Communication is a big part of graphic design.  To avoid some problems with clients, communicate a ton before you start a job. The following are 15 phrases graphic designers hate to hear. Statements like these are red flags for designers, not necessarily because they come from “bad” clients, but because they come from clients who are a bit misguided. Here are some phrases graphic designers hate to hear:

  1. I have a simple project, it shouldn’t take you very long. This phrase is basically telling the designer you don’t want to spend the time or money to have your project done right.
  2. The last designer I hired was horrible and won’t give me my files. Was the previous designer really awful or was there a lack in communication ending in total project failure?
  3. Can you just… Sure we can; it JUST won’t be simple, it JUST won’t be cheap and it JUST won’t be quick.
  4. I have a project that is a big opportunity for you. This phrase is usually uttered by starry-eyed clients with next to no budget.
  5. Let me ask my friend/wife what they think. Really? We assume you’ve hired a professional design company because you want an expert with experience.
  6. I need the design in word so I can make changes myself. There’s a good reason why designers use programs like Photoshop and InDesign – they are meant for design work!
  7. My website was working, but… We design a perfectly functioning website, and all of a sudden, it is not working.  Usually because you broke it.   You try blame us so we’ll fix it for free.
  8. This is easy, why is it so expensive. Good work is hard to find, and it usually can’t be sold to the lowest bidder.
  9. My site just needs a few updates. Sometimes they really do need some minor updates and it is an easy fix. However, this “simple fix” scenario rarely goes smoothly.
  10. Create a design, and if I like it, you can have the job. There are so many options out there, clients sometimes approach designers with this.  For an original site, good designers cannot just pick from a template.
  11. I want a simple clean design, like so and so, but… All clients have an idea of how they want their website to look.  The project direction quickly derails when a client asks for one thing, and then picks away at it until the vision is all but lost.
  12. Make the design match my logo that I made. This can quickly go wrong if a client is steadfast in keeping a terrible logo as their foundation.
  13. You’re creative, figure it out. Designers are creative. We can come up with some pretty amazing things for our clients but we are not magicians. If you don’t give us the information, we can’t do the job.
  14. I paid another design $5000, and they didn’t do anything.  Now I don’t have a budget, but can you help?  This is always a bad issue.  We didn’t screw you over. I would still love to be your designer, but I won’t give you a 95% discount because someone else took all your money.
  15. I want my site to look exactly like… There is a lot of time and money involved just getting this type of project started, which many clients don’t realize beforehand.

Original Article written by Chris London.  Article Source:  http://www.pixelproductionsinc.com/top-15-phrases-graphic-designers-hate-to-hear/

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