This post isn’t meant for gossip or to badmouth anyone, nor is it to speak negatively about clients. The only reason I’m still here is because of the clients. But you, as followers who are interested in design and freelancing in one way or another, have the right to know the mistakes I’ve made. Perhaps one of you can benefit from them and avoid falling into the same traps.
Of course, these aren’t all the mistakes and problems I’ve encountered; they’re just the most recent ones 🙂
Despite all the precautions I take and my careful analysis of the client’s personality before working with them, I’ve still fallen victim several times. I’m not ashamed of it because everything I do is the result of many “and I mean many” mistakes I’ve made. Some of these were my fault, while others were due to the people around me or those I work with. So, let’s dive in, and I apologize in advance for the lengthy post.
I Don’t Know What I Want, and I Don’t Even Know Where I Am!
It’s true that I avoid clients who are indecisive and unsure of what they want. However, I used to have this rosy, beautiful theory: that I could hold the hand of the “lost” client and try to guide them to what they need, showing them the way myself, overcoming my doubts and fear of the madness that might ensue from dealing with them.
This theory was, as I mentioned earlier, rosy, and everything about it seemed right. The experiences I had with such clients all ended in a “happy, bright, perfect” way. But this state didn’t last long, as I later discovered that the theory was flawed. It may not be entirely wrong, but it carries a high risk.
One rainy winter morning, I received an email from a client telling me about his need to develop—or more accurately, renew—the identity of his company. The company was reputable, the efforts of its team were evident, and the company’s size was reflected in its manager, the sender of the email, through his eloquence and the well-organized message.
Before I responded or did anything, I visited the website to browse and familiarize myself with its identity and logo. The logo was absolutely terrible, and I don’t say that lightly. If it had been great, he wouldn’t have contacted me for help with it. The logo was a glaring circle that you couldn’t bear to look at for more than three seconds, with the company’s name written in a font that had long since gone out of style.
My response to the company owner was a recommendation to change the logo, not renew it. It didn’t need renewing because it didn’t exist in the first place 🙂. I told him this frankly, even mentioning that I wouldn’t call it a logo but rather a shape that had accidentally fallen at the top of the page. He smiled and took my words well, agreeing with me, and then asked me to proceed. I sent him several questions to answer—questions related to the logo, such as: What are the company’s goals? What are its products? Why do you think the logo needs to be changed? And other questions to help me understand the client’s vision.
The responses were unexpected; they were in a Word file with more pages than the PDF file I send to clients after completing their identity. The answers were vague and lacked any definitive responses.
For example: What’s the company’s slogan?
His answer was: We used to use this slogan “…,” but we changed it to “…,” and now we use “…,” but I like this slogan “…” because it reminds me of the company’s beginnings. And if you want, you can create a new slogan and let me know!
Do you prefer a specific style for the logo and identity (formal – traditional – modern – contemporary – simple – complex)?
I like formal, but I lean toward modern with a touch of craziness. I also want it to be very simple, not vague or complex, but not easily understood at first glance!
Almost all the answers were like the previous examples. Even in our conversations, he would switch between speaking in Arabic and English. I assumed he was just having trouble expressing what he wanted—this happens often and isn’t a big deal. I tried to discuss each question with him, but the answers kept changing, and I found he wasn’t attached to anything. All he wanted was to get started. I didn’t want to refuse the job because his enthusiasm and kindness were overwhelming. His words were thoughtful and polite, leaving no room for me to back out.
To cut a long story short, we did start, and after about ten days, I sent him the drafts. I was very surprised by his response. He didn’t like any of them—not at all. To be fair, his reaction wasn’t harsh but respectful, yet there was nothing I could latch onto to either continue the work, revise it, or even scrap it altogether. He wasn’t convinced. He simply said, “I wish I had asked you to just develop the current logo.” When I offered to develop it and make some adjustments, he replied that he was now convinced with the current logo and no longer wanted it developed or modified. And that was the end of our work together!
But the story didn’t end there… A few days later, I checked the website only to find that he had removed the old logo and replaced it with just the company’s name written out!
Conclusion: There’s nothing wrong with helping the client. On the contrary, this is a humane aspect beyond anything else. Make sure they appreciate it and will acknowledge it to others. But if it reaches a point where it’s no longer bearable, as happened with me—and it will be clear from the start (the answers were enough to confirm that)—make sure you’re not obligated to continue. Not for your sake or your time alone, but for the client’s sake too, as they’ll be wasting their time and money.
Too Many Revisions Will Inevitably Lead to Illogical Results
How Many Revisions?
This is one of those classic questions I always get. My answer used to be that I’d make all the revisions and additions until the client is satisfied and happy with the result. I used to look at it from the client’s perspective and thought it was wise and fair not to limit the number of revisions for many reasons, primarily the client’s satisfaction and sense of security. But I was wrong—very wrong.
On a cloudy morning, I received an email from a client requesting a logo for his blog. His blog had a fantastic design that I really liked for its simplicity and the effort put into it by a well-known person in the field. The only flaw was the logo, as it was poorly executed and unprofessional.
Aside from that, the client was a very busy person under a lot of pressure. His responses always came after two or three days, sometimes even a week. Occasionally, he’d forget to read my messages altogether.
Anyway, we started the work, and I created several drafts and sent them to him. He chose one, and everything was going well, but as usual, that happiness didn’t last.
A few days later, he came back with a small revision request. I agreed with his suggestion and made the changes. He reviewed the revision four days later, then requested another revision. He then sent me a 3D model that he wanted to emulate. After a week, he asked me to redraw the edges to make them look hand-drawn. Three days later, he decided to revert to the previous design and only change the color. A few hours after that, he realized he had made a mistake in the color change and asked me to revert to the original color. Then, he asked me to apply a blur filter. I told him I didn’t agree with that, and he accepted it. Later, he emailed me again asking about the old drafts and if we could merge them together.
To cut the story short, I’m still working on one of the revisions he requested, which he assured me would be the last one!!
Conclusion: Setting a limit on the number of revisions doesn’t hurt and doesn’t bother the client. You might be flexible with the exact number or even increase it slightly. But the client will know when they’ve crossed the line, and at the same time, you won’t be entirely obligated to do every revision. However, when there’s no limit, the client will try every option and draft without losing anything but a few minutes reviewing and writing a new email to you. Meanwhile, you’ll be the one losing time and effort that they might not appreciate.
Yes, It’s Theft, and Everyone Should Know!
Everyone who works with me knows how important credit is to me—specifically, placing my name in the footer. However, I might waive it if agreed upon with the client and coordinated with them. For example, I might agree to remove my name from the footer if the project is exciting and I’m passionate about it, or if the client is a nice person who knows how to handle the situation and convinces me. Other than that, I don’t agree to remove the credit.
Let’s get to the story: A client contacted me and requested a complete identity package plus website design. Everything was great from the initial agreement to the payment and timeline. He was so polite that I didn’t even feel the need to send him the usage agreement (I hate that name, but I haven’t found a better one). He agreed to everything, admired my way of working, and we even became friends to some extent.
We finished the work honestly and faithfully, with no issues to speak of. I marked the tasks as complete and closed the project.
A few days later, I decided to check out the website to see the team’s efforts. I won’t lie; I was excited about the project. I felt connected to it for a simple reason—it was a project we worked on as a team. And yes, I was surprised by some changes in the design and some strange additions that shouldn’t have been there. But that’s okay, as the choice is ultimately up to the client. The important thing is that I entered the page and started browsing the content. I was smiling because the website now had products with prices and sales operations.
But unfortunately, my smile didn’t last long. I was shocked to see that the footer credit had been removed. To be honest, I thought it might have been an oversight or something that had been done without noticing. The site owner didn’t seem like the sneaky type; he was actually a nice person. So I contacted him.
His response was polite, saying that he removed the credit because of instructions from his site partners, and he assumed it was optional and was willing to do whatever was necessary to satisfy both parties. I told him that the credit was important to me and that I couldn’t overlook its removal in this way.
He then told me that he would contact his partners and explain the situation. To cut a long story short, their response was that “the issue of the footer credit wasn’t discussed, and there was no commitment on our part to include it.” When I told them that I had sent all the designs for review, and they all included the credit in the footer, even after programming, they told me they would discuss the matter and get back to me.
And that was the last time I heard from them…
I suppose I was being “naive” to expect that they would restore the credit after removing it. If someone removes the credit without permission and secretly, they won’t put it back! It’s akin to theft. If someone steals something, I don’t think they intend to return it! And be assured, if they had contacted me before removing it, there’s a good chance I would have agreed. But theft is theft, even if it’s intellectual, right?
Conclusion: To avoid this post being just gossip 🙂, always make sure to send the usage rights to the client, even if they’re the kindest person on earth. You’re dealing with someone behind a screen, and you don’t really know who they are, their morals, or their behaviors. If they truly are as kind as they seem, they certainly won’t be bothered by the agreement. It guarantees their rights just as it guarantees yours.