Client of the Day
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- omahadesigns1
Have a small client that I do basic color correction jobs for every once in a while.
They sent me their contract when I sent them a bill. I agreed to their terms and NDA wording.
Client writes back. "Good. We would expect you not to ever share our internal business with anyone."
I only do color correction and never met more than one person from the company. People are paranoid.
- so what's their internal business?drgs
- pics or it didn't happenbklyndroobeki
- bklyndroobeki0
"Just begin"
How do I make it so that my client is clear that it's ONLY when I receive a deposit that I will start. It's in the contract, thought it was enough.
- Just tell them, if they don't abide by that simple and universal rule then you probably don't want them as clients.zarkonite
- I get this... quite easy to say in an email v.politely "I look forward to starting work on your project on receipt of the deposit payment."fadein11
- We have a codependency. I can't let them go zark ;)bklyndroobeki
- 15 days later. still waiting on deposit.bklyndroobeki
- sounds like they weren't in a hurryshellie
- sounds like i'm about to say goodbyebklyndroobeki
- "Happy to begin once we receive the deposit"breadlegz
- djhiro1
Once had a "client" have me sign a NDA and 4-page contract with tons of legal writing just to help them fix some things on their outdated site for like $200. And then they paid their invoice late.
Never again.
- lolMilan
- samebklyndroobeki
- Pfft. It's not as if you'd post details on a public forum or anything. Idiots.monoboy
- NDA = Client has no idea what they are doing, but thinks it's awesome.breadlegz
- bainbridge0
Helped a client launch a publishing product they were putting out. Someone else designed it, but client needed materials and web help.
It took them 5 weeks to pay and they didn't even send me a copy.
Am I wrong to assume that if you help someone launch something they seem very proud of and it only costs $16 retail, they would send you a copy? I would.
- absolutely.lvl_13
- did you mention that you wanted a copy?ArchitectofFate
- A lot of clients don't even think about sending copies. it sometimes doesn't even cross their minds. Just ask them. I always do.VectorMasked
- In our contract we specify when dealing with print you will give us 25 copies of each pieceHayoth
- bklyndroobeki0
What do you do if you really want to work for a Client,
but they are dragging their feet to sign the MOU?"We will get back to you today" ...
now 2 wks later.
They said they'd sign, now 2 wks later...- NVM. 20 minutes later. Writing a letter n' walking away.bklyndroobeki
- freedom0
Sent client a proposal in January and never heard back. Got a response today that they are interested in moving forward asap.
- I have those. Get ready for them to disappear again before the deposit gets paid.Fax_Benson
- add language that says proposal is good for 30 days, otherwise needs to be revisiteddoesnotexist
- ^ ThisJonWilliams
- freedom0
Client sent me some photos from his phone.
"I like my face in the second photo, but my body in the first one and my wife's angle in the third. Can you combine those parts?"
There are four low res photos of them in different poses in front of a tree.
- low res photoshopping is easier. happy you.uan
- could be amusing - he's asking you to fuck it upFax_Benson
- Post it here, we'll do the photobombing for you.Maaku
- kona0
(a few years ago while working for a shite CD)
We were probably 92% through the entire web project and the client was in for a final review.
I could tell by the look on the clients face something was up. After about 10 minutes he finally chimes in and says "I dunno... I just don't know. I think the site needs to be Yellow."
This was insane. Yellow wasn't even remotely a part of their brand and we'd gone through like 5 rounds of revisions already. Before I could open my mouth my CD says "Ok we can add Yellow for you" and the Sr Designer and I looked at each other like What The Flapjacks.
I ask the client if he could expand on that thought. What parts would he like yellow. Why yellow. After a minute or two it turns out the client didn't want yellow at all... he just thought the site was a little drab and dark. He equated "brightness" with the sun. So on the spot in CSS we turned the very light background white and I see his eyes light up. Problem solved.
The point being it's not always the client who's an idiot. They sometimes just don't how to properly express themselves in a way we designers understand.
- half of being a designer is learning to translate their needs and crazy talkmonospaced
- The other half is cocaine.kona
- Good story. Client talked like a toddler.omahadesigns
- The client was a toddler. He was starting a Boob Sharing Milk network for infants. Brilliant little kid.kona
- "What The Flapjacks"
- this snippet is well worth reading the story me thinks.antimotion - clients also can't visualise a solution like we can. Just just sometimes know they aren't happyProjectile
- pablo281
- not quite my tempo...riskunlogic
- Make. The. Logo. Bigger.Ianbolton
- hahakrok
- Hayoth0
I have been doing ad design for a company that develops a security product.
When the ad is going through revisions (somewhat serious in tone) with a problem solution vibe the client says this...
"We only have 3 seconds to get their attention. I think we need a pink poodle, a soccer ball or something else awkward to get their attention. Yes, I'm serious."
The ad is pretty engaging and our analytics based off the previous ad designs shows it is engaging the audience and they are responding...Now the ad has a clip art soccer ball in the corner.
- I presented a "coo coo duck balancing a soccer" which he loved but ultimately went with the ball.Hayoth
- <--Global CorporationHayoth
- Why not put boobs?omahadesigns
- Infomercial x serious design.omahadesigns
- make sure you compare the metrics of this ad to the previous one when you make the next one...zarkonite
- designquestions0
Another situation - friend of an associate emails you and wants a logo for their small side-project company and asks your rate. You know they aren't going to pay big bucks for a logo and don't need anything complicated. You like their project and wouldn't mind helping, but don't want to look amateur.
Assuming they have nothing to trade, do you:
Give them a low rate
Ask them what they had in mind (not professional?)
Tell them your normal price and probably not get the job
Other- Normal price, minus 10% if you are feeling generous.rabbit
- Tell them the normal price - when you go back with the mates rate ask for more creative autonomy as a trade off. Avoids them becoming an interfering cheapskateSlashPeckham
- ^ if only it worked like that - like a client will sign over their right to be happy with what you do for them - will not happen, ever.fadein11
- limit time!trooperbill
- noneck1
Sent out an annual invoice for website hosting, site management, and domain registration. Client wants to know if the site management fees are necessary (weekly offsite backups and WP updates for $4/week). Also, is there cheaper hosting available?
Send client long email explaining my fees, how and why I structure my services like this, and outlining possible avenues forward.
"Thanks for this explanation – I send similarly long emails to clients who have no idea about the law or what or why I do the things I do on their behalf – it’s a pain in the ass but necessary sometimes – as a know nothing client thanks for taking the time. We would like to renew the contract."
- Client pays you to handle godaddy for them? I've had clients register their own domains and stuff.freedom
- But good job.freedom
- Fitty Dollaz Richautopian
- Lawyers are wittyHayoth
- @freedom clients COULD handle domain registrations, but that doesn't mean that they want to. I charge $50/domain/year to take care of it. They all pay happily.noneck
- $50? You can do better.freedom
- lol @ $50 - not even worth the hassle - precisely why I avoid hosting at all costs. I'm not ending up being a tech support guy for peanuts.fadein11
- monospaced0
Looking for some advice. Classic situation, but one I haven't had to deal with in forever.
Background: (re)designed a few instruction sheets for a medical testing company, with a few rounds of edits.
Situation: client is now asking to have the native Indesign files so that they can make minor changes on their own. They say they will have me make any major updates moving forward.
Question(s): How do you all handle this situation? If you do charge for handing off native files, how do you determine their worth?
I could use some advice. Thanks, QBN.
- if you're not an employee you could charge a handling fee or license fee, but they paid you to design them, so probably don't expect you to question it.omahadesigns
- I'd hand the files off.stoplying
- Better to be "big" about it in hopes of maintaining a relationship. Also give them enough rope to hang themselves.ETM
- Interesting. They feel they own the native files even though all they technically paid for was the print files.monospaced
- Outline everything, save, send. "Good luck!"noneck
- Do you have a contract? They paid you to make the files, give it to them.freedom
- Contract doesn't specify anything beyond print files, unfortunately. If they have the files then anyone can make edits and I wouldn't be paid.monospaced
- Who said you have the right to that file forever? Ever designed a template for someone?bainbridge
- What'd you end up doing.bklyndroobeki
- Copyrights state that the original working files are owned by those who create them. Usually I only sell the final product. Templates are obv different.monospaced
- I ended up sending him the files, and now we're woriing up a contract to outline an actual set of templates for them.monospaced
- Good on you, so more work...bklyndroobeki
- Yeah, we all knew (inc. you) that you owned them, a good reminder to add this into my contracts as well -- although it's something the designer understands.bklyndroobeki
- it's technically out of scope, so bill appropriately if he really wants it and explain he's purchasing the copyright.doesnotexist
- Make sure to use fonts they don't have installed.section_014
- I wanted to doesnotexist, but they simply couldn't accept that it was "out of scope" and I could hear the anxiety. We'll scope out future templates. THanks all!monospaced
- @section_014, totally... all the illustrations are going to be compounded, the fonts I won't just give away, and they can struggle with that.monospaced
- they probably need to buy those font license anyway.bklyndroobeki
- i_monk0
Just did a poster for a talk hosted by Toronto Public Library and York University. I'm more proud of this thing (and had more fun with it) than the last 2 years of stuff I've done at my 9-5.
- let's see itJG_LB
- great!bklyndroobeki
- Once it's finalized.i_monk
- Okay, the client's had enough time to ruin it. Let's have a look at your shattered expectations.noneck
- It was finally approved yesterday, yeesh.i_monk
- so..let's see it!juanluisgarcia
- ^^^^
What he said!!bigbaby53
- bklyndroobeki0
Made some extra edits for a client recently, worked outside of the original contract for a few extra hours.
"We had some shifts in our organization, we won't be able to pay you the remaining $550 but will revisit it in October"
FUCK YOU!
- so next time they ask for something, say you're still waiting for paymentmonospaced
- was definitely my fault mono, ever have a gig that you juuuust want to get out the door? they paid in one lump but didn't pay for the extra edits.bklyndroobeki
- yeah, been there!monospaced
- "We love the work you've done on this!"
though ... ah well. Keep learning the same fucking lesson till I get it: Water-MuthaFucking-T... Contract.bklyndroobeki - Few hours = $550?omahadesigns
- "We had some shifts in our organization, we won't be able to deliver until October"omahadesigns
- Omaha, I charge by the hour. Yes it took a few hours. I keep timer files detailing all of the edits.bklyndroobeki
- omahadesigns0
Sent a reminder to client of invoice that is overdue, they say they will send it and ask me to email them when I get it.
Just mail it on time. Don't make me tell you I got it.
- designquestions0
Design firm emails you out of the blue because someone recommended you and asks if you can send them your portfolio because they might have some work for you.
You send it and then don't hear back.
Do you:
Follow up in a week
Follow up in a month
Move on
Other- Also the person who recommended is kind of a stranger.designquestions
- This was easier in the days of physical portfolio as you had to pick them up.Gnash
- Move on - its like calling for 3 quotes when you need a plumber. Happens often. If you are really needing work, could be worth dropping a note along the linesrabbit
- of perhaps not this time hope to help you next time :)rabbit
- Tell them you need them to email your portfolio back because you have a new potential client you want to show it to.ORAZAL
- ^ Clearly This! Works every time.ETM
- That is not the spider I drew, that spider only has 3 legs. My spider would always have 4 legsHayoth
- ^ lolGnash
- I always email them back within 3 days, most of the time they said they were waiting on others. I've been given work since noone replied sooner :)designfreak
- ^ email them back after you didn't hear back?designquestions
- Miesfan0
from CfH
For a couple of months, I did a series of nightlife fliers for a notoriously difficult, cocaine-loving client. This was his reaction to the idea of a deposit.Client: “The only person allowed to ask me for $$ ahead of time is a hooker before she blows me”
- bainbridge1
Small time client sent me a contract to sign, mostly defining me as an independent contractor and saying that I will not disclose company secrets.
I do very little work for them and the pay is modest and I made a comment on the phone during a convo that some of the wording seemed silly considering how little work I actually do for them.
Client snapped back that "the contract is there to protect me and I should know better". Honestly, it wouldn't bother me if I lost the client as they are not the easiest to deal with. Am I wrong and their contract is really to help me?
- mydo0
just got this.....
I own the domain www.#######rapid,com
and am looking for a partner to develop the website as a revenue generating portal. I am looking for a similar deal for www.########gateways,com which I also own.