I think many managers/clients just like to feel that they've had an input into the work. So let them

Love the hairy arm tactic.
I am going to utilise that - I have a boss who seems unable to leave my work in its original state, constantly changing small stupid things, and he knows that he does it! Drives me mental!!

great stuff tether; many thanks

i will give it a go; the one thing that worries me is that the more meddling clients probably wouldn't recognise my "hairy arm" design substitute and think it was great - and it would end up looking worse...such is the depth of their poor taste!

That said I could always just suggest them it needs removing later :-)

I will report back on my experiments :)

Haha I use the hairy arm too. But I have also walked away from annoying clients at the end of the job and refused to take on more work.

When the work is shit just don't include it in your portfolio surely??

thanks moving

I never show off shoddy work it just irritates me that I can't have the option of including what could have been another nice piece in there. Probably 50% of the work I do gets meddled with (to lesser or greater degrees of horribleness!)...(I must sound like a poor designer but I think it's pretty commonplace to get requests for amends).

and I think i need to get better at walking away from bad clients too. :)

i'm probably also being creatively squished. I want to do much more creative stuff (e.g. illustration) with minimal client involvement but at the moment need to stay where the ££ is! Which is frustrating in itself.

LOVING the hairy arm. This might amuse too www.makemylogobiggercream.com/

I don't think you are limited to putting final versions on your portfolio - I'mont a designer but I work closely with several, and if I was looking for one I'd be quite happy to see 'Design proposals created as part of an XX brief for YY'

Some clients are just nobbers though. I have found myself saying to mine 'Don't make the first version too good because they'll reject it regardless, so let's have something in the bank for round 2'. #tossers