Designers and clients see everything so differently that a conflict is only a question of time . To illustrate this, 'Trust Me, I'm A "Designer"' made a witty animation that lists the things that cause the biggest disagreements.
From typefaces, to software - professionals and their clients cannot be any more different. It hits the very core of the problematic relationship between the two groups and shows why designers and clients will never be friends.
More info: Facebook (h/t: designtaxi)
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Yes. Which is why Jonathan Ive's hideous palette is so effing ironic.
Of course many designers defend this one. As a promotional marketing consultant, "design" colors and multi-color logos are one of our (and our clients') worst nightmares. When it comes to digital marketing, those colors work well for branding, but in the promotional world, it's very difficult to find any promo products in those funky unpopular colors. Or, if it's the imprint, most of the time items are screen printed, which means a separate set up and production run charge PER COLOR, PLUS a PMS ink match charge for the supplier to try and match your "designer" color as close as possible. It adds up to a lot of extra charges to the client that they don't want to pay. Simple and flexible branding with design and not color is so much better!
This whole post is wonderful and beautifully sums up my learning as client over the last 12 months. Thank god our web team stuck with us and now we speak the same language. Well done
So why do designers try to push bad ideas on their clients? In most of the comparisons in this post, the client's idea is better.
So, I guess you are mostly a client, not a designer :))
Load More Replies...I do not see a contradiction here. A client normally uses Word, a program to write text and to give it _some_formatings. It is clear that professionalls for other jobs than writing a text will use other programs...be it Photoshop for editing graphics, Eclise for programming Java, or a CAD programm to specify a house.
Eg. Clients will make a brochure/flyer in Microsoft word.
Load More Replies...Once upon a time I've received a leaflet project saved in excel. EXCEL!
Designer: Ps-Ai-Id: "P"lease "S"ee, "A"ll "I"mplementations "I"n "D"esigning tools only!!! Client: W-X-P: you kiddin me? I guess "W"indows "X"P" office tools are enough!!
My IT guy was trying to explain to me how Word and InDesign do the same thing. He kept getting upset when i wouldnt stop laughing.
I've worked with designers on 4 different website designs now. We've used US based and Indian based designers. US designers that I've worked with (supposedly high dollar ones) are whiny, complainy and slow. Indians have no problem and react quickly. And our overall designs have been much better. I use Publisher to create layouts and it does a better job in many many circumstances than what the designers end up using. It is a powerful tool if you know how to use it. I am always asked by designers how or where I was able to do what I did with it as they seem impressed. When I tell them though, they act repulsed.
I've been that client that has made a frankenstein depiction of an idea in Ms Paint(!) to show the designer... I'm sure Paint is even worse for you fellows than word or excel :)
One of the things I hate the most!! If they see an "empty" space, THEY MUST fill it up. They are paying for the whole space, so use it, dammit!!! *sigh*
I usually solve this by telling them that negative space is an element too!
Load More Replies...This one partly depends on where the product is appearing, also. I worked in newspapers, and we got a lot of ads that would have worked great in magazines where they use glossy paper rather than pulp and an ad usually takes up an entire page. Sometimes leaving all that whitespace just made the ad look tacky and unfinished against the rest of the page of news.
I am afraid that enough designer nowadays will ratherr revert to stock photo sites...
Seems more like budget issues rather than preferential stock images. i.e. clients don't value original photography or can't afford it
Load More Replies...The client sends you the thumbnail to use, not the image, and then gets angry when you go and find and and tell them that it's from a stock photo site and they have to pay for it. Or they say, "Take the watermark off, no one will ever know."
It`s not about that: as enginer/designer learned to don`t use a photograph from internet, because it`s illegal, respect author etc, so they make own pictures?
It's not about using stock photo sites, it's about a client just searching Google for an image and expecting to be able to use it for whatever they want.
I recommend my free project for designers, if you need authentic CC0 photos. http://realgraphy.org Cheers. :)
I think they mean contrast as in "contrasting colors." Blue and red are not contrasting colors, but orange and blue are.
Load More Replies...They both are examples of contrast: one with a lot, the other with none ;)
haahah this is really true. My color session online is probably one of the most watched of anythijng of its sort. understanding color is beyond many designers.
I like red, it's my second favorite color. I would absolutely hit the red button, but i'd then die of my OCD.
a good designer in a hurry does not name the layers, but groups them
Load More Replies...Yeah, because phoptoshop just requires two or three clicks to make it happen, cause its magical! :)
Load More Replies...Before I started learning programming, I thought PCs would give me whatever I wanted just by clicking a button or two.
If the client don't have no money bags, don't turn on your brain light bulb.
Yeah what Anna said. -I've had clients ask me to 'make their website 'pop!' and 'give it more 'omph!' and they cannot explain in greater detail what they mean by that. They tell me to just 'do it' ...
I always get 'make it sexy', I do take it personally, resulting in me thrusting my hips more than usual.
I take issue with this one. Function is high in the list of priorities for a designer. If the objective is sales, the decisions we make must support that.
that is certainly the main issue between client and designer. If the designer doesn't seize the objective (sale, awareness,...) it will never understand the client. I agree with you Mary...and the fact that this illustration is here in the list mean that it's not the point of view of every designers. They are not paid to "draw" something they like, they are paid to answer a specific goal.
Load More Replies...Design is the art of solving the "communication" problem and/or delivering the intended message. If the intent is to increase sales, then that's the problem to be solved.
Load More Replies...That's why I don't design things to convince people to buy things they don't need, with money they don't have. Commercial design is soul sucking at best.
If the designer loses the idea that it MUST be a money maker for the client, the client will never use them again. The Designer in many cases is more concerned how esthetic is is and the client is more concerned with the bottom line.
Not true. Designers care more about the message being delivered. Esthetic is part of the development, but by no means is it the top priority. Typically, a conversation with the client, then the creative brief, then RESEARCH all come first, so that by the time "esthetics" come into play, the goal of the project is already ingrained.
Load More Replies...Artists and designers have not the same goals...these are two different occupations.
this one just shows time flowing backwards and sales staying constant :/
For an artist, the ultimate goal is to be seen, (For me atleast)
I could give a rip about getting work on dribble. Real designers solve problems not make pretty thumbnails.
As a graphic designer these pictures speak to me on a deep level! But they forgot one! Designer: here is your finished product! client: that's great i love it but I'm wondering if you could change a few things...
^changes 100000 things client: great but i think i liked the old one better
Load More Replies...I have no idea what you are talking about. You're drunk, Boredpanda. (this whole post needs more Comic Sans)
And maybe change the logo, I'm not sure about the bear. That's a panda bear? Really? Can you photophop it into a bunny, asap? Thanks.
Load More Replies...Right, because what does the panda really say to our customers? That we'd rather be eating bamboo and napping?
Load More Replies...I think for many of these it is a matter of how customer relationships are handled, and whether customers are stupid, as to a potential source of disagreement or even conflict. While some of the points here truly seem to be design issues (such as the font, or the saturation of colour), many are not. There surely is disagreement about the design aspects where the designer profesionally knows better even though things seem obvious or easy to the customer. Quite a number of entries here, however, reflect normal principal-agent issues, and also a designer _will_ need to listen to his or her customers. If he does not like to, he might still be a great artist, but not good in business terms. The "Goals" picture actually summarises this already...
I once told a client that the rework he wanted after he agree with everything I had already done were going to cost him extra and he basically flipped his lid and accused me of wanting to swindle him. Dude, all I want is to afford food...
Love it, but might suggest adding another player: the production department. The never-ending fight between the dreamers and the mechanics (ideas vs practical real-world physics) occurs before the client gets to veto anything.
As a graphic designer these pictures speak to me on a deep level! But they forgot one! Designer: here is your finished product! client: that's great i love it but I'm wondering if you could change a few things...
^changes 100000 things client: great but i think i liked the old one better
Load More Replies...I have no idea what you are talking about. You're drunk, Boredpanda. (this whole post needs more Comic Sans)
And maybe change the logo, I'm not sure about the bear. That's a panda bear? Really? Can you photophop it into a bunny, asap? Thanks.
Load More Replies...Right, because what does the panda really say to our customers? That we'd rather be eating bamboo and napping?
Load More Replies...I think for many of these it is a matter of how customer relationships are handled, and whether customers are stupid, as to a potential source of disagreement or even conflict. While some of the points here truly seem to be design issues (such as the font, or the saturation of colour), many are not. There surely is disagreement about the design aspects where the designer profesionally knows better even though things seem obvious or easy to the customer. Quite a number of entries here, however, reflect normal principal-agent issues, and also a designer _will_ need to listen to his or her customers. If he does not like to, he might still be a great artist, but not good in business terms. The "Goals" picture actually summarises this already...
I once told a client that the rework he wanted after he agree with everything I had already done were going to cost him extra and he basically flipped his lid and accused me of wanting to swindle him. Dude, all I want is to afford food...
Love it, but might suggest adding another player: the production department. The never-ending fight between the dreamers and the mechanics (ideas vs practical real-world physics) occurs before the client gets to veto anything.
