I don't know WHAT the deal is lately but I have several clients who actually hire me and pay me to "design" something that they've already done. Either they send me a Photoshop mockup of what they want (and don't want me to change), or they sketch it out on paper. On in particular is driving me nuts. She wants me to design it exactly like she has laid out on paper, and I swear to you it looks like a 10 year old sketched something out. She is one of my biggest clients, not only financially, but also as in visual- as in, tons of other clients have seen my work on her website and LOVE it.... so how do I now design something that looks like **CRAP** and make it look good?
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Creative Cowgirl
- Aug 2004
- 876
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Creative Cowgirl
- Aug 2004
- 876
Here's what it currently looks like:
Keep in mind it used to look even better but she wanted that font/logo in the front there and some of that other stuff....
Here's how she wants it....
with no background or border or anything......... and her exact words were: "remember to keep it simple. don't over-complicate what i sent you. that is exactly the way i want it." -
formerly Craig B
- Nov 2004
- 8295
Perhaps you can show her exactly how hers looks and then do an option or 2 of how you would handle it. I think if she saw what you did she would recognize the improvement.
Just keep it simple like she asked.Comment
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Making the maggots cry
- May 2006
- 3011
good god.
have you tried maybe keeping your design, and trying to incorporate some of her pieces into it? you'll probably have to shift things around.
and that type effect is nice on the logo, but i'd avoid it on the body copy below the logo. it gets a little hard to read at that smaller size.Comment
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Creative Cowgirl
- Aug 2004
- 876
Craig -- lol, I wouldnt even know HOW to make hers look the way it does, other than scanning the stupid thing....
mojo-- thats what I mean. I had a different text (actual TEXT) there and she wanted it w/ the same font/style as the logo. //sigh///Comment
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Making the maggots cry
- May 2006
- 3011
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formerly Craig B
- Nov 2004
- 8295
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8-bit
- May 2007
- 8254
Sorry I was unable to implement your project exactly as you've specified. Very few browsers support the Stinks Outloud plugin.Comment
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Senior Member
- Apr 2006
- 462
I would just start with the basics and you really will have a hard time winning against this client. I would just do it more professional. Make the text like its burnt or carved into the wood. Use a more appriotate western type font. Maybe Even use real would instead of fake stuff. I do not like redoing what customers want exactly but its the name of the game sometime. You just need embellish what she did in a more creative way. I have one customer that send me something that her head office did and just says recreate it but do it in you style but keep the same principle. It sucks because i am not being all that creative but the money is sweet and i invest little time in doing it and she is always happy.
steveComment
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Member- Sep 2004
- 50
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Senior Member
- Jan 2008
- 184
Ask her to sign a waiver absolving you for all responsibility on the outcome;something that states the website was "designed" this way to the client's specification, and against the advice of a professional designer. AND- designer is not obligated to make changes free of charge when client sees the full horror of this live on the web! Maybe ask if you could submit it to the Web Pages That Suck website rather than including it in your portfolio? You have my sympathy!Comment
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Cheesy Mod
- Jan 2008
- 38059
<---playing Devil's Advocate for a moment.Originally posted by mojoprime
If you do your take on her concept, isn't that like doing the work on spec? As an in-house guy, I could get away with it because I'm paid salary no matter what I'm working on. But if you're doing this as a freelance job, can you rightfully charge her for the time you spend doing it "your way" only to have her reject it as "not what she asked for?"
I think doing it her way (as professionally as possible), and showing her how sucky it looks, might work better. Especially if, during that meeting, you then sketch some thumbnails of how you would improve it, explaining why while you go.Comment
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Baroness of Buffet
- Aug 2006
- 34644
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is a freaky moon citrus
- Jul 2007
- 1083
This is looks like the start of a bad contest: Who can design the best worst webpage.
I definitely do not envy you here. It could be worse, sort of, she could have no idea what she wants and then just make endless revisions until it eventually looked like that
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Creative Cowgirl
- Aug 2004
- 876
Except I get paid per hour as per our contract ....Originally posted by NTLemonThis is looks like the start of a bad contest: Who can design the best worst webpage.
I definitely do not envy you here. It could be worse, sort of, she could have no idea what she wants and then just make endless revisions until it eventually looked like that
Comment
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Today, 06:01 AMCommented to Head, meet Wall !!!Make the rep earn their percentage.
Believe it or not, salespeople are trainable.
Oh, they don't like it one bit.
Embarrass them profusely.
And often.
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Today, 05:36 AMCommented to Google Web DesignerYep, I already read that article! It sounds like Google is going to take over everything whatever he wants
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Today, 05:20 AMCommented to Coding help needed: newbie.Yes I think Freshly is right! What seems so far that you are not closing your quoted attributes! As you must know that none of the browsers knows that how to fix such a problem!
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Today, 04:51 AMCommented to How to get post in Classifieds section?It actually says "New Topic" rather than "New Post" but that is still the button you want.
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Today, 04:47 AMCommented to Logo Critique PleaseHi black_yurizan and welcome to GDF.
We ask all new members to read the threads located here: http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/fo...splay.php?f=42
They explain how the... -
Today, 03:12 AMCommented to Hello Everyone!Welcome to the forum!
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Today, 03:11 AMCommented to Hi PeopleWelcome Steviggy!
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Today, 03:10 AMCommented to First time poster, long time admirerWelcome to GDF!
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