Back in the days, when I was still living in Arnhem and studying Graphic Design we all worked on small jobs on a freelance basis. One of my friends who I shall not name did some work for one of those run of the mill Döner restaurants we Dutch people prefer to visit when we’re hammered and going home after a night out. Specifically, he designed a menu that would be placed on the walls of the restaurant.
Besides an off-hand comment about it, I did not know about this job until it was too late. One night after hitting the bars I decided to crash at his place (lord knows why since my home was just as close to the city as his) and we grabbed some food in that restaurant because that’s what drunk people do. Get greasy fat food.
When we sat there waiting for our order, I looked at the menu again and noticed how much I did not like it. Since he’s a friend I’m not going to say it’s ugly. Ahh hell, it was ugly. Sorry dude.
The look on his face was priceless. Equal parts of hurt feelings and humor since he knew I was as subtle as an axe to the forehead when it came to critique. He then said something I kept with me during the rest of my life (so far).
“Yeah, I’m not happy with it either but the client loved it.”
At first glance, this looks very noble. He set aside his personal taste to make sure his client got the product he desired. All good right?
Not really. The point is, his client did not hire him to do a copy paste job, but to actually advise him on the best product available. But what the client thinks is best is not always the best solution. It’s our job to offer them the best solution, which is not necessarily the solution they think they want.
But it’s such an easy trap to fall in. We all did at one point or probably even multiple points. We want our clients to be happy, to come back and tell their contacts about the awesome things we created for them. And we are more than happy to take a win when we see one even though we know, deep inside that we could have done way better.
More than just extensions.
For better or for worse, we are basically problem solvers. How can I sell my stuff, how can I make some information known. Those are the problems we tackle with visual means and a great dose of creativity.
So, it’s our duty to present the best possible solution. And often, that’s not the solution our client thought it was. Hence the fact that they hire us in the first place. But wanting to be right is in our nature. It makes us feel good, makes us proud and confirms that we’re clever.
I’m not saying your client is always wrong. The best ideas can come from people who think without the borders & previous knowledge we built up in our careers. But not everything your client has in mind is gold.
It’s a back and forth between someone who knows his brand and industry in and out and us, the designers. We’re both pieces of the puzzle and should work to complement each other.
All it takes is a little push.
And that’s all. It’s convincing them that we know better, that they should trust us and our expertise. And it should not be too hard. After all, they hired you in the first place, since they needed their problem solved.
Its a balance that needs to be reached, but it’s possible. Between us and our clients, awesome stuff can and will happen if we work together. At the end of the road, our goals are similar. We want to create someting that solves a problem.
We’re more than just tools to make pretty things. We fill a certain adviser role as well, and we should embrace that. So let’s not waste our time OR our clients time by settling for less. Let’s make awesome stuff, every day.
I’m Mark de Leeuw, a Graphic Designer, full time geek and self-proclaimed majestic lion. Under the name The Grumpy Lion I create pretty things and tell captivating stories through visual means. In my spare time, I enjoy comic books, good food and a wide variety of television series.
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