View Full Version : Have you ever designedsomething in which your client loves it but you think its ugly?
Usually what I do is try my best with each design I do, and try and perfect everything.
But there's this client who wants a totally professional Flash banner, and first I started with making it really nice and professional but then he told me to make all these changes which I personally think makes it ugly and not professional at all (like enlarging pictures which makes them blurry; I can't increase the resolution), and then he says 'yeah thats perfect'.
So I just give up on making it appeal to my own tastes, and do everything he suggests ..
ehh does that ever happen to you? hehe
Hey Alivia,
I'm more of a programmer than a designer, but I know exactly how you feel. I still do a large amount of designs, so I've gone through the same procedure.
What you mentioned is the a very general behaviour of webmasters. They need things to be changed and alterated to suit their needs, but the wonderful part of dealing with clients is when they totally trust you and at the same time allow you full control over how things should look.
If you created an amazing design for a webmaster and he starts requesting unprofessional and unappropriate changes as you mentioned, then don't fight against doing it. Still try and give him your opinion and recommendation, though allow him to use your skills in conjunction with his "creativity".
So...can we see the two versions? :D
I understand what it feels when webmasters request changes that you feel are totally unprofessional. Just tell the webmaster politely to show both versions of the design/flash banner to few friends and see what they say. At the end, if he wants changes that are unprofessional, simply do it. And make sure not to link the work in your portfolio ;-)
trendywebs
12/30/2006, 05:06
I totally agree with your views "Alivia". I'm currently working on a big project which involves the design to have a central menu! The menu is passing right from the middle of the page! Thats ridiculous and weird looking but what to do???:confused: :confused: the client demands that so i'm doing that. But, otherwise i think its very weird and totally unprofessional.
This is always a tricky game. We assume that designers have better taste than others. But I've seen many "designer" works that were dreadful...
Regardless...
I had a nightmare client once. She wanted a redesign of her website. It was one of the ugliest sites I had ever seen. I just couldn't get a design she liked.
The more and more I did, the more and more the design ended up looking just like what she had. I pointed out to her that she came to me for a redesign and she wanted something different, but she kept instructing me to do the same...
I told her I didn't think she had a solid grasp of what she wanted to achieve and I severed ties. Been a year now and her site is unchanged. Some people are just nuts...
trendywebs
12/30/2006, 08:48
Some people are just nuts...
You just said the magic words:D. I totally agree!
I'm sorry, he started requesting changes in the beginning, so I only have the version the client likes. I actually think it came out quite alright, although it could have been better.
I understand what it feels when webmasters request changes that you feel are totally unprofessional. Just tell the webmaster politely to show both versions of the design/flash banner to few friends and see what they say. At the end, if he wants changes that are unprofessional, simply do it. And make sure not to link the work in your portfolio ;-)
Haha, I didn't plan to put it in my portfolio.
I'm always finding enough arguments to ensure my customers that they could get much better result, than current they like or show me as example.
Same here .... I have done a few sites which personally I think suck, but hey - if its what the client wants!
I once had to do some work on a web project another programmer had abandoned. His work was a mess -- he simply sliced the PSD files on high resolution and the page took long to load even on a fast connection like mine (we use a T1 on campus).
When I took on the project I tried to make things as image-less as possible only to fall out with the designer. The clients loved it but the designer sent me a long list of things to change. Basically, he wanted all his fancy fonts and drop shadows to remain and for that, I had to use images and flash.
In the end, I almost walked off the project. It was that bad. I eventually had to code from scratch, pleasing both the designer and the clients. The site takes forever to load on many connections, but who cares? I got my $2000 :-D.
I once had to do some work on a web project another programmer had abandoned. His work was a mess -- he simply sliced the PSD files on high resolution and the page took long to load even on a fast connection like mine (we use a T1 on campus).
When I took on the project I tried to make things as image-less as possible only to fall out with the designer. The clients loved it but the designer sent me a long list of things to change. Basically, he wanted all his fancy fonts and drop shadows to remain and for that, I had to use images and flash.
In the end, I almost walked off the project. It was that bad. I eventually had to code from scratch, pleasing both the designer and the clients. The site takes forever to load on many connections, but who cares? I got my $2000 :-D.
I always look forward to the end of the project. :) :)
Caring about the quality will surely give you more than project budget - this could give you more work from current customer in future :)
Caring about the quality will surely give you more than project budget - this could give you more work from current customer in future :)
Excellent advice. Sometimes we (including myself) rush to get a project done and to receive payment for the completed work. If you feel that it's a good client or a potential regular client, don't mess things up by delivering bad quality products.
Actually, usually I don't care for future work. I just want to get it done (usually if it's some boring project), hehe. I wouldn't want to have the same client with the same personality and that is where I am going to get all my work from. I really like changes and differences (hopefully positive ones)...
I ran into that situation few time. Recently with a client who wanted me to add a site HEADER wich did not fit in the overall design. I explained that this will affect the entire scheme of colors and proportions ... he insisted on a header he has seen on one of the example pages I gave him ... so I was able to produce it in 10 minutes, he was extremely happy and paid a bonus.
He is the client afterall, but I could not use his site in my portfolio :)
If you created an amazing design for a webmaster and he starts requesting unprofessional and unappropriate changes as you mentioned, then don't fight against doing it. Still try and give him your opinion and recommendation, though allow him to use your skills in conjunction with his "creativity".
So...can we see the two versions?
This is the best advice from contrid
As a webmistress, I have found that sometimes a programmer would rather just not do it because
1. they do not understand so they fight it
2. they do not know how so they fight it
3. they are in a hurry to close job so they fight it
4. they think you are insane so they nothing and give you the ugly baby:eek:
sorry #4 should have been
"so they say nothing..."
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