A friend recently asked me what are the most challenging situations I have found myself in as a graphic designer. Although every job has its ups and downs, these were instances that came to my mind that are specific to graphic designing:
1. When clients don’t value our work and try to get more work with less pay.
I worked with a client in the past months and he asked me to create a pizza box design. When I quoted my fee, I mentioned that it included the design itself and a specific number of revisions.
I made the designs, and after a lot of revisions delivered the final draft to the client – only for them to tell me that they had some other graphic designer make the changes in the logo!
Moreover, they wanted me to make another design in place of the said revisions (that they believed they paid for but did not use).
It’s instances like these when designers have to walk the thin line between setting professional boundaries and spoiling client relations. It’s a difficult situation to be in, but sometimes you have to explain the value of your work and profession to the client.
2. Creating free samples - the ultimate dilemma.
Building a portfolio is very important for any graphic designer, but sometimes our existing portfolio is not enough.
A potential client looked at my portfolio but was still uncertain because I did not have projects related to their particular industry. They wanted me to create a presentation deck, something I was certainly capable of, but had never done before. In this case, I offered to create some free deck samples for them.
I did so because it helped me build a more diverse portfolio, build trust and confidence with the client, and was overall a good opportunity for me to grow and learn.
However, creating free samples can be a double-edged sword, because clients may try to get free advice on which tools, techniques, and methods to use or may even exploit this option to get more work done than what they paid for.
Personally, for each individual or potential client, I try to figure out whether the pros outweigh the cons and it has worked well for me. The key I think is to not be scared of free work, but only as long as you know it's being valued!
3. Owning the rights (this is a big one!)
At the start of my career, I was lucky enough to secure a newly opened supermarket as my client. For 3-4 months they liked my work and helped me make a steady living, until one day they asked me to do the same work for 1/4th of my original fee!
They reasoned that I had by then created enough design templates and only needed to replace the content now. I refused to work for the reduced fee and they went on to hire a new graphic designer.
However, before this entire fiasco, I had made the mistake of sharing the source files for the templates with them (I did not realize I had to be careful), and I didn’t have a properly written contract with them. Lo and behold, the new designer was now using the same templates as mine for all their work and I could never claim credit for them!
The ultimate takeaway – Learn. To. Own. The. Final. Rights. On. Your. Work.
These aren’t the only challenging situations designers (and other creatives) find themselves in, but with experience, we do learn how to tackle or avoid these. So while the industry can seem daunting at first, it’s certainly not unfair to its people!
Comments