If you are a designer, I am sure you can relate to this article. If you are on the other end of the stick, perhaps these pieces of advice will give you insight on how to work with designers so that they create an end result that you are satisfied with, or actually, something that you are THRILLED with.

It’s happened to every designer at some point: a client or co-worker makes an absolutely cringe-worthy comment about your designs. Don’t get me wrong, feedback is an important and crucial step of the design process, but often the questions asked or statements made leave the designer with little input going forward.

To give you an example of what I am talking about, let me share a few real-world situations with you, as well as some advice on how to handle what comes across as tactless and thoughtless comments professionally.

OK, fair enough, you don’t like it. But WHAT don’t you like about it? You will be surprised by how many clients we have who operate on the “I’ll know I like when I see it” philosophy. This is simply not practical however.

As a designer, develop a list of questions to ask when you get feedback like this. Ask the clients if it’s the colours they don’t like or perhaps it’s the fonts and images that were used that they don’t agree with. Play detective.

Errh … no.

It’s not as simple as that. The images copied from your website might not be the correct resolution or have the settings required for printing purposes. If a designer were to save the image from your website, he could possibly re-trace the image, but this would be time-consuming and would have to be charged for additionally.

Designers, explain this to your clients without rolling your eyes.

What is “it” and what does “pop” mean, exactly?

This is one of those phrases that clients use when they don’t actually know what it is that they want, until it “pops” out at them. Does “pop” refer to colour usage, the wording, or the size perhaps?

The best way to get over this hump in the graphic design process is to ask for examples of websites or print media that your client feels is “pop-worthy”.

Directly translated this means: “I have no idea what I want.”

As a designer, your heart sinks hearing these words, which are said all to frequently. The phrase “just be creative” is an almost fool proof sign that there will be an endless amount of revisions, at your own cost.

In this scenario, demand examples before initiating work.

Do your clients tell you how long your job should take? I am certain that if they had to do this, you would likely take offence.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and if you are looking for something substantial that is worthy of applaud, this type of design work takes time, patience and a great amount skill. Trust your designer to do the job in the amount of time they need.

As a designer, if you get this kind of question, simply state the number of hours that are required for the type of work that needs to be done and politely (politely), reassure your client that it does indeed take this long to create a masterpiece.

Designing websites, logos and other graphics is an intricate process. It comes with examples, revisions, proofs and sign-offs. It is not something that can be rushed or done without some sort of direction or substantial feedback from the client. While you are paying the designer to do this work for you, you still need to be proactive during the process and your criticism needs to be constructive.

For more information on Epicdev’s Design services, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or pop us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

info@epicdev.co.za

031 767 5580