Client angry. Client want site yesterday.
Unfortunately in the web world, we’ve all come to expect immediacy in every sense of the word. So, I can understand why some clients don’t understand that a good website takes time. Maybe it’s just me, but for the most part I really like dealing with clients. From start to finish, I think it’s a (for the most part) fun process.
I typically find there is a substantial change from beginning to end in terms of a clients understanding, expectations, interest, and role in the web process. Of course, this is only if I do my job correctly, and if the client(s) is willing to learn how to better build their brand.
I get the feeling that some designers really don’t like to work with clients. I can understand that sentiment on the most basic level, but this goes against the fundamental purpose of design: to effectively communicate a purpose, but for someone specific (aka clients).
Without clients, there would be no need for design, or no need for non-biased design, only just design that we, as designers, think is needed.
Sure, some can be a pain in tookas, but as I see it, it’s our job to not only deliver the most effective work we can, but also to temper their expectations, and educate them on why certain things are done, and how (for them) to take an active role in the ongoing evolution of their brand.
Each and every time I deal with a client, I learn something new. Whether it’s a better way to explain something that I’ve had trouble doing so in the past, or I get better at reading clients expectations and determining how best to work with them. Most importantly, I learn how to better interact with people. Given that social media is what it is today, most social interactions are not really social, aka face-to-face. So, getting more comfortable presenting, discussing, and walking through my work with new / current clients is something I find very valuable each and every time I do so.
Plus, each time I find myself being able to empathize a little bit better with them, which can help me assuage any fears they may have, and help to prevent them from being ‘clients from hell.’
Last, but certainly not least, the better I am able to communicate with a client, the better I am to deliver what they want and more. The better I get at delivering more than what they expect, the more they are willing to recommend me. And the more I am recommended, the less I have to sell myself–and that, to me, is priceless.
