{"id":4329,"date":"2017-09-19T14:58:12","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T13:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/?p=4329"},"modified":"2024-11-18T12:27:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T11:27:21","slug":"types-web-design-clients-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/types-web-design-clients-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"The Types of Web Design Clients to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/types-web-design-clients-avoid\/#Avoiding_Micro-managers\" >Avoiding Micro-managers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/types-web-design-clients-avoid\/#See_No_Evil\" >See No Evil<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/types-web-design-clients-avoid\/#The_Warning_Signs\" >The Warning Signs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/types-web-design-clients-avoid\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Once they\u2019re out of design school and battling it out in the real world, designers can find themselves in a pretty crappy predicament. Maybe your teachers warned you to be as discerning as possible when taking on new clients (or maybe they told you the opposite, but you knew it was BS), but reality is often a rude awakening from what you expected when you first started working.<\/p>\n<p>Bills pile up, the rent\u2019s due date looms closer, and suddenly that shady dude who wants you to design his logo and website for $150 and \u201cexposure\u201d doesn\u2019t look too bad.<\/p>\n<p>We all know it can be hard to stick to our guns and seek out quality work that will enhance our careers, rather than drag them down into the mud, but think about one thing for a second.<\/p>\n<p>When you take on a terrible client \u2013 one that, say, refuses to pay you either in full or in part, or one that has a million and one changes to make to your designs, you\u2019re actually spending far more in labor costs \u2013 and sometimes even in legal fees \u2013 to complete that job than you would have if you\u2019d had a few more instant meals and committed to finding a good client. A bad client is bad news, period. It will always cost you more to maintain a bad client than it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Avoiding_Micro-managers\"><\/span>Avoiding Micro-managers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Clients hire you for a reason: to improve the profitability of their business venture, whether it\u2019s an information website, a product, or a personal brand. At least initially, they know they need a professional to step in and create something usable and which contributes to their overall goal of making more money.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve found that reminding clients of this in a polite, but firm, way is incredibly effective in getting them to slow down and hand you back the reins of the project.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4330 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/da-manager1-300x138.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/da-manager1-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/da-manager1.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Your ultimate goal as a designer is to find clients who will trust you. If there\u2019s no trust there, your clients may become overwhelmed with anxiety and begin to micromanage.<\/p>\n<p>Generally speaking (but not always), the higher you price your design services, the more frequently you\u2019ll find clients who respect your judgment and who will trust you, and the more you\u2019ll drive away those who only want to play dictator.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure you always <a href=\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/freelance-pricing-trap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">charge what you\u2019re worth<\/a> \u2013 if you compromise on your prices at any point in your career, it becomes exponentially harder to make up the difference later on.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"See_No_Evil\"><\/span>See No Evil<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Nowadays, more and more designers are choosing to work remotely rather than in person, and many may never even meet their clients face to face. This is good and bad. If you get a good client, it\u2019s awesome to just receive the design brief, communicate through email, and work your magic.<\/p>\n<p>If your client is a bit more difficult, it can be a nightmare. There\u2019s a ton of research which points to face-to-face interaction and body language as being two of the most important factors in building a relationship of any kind \u2013 particularly one that involves business.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4331 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/da-manager02-300x138.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/da-manager02-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/da-manager02.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re working virtually, there\u2019s no way to gauge the chemistry between yourself and your potential client. This is where Skype can be an immense help, but if you can meet in person, that\u2019s even better. Regardless of whether you do it in person or on the computer, for long-term projects it\u2019s important to see your client\u2019s face and hear from their own lips whether or not their personality is something you can deal with.<\/p>\n<p>You can learn a lot about what kind of client someone will be from the way they speak to you, the words they use to describe their work and the nature of the work they would like you to do, and even from the state of their desk or office. If someone is a slob, that might be a red flag. But more importantly, if you get a bad feeling from a client, take that as a cue to get the heck out of dodge.<\/p>\n<div id=\"quads-ad1\" class=\"quads-location quads-ad1\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Warning_Signs\"><\/span>The Warning Signs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If your client doesn\u2019t respect what you do, he or she will let you know in subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) ways, particularly in the way they discuss the project they have for you. The most obvious red flags are clients who promise you \u201cexposure\u201d or \u201cmore clients\u201d at some indeterminate point in the future. If you\u2019ve been hanging around the online design community for any length of time, you\u2019ll know that doing <a href=\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/thoughts-on-why-spec-work-is-bad-and-why-you-shouldnt-do-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spec work is one of the most detrimental things<\/a> you can do for your own career, and for the design industry in general.<\/p>\n<p>But even paying clients will use this one when they know they\u2019re offering you payment that a service provider in any other industry would consider an insult. You don\u2019t want to work for \u201cexposure.\u201d Yes, it\u2019s a nice thing to have, but potential clients who say this never mean it the same way you mean it.<\/p>\n<p>For you, exposure is concrete referrals. If your client can provide you with a list of actual paying clients you can contact for future paying work, then that\u2019s fantastic; \u201cexpose\u201d away. But if they don\u2019t do this, that means they\u2019re trying to game you and getting payment from them will likely be more trouble than it\u2019s worth. Run.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4332 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/da-manager03-300x138.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"138\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The next big warning sign is potential clients who downplay the amount of time, effort, or work involved in a project. \u201cOh, it shouldn\u2019t really take you that long,\u201d or \u201ca student could do this,\u201d or my favorite: \u201cit\u2019s just a simple little thing \u2013 I\u2019d do it myself, but I don\u2019t really have the time.\u201d (By the way, if they don\u2019t have the time to do a \u201csimple little thing,\u201d what makes them so sure it\u2019ll only take you five minutes?)<\/p>\n<p>A client who automatically assumes that what you do won\u2019t take any significant amount of time is a client who does not understand what\u2019s involved in the <a href=\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/the-web-design-process-periodic-table\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">design process<\/a>. This is a client you want to run from, and quickly. Why? Because these are the kind of clients who will always argue with you about your rates or fees, since they\u2019re convinced you\u2019ve been racking up extra hours just to cheat them. Of course you should be <a href=\"https:\/\/speckyboy.com\/critical-mistakes-to-avoid-when-quoting-a-web-design-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">making your clients sign contracts<\/a> to prevent any legal fiascos, but why put up with the headache when you don\u2019t have to? Just walk away.<\/p>\n<p>The last and possibly most insidious of \u201cred flag\u201d clients is the \u201cdesigner\u201d or \u201cart director\u201d client. You know the kind. The divorce lawyer or communications startup CEO who secretly wishes he or she had gone to design school, and who actively wants to play a part in the design process despite having no knowledge of design whatsoever.<\/p>\n<p>These types of clients are also known for being impossible for most sane designers to work with, therefore they often have unfinished design work that they want to hire you to complete. They might call you at 3AM with \u201curgent\u201d changes or ideas they\u2019ve had about your work, or they might be wishy-washy about what they actually want you to do or what they like.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Long before a problem ever arises, you can use these straightforward steps to ensure that you don\u2019t get caught up in a nasty whirlwind of broken contracts and legal fees. Always keep in mind that when you meet with a first-time client, you are evaluating them as much as they\u2019re evaluating you.<\/p>\n<p>The right clients will always respect your time and expertise; they will respond to your questions or concerns in a timely manner, and they will be realistic and professional in their expectations.<\/p>\n<p>How do you go about selecting ideal clients? Have you figured out your own method for getting the most rewarding work you can find?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once they\u2019re out of design school and battling it out in the real world, designers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","_mbp_gutenberg_autopost":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[208,209,111],"class_list":["post-4329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-general","tag-clients","tag-design","tag-web-design"],"modified_by":"Wise","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4329\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da-manager.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}