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The client is always right, right? 3232 Responses

Last post: 1 month, 3 weeks ago | Thread started: Oct 13, 08, 2:52 a.m.

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  • Mallmus

    What do you do when a client wants to go with something designed by their friend rather than one of your three concepts?

    Bearing in mind their friend hasn't had any sort of design training and you have.

    Oct 13, 08, 2:52 a.m. – Permalink
  • Dancer

    quit

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 2:53 a.m. – Permalink
  • Dancer

    • Advise them from a "professional" standpoint.
    • Back up your work with previous examples
    • tell them that they are making a wrong decision
    • Talk about it

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 2:54 a.m. – Permalink
  • cosmoo

    convince them your concept is better. if they don't agree well do it for the money. money is good.

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 2:54 a.m. – Permalink
  • uncle_helv

    Depends, without seeing the concepts, it's hard to answer, what if their friend has come up with a better solution?

    • why so serious?– cosmoo1/7
      Is it not a serious question? I don't know Mallmus, or his work, doesn't mean that having NO design training means you can't be creative, or come up with intelligent concepts– uncle_helv2/7
      ...be creative, or come up with intelligent concepts!– uncle_helv3/7
      hehe...i was kidding.– cosmoo4/7
      ...where as I was being serious :D– uncle_helv5/7
      haha.– cosmoo6/7
      hahaa, ok uncle helv you win, i posted some pics– Mallmus7/7
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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 2:55 a.m. – Permalink
  • kelpie

    look at it objectively, maybe the friend has gotten closer to what they need conceptually, even if it looks shite from a design perspective - maybe you could shamelessly hijack it?

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 2:56 a.m. – Permalink
  • sleepyfatso

    hire their friend?

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 2:58 a.m. – Permalink
  • Terminal27

    Good point kelpie,

    Quite often people might not have any design skills but can articulate the idea better. Maybe thats what this guy thinks. Definitely open up the discussion, and find out more

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 2:59 a.m. – Permalink
  • MrOneHundred

    Hand them the bill, tell them to fuck off and be glad you are rid of them.

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:01 a.m. – Permalink
  • SkyPoo

    Are you being asked to execute the concept or will the entire thing be taken from your hands...

    If you will have to execute it then its important that you make it very clear what problems might arise from it otherwise you could get mired in problems further down the line.

    If it is being taken away from you entirely for their friend to produce you can do no more than smile and wish them the best... anything else would just seem like sour grapes.

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:01 a.m. – Permalink
  • Mallmus

    Some of this stuff has been useful, I don't mind sharing the concepts.

    This is their friends logo:

    http://mallmusmedia.com/forum-pics/qin-other-logo.png

    These are two of my concepts:

    http://mallmusmedia.com/forum-pics/qin-logo-02.png

    http://mallmusmedia.com/forum-pics/qin-logo-01.png

    I think I will try one last time to talk to them professionally and explain that their friends logo won't fit in with the rest of the brand and the site's design.

    I have told them their friends logo isn't a vector which means it won't scale well onto letterheads, business cards and packaging -

    If they still want to go ahead with their friends work I will just have to leave it out of my portfolio.

    • Foooook there isn't much difference, all pretty poor, sorry!– uncle_helv1/8
      lol fair enough– Mallmus2/8
      Just too much going on, too much detail, I couldn't imagine any of those of packaging, especially when you are talking about fragrances!– uncle_helv3/8
      ...talking about fragrances!– uncle_helv4/8
      shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…– SlashPeckham5/8
      That's a bit harsh...The bottom 2 at least have some balance etc...– babaganush6/8
      Use a better typeface, and get rid of the icons, specially if they are toooo detailed...– OSFA7/8
      the middle one is nice. That first one looks shitty. nice drop shadow.– section_0148/8
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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:08 a.m. – Permalink
  • Fariska

    Clients are not designers.
    When this kind of conflicts arise, lay down a rationale document/ or speak with him, explaining plainly why you did some choices and which benefits will them give to your client business/brand.
    Tell them that some of your choices that may not feel right are a result of a logical thinking process based on solid ground.
    The clients often feel more than think. Make them think and you are done.

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:09 a.m. – Permalink
  • MrOneHundred

    Sour grapes? Are there any other kind in this industry? Fuck 'em. Sour grapes make good wine.

    • Unfortunately I can't tell them to fuck off, I need the cash– Mallmus1/2
      Ah money... Well make sure they at least give you a reach-around.– MrOneHundred2/2
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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:11 a.m. – Permalink
  • kelpie

    its the calligraphic look they are going for, imo, that's why their friends thing is being picked above yours. Maybe try doing something nice with the QIN bit in a similar way and execute it better?

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:12 a.m. – Permalink
  • SkyPoo

    Hey Mallmus, interesting to see the pieces. It might be worth talking to your client to ask what it is that they prefer about this friend's logo (I'm calling it a logo for the sake of ease). It might be that you can incorporate some of the essence of it into your own designs as they are not too far aprt anyway. I would guess that the colours used and the 'delicacy' of some of the shapes in the friend's logo appeals to them because it feels lighter, more delicate and oriental. It also feels more 'free' being something that bleeds off rather than sits in a holding device.

    The typography of the friend's is obviously bad but it does feel more oriental too and quite delicate again.

    I think you should go back to your client and say that you can take some of that on board and would like to present them with an additional development stage that will improve on the production-ality and functionality of the imagery and typography - that way you get to keep the job and get paid for it.

    If you explain to them that a pixel based image is not going to print well and that the whole thing should be handled by a professional they will probably be grateful to you for being felixible enough to work with outside influences.

    Just my two penneth though.

    • A sober and thoughtful response, which is why you are you and I am, ffs, me.– MrOneHundred1/4
      Thanks SkyPoo - I'm definitely going to talk to them about it again...– Mallmus2/4
      I am also you, in this great cosmic one-ness that we call life. ffs.– SkyPoo3/4
      That's a comfort.– MrOneHundred4/4
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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:18 a.m. – Permalink
  • GeorgesII

    ok, take a look at your pockets,

    A) do you have money in them
    B) are they full of candies
    C) they are empty

    if you chose the answer (A)
    giving them advices doesn't make them wrong or you right, but at the end if they don't pay you, you'll let them be right

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:22 a.m. – Permalink
  • Mallmus

    I'm still doing the website regardless at this stage - but my logo concepts will fit in more with the site's style and overall brand - I think their friends logo might stick out like a sore thumb.

    • or like an infected vagina..– neue75_bold1/7
      haha– bolus2/7
      yikes the vagina must be heavily diseased if it sticks out!!!.– chossy3/7
      Not if its a baboon and she's in season... they're like RNLI liferafts then.– SkyPoo4/7
      * backs away slowly– neue75_bold5/7
      Thats it, put down your weapon, put your hands up and back away from the smelly snatch.– Amicus6/7
      sorry for the use of the term "snatch"– Amicus7/7
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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:24 a.m. – Permalink
  • chossy

    I agree with what has been said, I would also add your two ideas basically say.

    1. qin fragrances : it's a pot with some candles and joss sticks.
    2. qin fragrances : it's a bonzai tree.

    I would explore a better way of introducing a fragrance graphic perhaps a swoosh of petals across the bottom of the text, look at ghey washing up commercials to get an idea of what I mean. perhaps make a complex Q out of petals or the word fragrances out of petals or some shit like that, this in my opinion would bring the logo up a few notches. Good luck.

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:30 a.m. – Permalink
  • kelpie

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Chinese_calligraphy_x4.png

    ^^^^^

    • <<<<<– kelpie1/5
      cheese applied; logo nailed– kelpie2/5
      >>>>>>>>>– SkyPoo3/5
      Good work Kelpie san.– SkyPoo4/5
      I can see it in my head and its beautiful, specially on packaging– kelpie5/5
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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:33 a.m. – Permalink
  • mimeartist_com

    Their type is nicer, if they just had that and dropped the shadow

    • The typeface I choose cost me £7.50 too :(– Mallmus1/2
      sheet thats a bugger man.– jimzyk2/2
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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 3:35 a.m. – Permalink
  • Dancer

    These are not logo's IMO

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    Dog-earOct 13, 08, 4:19 a.m. – Permalink

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