This video has been clocking up hits on youtube showing the typical client requests you get as a graphic designer that you will no doubt encounter at some point in career as a graphic and web designer. Numerous replies state the reality of said situation occurring and frustrations involved in the trade.

There are also similar satirical scenarios of the above, such as http://www.vendorclientvideo.com/ which show the common misunderstandings in the creative world.

While I agree this is a typical scenario of the reality of the field and most of the inquiries I have as a freelance designer are from start-up businesses and non informed clients looking for low cost advertising and marketing solutions for their products and services. Most are unsure what they need or what will help their business and have only put aside a limited budget for their advertising and company identity. Little know the benefits of design and are happy to have any company image regardless of the implications.

But It’s hard to blame them when their are so many easy and cheap solutions and where free logos are available along with stock photos and ready made templates for stationary. Most clients won’t understand the nature of design and can’t find value in anything that can be created with readily available software and tools with such apparent ease. As such the asset of having a great logo, brand and image is overlooked and the designer becomes an merely an artworker who no longer provides design but just churns out unoriginal and drab non focused design for the lowest price.

When I quote for design work most clients are shocked at the price of logo design or cannot understand that level of detail that goes into the design of effective print material. Many ask for large reductions and explain “it won’t take long…” scenarios. I feel it’s not right to point the fingers of blame at the client for not knowing anything about the sector and costs. It’s not their job to be informed but the designer duty to help inform and explain the benefits of the service that graphic design offers. It’s important to establish a firm working relationship and trust with your client. Your job is twofold… help them sell their product or service and secondly, make them feel comfortable working with you.

In short we should be educating our clients as to the value of design, what our job entails, the difficulties of design and what processes/time scales are involved rather than making fun of them. Then we can expect to treated like professionals and prices involved.

Further information:

• The logo design process by Graphic-all Design.
• The value of logo design by Graphic-all Design.

I also offer reduced price business and marketing design packages. I’m hoping that these set prices will help prospective clients understand the ballpark figures involved.

I’m also linking clients with smaller budgets links to explore the ready-made and off the shelf design solutions that firms that Shutterstock and Logosinabox can offer.