Fickle we have become

Every graphic designer knows the dread of working with a picky client. But the reality is, the job of a creative is to deliver for that client and their vision.

So when you hear comments such as:

‘I hate the font and can’t read it’
‘I hate the colour’
‘I can’t find the contact details’

… then you need to listen. Because clients know their customers, and what they need. If a client tells you that they can’t find a phone number, or that your font choice is difficult to decipher, they aren’t being picky for the sake of it. Similarly, if you’re a developer and the client is complaining that the site is too slow or they can’t find the CTA – then it’s time to listen and review the site map.

The fact is, graphic design is a form of visual communication, and if you’re working for a client, that visual product is a commercial product like any other. So to avoid these kinds of frustrating conversations – for everyone – here are three essential steps:

1. Deliver excellence in your work at all times. This means constantly evolving and growing as a creative.
2. Learn to communicate so that you really understand what clients want – and can effectively explain your reasons for certain creative decision-making.
3. Follow best-in-class design and development processes that incorporate staged sign-offs at relevant times. This begins with capturing a detailed brief, producing creative concepts for early client sign-off and optioneering with wireframes for full engagement throughout the project.

At Thirdegree, we demand excellence from ourselves in everything that we do – so that our clients never have a reason to walk away over aesthetics. We all judge books by their cover, and in the world of graphic design, the ‘cover’ is literally what we are being paid for. So up your game, follow the steps above and work harder to delight your clients at every turn.