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Sunday, September 2, 2012

Tell-tale Signs of a Potentially Bad Client and How to Deal with Them

As graphic designers most of us has that client from hell sort of story to tell. Especially those starting freelance designers since they tend to lower their rates to encourage clients to hire them. More often than not it’s the new guys in the industry who gets most of these so-called clients from hell since they (the freelancers) are charging significantly lower than the more established ones. While we keep ourselves from being abused by making use of contracts there are times that the client’s horrendous attitude really kills our will to work consequently slowly making us feel inferior about ourselves. One thing that we designers can do is spot which is the good client (or the tolerable one)  and avoid the potentially dangerous ones.
I have listed some of the tell-tale signs of clients that can be potentially bad for your business and how you can deal with them.

Tell-tale sign 1: “I know someone from the family who can do it but they are busy  as of the moment.”


Either these people are related to a real graphic designer (hence the busy reason) or they see you as another option since cousin Matt who plays with Photoshop and had posted some of his work in Facebook which garnered 3 likes but he is too busy working on this:
These are the type of people who often take graphic design for granted since they know someone related can work their way around Photoshop after a few tutorials.

But this person is exactly my client right now:

One thing that you can do is that you can show them the difference of a good design from a bad design. If they are stubborn and they still undervalue your work drop the job and move on. Simple as that since they have someone from the family who can do it anyway.


Tell-tale sign 2: The X-Deal


Just because you are new to the industry does it mean that you need a client’s testimony just to prove how good you are. If a client is asking you to do something for free in exchange of promotion just politely decline (not unless its a big of a company something like Apple or IKEA which I highly doubt). Of course you are new to the game but getting paid by promotion is a joke and as designers promoting ourselves is one of our tasks, which is why we have our portfolios posted online.

But this person is exactly my client right now:

Consider yourself lucky if your client gives you all the creative freedom you need  but for those who are not, better drop it because you could have used your time doing personal work or looking for someone who is willing to pay instead.


Tell-tale sign 3:  That’s Not Complicated


We graphic designers often hear the phrase: “That shouldn’t be too hard to do” or “that’s easy isn’t?” clients who often use this phrases only demonstrate their lack of understanding of how design works. These people seem to think that we designers have the easiest job in the world (since we are in front of the computer most of the time). Apart from that they also think that a design project doesn’t cost that much and it won’t take time to finish the job.
ME: "Hello, I'm phoning regarding the image you sent earlier. It's way too small, it's only 640×480 pixels. Ideally we would need something 10x that size. Also it's out of focus and essentially we can't use it. It would look pretty terrible at A4 size."
Client: "Ah, I see. Can't you do anything with it? Can't you work your usual magic on this?"
Me: "I'm afraid not. It simply is not of a high enough quality that I would recommend using it on an A4 magazine advert. If we could get a high resolution photo taken by a professional photographer then maybe we could go further from there."
Client: "Can't you just wave your magic wand and make it better?"
Me: "I'm not Harry Potter."
Client: "Well I'm very disappointed in you…."

But this person is exactly my client right now:

I suggest you explain to them as much as possible the process of how graphic design is made and how it works. Show them the process that good design is not as easy as a flick of a wrist.


Tell-tale sign 4:  “We want to hire you because you are the cheapest available.”


If this client is a charitable institution then sure go ahead, but if it’s not and  your would be client often mentions the phrase: “we just don’t have enough funds” then this is a bad sign. This can very much lead to complications like delayed paychecks or worst you might not see that check at all if you are not careful enough.

But this person is exactly my client right now:

This is why we designers make use of contracts and a 30-50% up-front payment before taking on the job.  Not only does it assure the client that you will finish the job, but it will also assure you that you will be paid at the end of the project.  In case they do not honor the contract better get yourself a lawyer.


Tell-tale sign 4:  Vague Person or I-Don’t-Know-Why-Don’t-You-Show-Me-Something Person


Most of the the clients have at least an idea for a project but once in a while you will get to face some clients that don’t know and don’t have any ideas at all. Most of the time they just want something like a website or a something to market themselves even though in reality they don’t need it, they want one because their competitors have one. These clients are often indecisive and known to be giving out really vague instructions.
Client: Well… we just want the logo to be less corn-related. Can you just make it less corn-like?
Me: I'm sorry? I was under the impression was that this was exactly what you were looking for.
Client: No, no, it is. It is! But we discussed it and we think people would probably be bored by the whole corn part. So let's make it less corn-related.
Me: I must not be understanding. The product you're trying to sell is still corn, right?
CLIENT: Yes. But try not to draw to much attention to that.

But this person is exactly my client right now:

Good communication is the key in getting through this mess. Do not hesitate to tell your client that their instructions are  vague and really obscure.  If they still prove to be difficult to work with despite all the patience that you poured in, it might be a good idea to sack them and move on.


Tell-tale sign 5:  Mr/Ms. Unrealistic


The name says it all. These are the clients that will put you through unrealistic deadlines and expect a lot despite the cheap pay that you will get. Sure, working on a rush design is great since you can charge more and this will be a breeze if the client is cooperative and considerate (which by the way are rare nowadays).

But this person is exactly my client right now:

As much as possible try to tell them that such ideas won’t work, give them proofs that their budget wouldn’t allow it, walk them through the process of design and make them realize that a good design takes a bit of time to complete.


Tell-tale sign 6:  Know-It-All


If your client often mentions: “I know design too” or “Yep, I know that” it could either mean that he is genuinely a person with a background in design or just some guy who thinks he knows design. This tell-tale sign is much of a 50-50 split since if clients have a bit of knowledge in design then getting your point across wouldn’t be too difficult. You no longer have to bother explaining why you choose to use 2-3 typeface is better than using 6 typefaces all at the same time.  Things might get sour if you happen to come across to a guy who thinks he knows design. They would often ignore your solutions and insist that their knowledge in design is way better than yours.
A good example of how things will turn out is this:

But this person is exactly my client right now:

You can either let them go or bear with them. There are some days that we graphic designers have to bow down to the client’s will just to put food on the table. It is not worth arguing with a client who thinks they know it way better than you do.

Tell-tale sign 7: Always Late


If you find yourself in a client meeting and your client is awfully late you might want to reconsider taking the job.  Because this only goes to show how much your client values your time.  As graphic designers being on time is a crucial part of the package that we sell to customers. We value our client’s time and as much as possible we want to finish the project right on schedule, so how come the client won’t do the same for you.

But this person is exactly my client right now:

As much as possible tell them that you need the materials, you need to meet and whatever it is that you and your client has to do to get the job done. Just don’t delete emails, text messages and call logs as proofs that you reminded them in case they turn the story around against you.


Tell-tale sign 8: The Grouch


If your would be client often slips in the: “I once hired this guy but he screwed it all up” or “I remember this one designer who is equally as bad as the other guy” a couple of times in your conversation run fast and avoid them at all costs. These are the type of people who are never satisfied with anyone’s work because of their insane expectations. They are most likely to give really tight schedules and drive you around like a horse, since they will ask you to revise your design over and over again until they are satisfied (which they are not). Nothing is wrong in being a perfectionist but some clients can be a little too over and cross the line between a perfectionist to an obsess maniac.

But this person is exactly my client right now:

This is a big challenge for you.  If you get this person to be amused and overall happy with your work then you have done very well, if not well at least you know how to deal with them. You can also go ahead and ask them why did they fire their last designer and what did go wrong with project. This will help you gauge whether who’s fault really is it. If they give out the impression that all the designer this person worked with in the past was really bad then ditch them because you wouldn’t want to be in their hate-list.

Communication goes a long way in dealing with such clients, but remember that you are not their slaves and that you are also trying to put food on the table so do not let them abuse you. Looking for the right client involves a lot of patience and hard work so do not despair, if ever you found yourself in those sticky situations just remember that everyone goes through this phase. Clients that are worth keeping are those who value your opinion, work and pay you enough  for all the trouble you went through. If ever you find that client be sure to foster and nurture a good work relationship with them.