Client Advise
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- Spix
So this client of mine that i will design and build a website for said they wanted a minimal and clean design and gave me a few link of site that they liked...all good....today i got an email with a design concept that he had put toeghter him self, wich was aweful and in the total diffrent direction of what he first wanted...plus he mention in his email to have diffrent big pictures as background picture on each page....
How do I best tell him, that what he has done suck? with out loosing the clinet...im sure he thinks it looks great and feel proud about what he put together....
- kelpie0
hit him with technical reasons, real and imagined, why his design isn't workable and heap praise on his initial desire to keep the site minimal, make him think he's a genius for this, list more technical reasons why this alternative is better
- designerror0
hit him with technical reasons, real and imagined, why his design isn't workable and heap praise on his initial desire to keep the site minimal, make him think he's a genius for this, list more technical reasons why this alternative is better
kelpie
(Mar 30 06, 02:23)
- damion0
Hi, tell him that you will design a few ideas, one being his design, one being your design and one being merging the two above together.
And then see what his thoughts are.
- Chimp0
Hi, tell him that you will design a few ideas, one being his design, one being your design and one being merging the two above together.
And then see what his thoughts are.
damion
(Mar 30 06, 02:30)Good Idea but be prepared for the client to choose the worst design.
- kelpie0
sometimes its best to narrow the option for disaster as much as possible before you get started in a situation like this...
- designerror0
sometimes its best to narrow the option for disaster as much as possible before you get started in a situation like this...
kelpie
(Mar 30 06, 02:39)
- Dancer0
Is there an echo in here..?
- kelpie0
echo i n h e r e . . .
- blaw0
that's playing with fire damion.
- Spix0
thanks for the advise...i think i'll go with kelpies idea....
thank you...wish me well.
- lofielectronic0
Why do they always choose the worst design?
- kelpie0
they don't look at comps with the right kind of head on. They look for different things than an end user would. The most valuable thing you can do is change their state of mind - its much easier than changing their tastes...
- damion0
Far enough, well said. That is always another idea.
- normal0
Been down this road before. It's a painful road to travel. But hitting him with technical reasons as to why it wouldn't work may not be the best tactic as further down the line he could ask someone else about it and they would say that his design was in fact completely possible and make you look like a chump thereby reducing your credibility.
I would make sure that you have a >written< brief from the client detailing this supposed minimal manifesto. It gives the client a chance to actually put their brains to the task of 'thinking' along the same lines that you have to think along hopefully resulting in some sort've general consensus. That way when you make your presentation you can take their own words from the written brief to support your argument for your design.
I've noticed in projects where it seems that you and the client are on the same page without a written brief tend to end in disaster. This also includes ones where they try to do the design themselves. Prepare to be ridden like a slave and have arbitrary choices made on his personal preferences with no supporting argument shoved down your throat thereby reducing you to a quivering mass of frustrated goo.