This week clients grind my gears. Not all of them though. The stupid, unreasonable, know-it-all, slave driving corporate hogs are what drive me bananas. And don’t even pretend you’ve never experienced the likes of these morons as a web designer.
You know you have and no matter how good your educational skills are you can never explain to these annoying conglomerates of crap why they’re wrong and you are not.
So, this is what grinds my gears this week:
Clients:
1 ) - that don’t know WHY they want a website; someone told them it was trendy or some shit like that. I hate that.
2 ) - that can’t make up their minds about something. they want this, no they don’t, they do, they don’t. It drives me bonkers.
3 ) - that approve a design and when the site is at 90% they want to change something radical. I know it’s your money, but don’t waste my friggin’ time!
4 ) - that settle for less than great work; “oh, so this feature is going to cost me extra…well, I guess it’s not that important, even though earlier I said it was”. Are you guys insane? Are you marketing-suicidal? Do you not care for your own image?
5 ) - that think they know better; you don’t, you self indulgent corporate bitches! That’s why we’re designers and you’re clients.
6 ) - that ask for a quote and then bail. That’s not only messed up, it’s a waste of my time and a lack of respect. I am not an automated quote machine readily available 24/7to serve you.
7 ) - that get served a proper, modern, friggin’ gallery worthy design and bunk it because they really really want that .gif with the dancing monkey in the middle of the header.
8 ) - that send briefs incompletely or with inconsistencies. I’m assuming that you guys can at least read/write and understand basic linguistic logic. Apparently this is a fallacy.
Granted, not all clients fall within these few lines. There are exceptions. I was fortunate to have such a client. Once. Mostly I tango with these idiots until at one point one of us just can’t take it anymore and gives in. I’m sad to say that I’m mostly “it”.
So, there you have it. This is what grinds my gears. So far
hell yeah..mi’ai adus aminte de marea majoritate a clientilor pentru care am lucrat.
Cred ca e vb de un sindrom ceva…:D
PS: don’t mind the kitty killer, i’ll take care of him >:)
You have to learn that you’re a whore and you pimp yourself to your client, so stop bitching forget that you have web standards and aesthetic taste and do what the moron whats you to do, it’s his money and if you wants to spend it for a piece of pink crap with a green bow tie on top let him, just don’t put that piece of crap in your portfolio
@Tehauthor – I actually don’t HAVE to be a design whore. Most designers don’t have to because, like most designers, I work at an agency mainly and any freelance projects are nice bonuses to that main job. And it is the freelance clients I mostly refer to. It’s true that some of the agency clients are equally as bad, but at least I don’t get to see them face to face which makes it a bit easier.
@lex – Sindromul Eu Mi-s Sef, Eu Stiu Mai Bine, Iar Ca Mine Nimeni Nu-i
Dealing with clients seems like dealing with drunks and I mean the heavy drinker types that can no longer remember if they were ever sober. And just like a drunk, a client will have little, if any, rational reason for wanting something. He will not want to pay more for a drink just because it’s better (they might eventually end up drinking mouth wash
). He’ll start to treat the bartender like he owns the place, believing he’s entitled to, for the voices in the bottom of his 11th bottle say so. He’ll refuse to go to rehab and wise up because an imbecile is always blissful in his ignorance. So, in keeping with the metaphor, he’ll stick to that bottle of stupidity until it runs dry….and we all know that will take far longer than it will take hell to freeze over.