why is it so hard to understand?

sawyer1 February 2008 · 08:15

as a creative director, it’s an understood that we have to justify to the client, nearly every design decision— especially why stringent use of typography is an undebatable must. but, for whatever reason, they are unwilling to allow a design agency to apply their professional thinking without a fight. the client however, on the flip side, will not allow anyone else to downplay their ’professionalism’ in what they do. it’s a circle in which i have yet to find reason. continue to butt heads until they finally see the light i guess— i’m not really sure what else to say.

begsini1 February 2008 · 09:02

i believe it was jean paul sartre who said:

“hell is clients”

just kidding.

i think there are a lot of reasons for this.

1/ they are generally paying a good deal of money, for which they
are somehow responsible (their job or the success of the company)

2/ design has an inherently subjective component, so there will
always be room for debate (as opposed to other professional
relationships, e.g. if my construction manager tells me i need a
certain kind of concrete to carry the load, i am unlikely to argue)

3/ design - especially with the advent of DTP - always feels
somewhat “graspable” by clients, i.e. the feeling that they can
do it themselves - it’s often difficult to quantify the value of
our experience, expertise, and intuition.

sometimes i think about finding a small, oceanfront town in italy
where there is an old man who builds boats by hand and has no
apprentice because no one wants to do it anymore. i’d become his
apprentice and make wooden boats by hand and drink a lot of wine.

then i wouldn’t have to deal with clients anymore. ;)