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Can we make the logo bigger?

Posted 04 Sep 2009 - No Comments - leave yours now!

Every designer has had a client that has given them a seemingly silly request. One of the most common is: “Can we make the logo bigger?”
A lot of designers take offence at this and use it as an excuse to be upset with their client’s lack of understanding. In my opinion these designers only have themselves to blame.

This youtube video is a nice play on some of the common client requests made to designers. I would imagine most of you have seen this before, if not it’s good for a giggle!

However, there is a serious issue here. There is a reason that we sometimes get this kind of feedback; it comes down to how clear the communication between the client and designer is.

If a client approaches you with a very vague brief, and you take it on, expect A LOT of revisions, A LOT of hassle and A LOT of misunderstandings.
It works the other way around too. If a client gives you a very clear and concise brief and you give them a proof without any explanation or justification of what you have done and why; expect similar problems.

The ideal situation is to work with a client, and instigate a flowing dialogue. I’ve always had the opinion that designers can’t take complete credit for a project. The client should have put as much in as you have.
A designer is a tool (Yes I’m a tool!), my job is to find out what the client sees in his/her head and translate that to the page or screen, hopefully with a few little twists of my own along the way.

The thing to remember is that your client isn’t a designer! Going back to the ‘making the logo bigger’ issue, this common criticism is a valid comment, just worded badly. If a customer says this to you it translates as: I’m not sure that the logo is prominent enough.
You need to make an effort to crack the client code.
If you just take the seemingly ignorant comments at face value and dismiss them because you have the opinion that the client knows nothing, you will never be able to work well with them.

As I said earlier, it all comes down to communication. There are a number of stages to this in any given design project.

Finding out what the client needs
I use the word needs opposed to the word wants. A need is more immediate and important; a want can be frivolous and unnecessary.
Hopefully a client will provide you with a detailed project brief. It should provide you with details of what is required, the objectives of the required materials and a strategy or approach to achieving them. Hopefully they will also give you an idea of style with a few inspirational examples, of show you past work that has been completed in the same vein.
If these things aren’t provided you might have to work with the client to draw up a brief that you both agree upon.

Explaining your processes
Clients aren’t designers (of course some think they are, but that’s a totally different issue) so there might be a need briefly explain what it is you do and how you do it. If you can get the client to appreciate what it takes to produce the work they have requested it could benefit you in a number of ways, one of which might be when it is time for your invoice to be paid.

Discussing revisions
Instead of asking a client for a list of revisions and taking them as read, it’s better if you can sit down together to talk about their concerns.

I try my best to collaborate with my clients, make them feel part of the design process. The more they understand what I do and why, the easier it is to improve a design through their comments.
It’s a two way process, a designer needs to find out about the client if they are creating work that is geared towards representing them, a client should also learn about their designer to find out how to get the most out of them.

Of course some designers and clients don’t want to work this way and this is where the funny feedback lines come from. Here are a few examples:

“Can you just stick another page in? I only need one more, not four…”

“If you just make the text smaller we can fit more in.”

“Make it sexy?”

“Can’t you just stretch it a bit?”

“The bosses daughter has come up with a few ideas about the design.”

“It just needs a little… Something????”

“You’re the designer, I’ll leave it all up to you!”
AFTER THE FIRST PROOF
“This isn’t what I asked for.”

“Why can’t you edit the text on the jpeg I sent you?”

Do you have trouble communicating with clients? How have you communicated effectively in the past? What are your favourite feedback lines?

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