Art for Another
If you are thinking about becoming a graphic designer or are currently in school getting your degree, there is one element of your future career that you should take into careful consideration. You must be willing to accept that what you create, whether a brochure or logo, advertisement or Web site, will inevitably be your client’s marketing piece.
It may sound simple, but the reality that comes with pleasing your client sometimes comes at the expense of your better design judgement. In some cases they love what you do and how you do it, but there are plenty of times when the final product will be something you may hate and be less than eager to let others know you created. The bottom line is you do not have to love it but your client must, because it will be representing them.
Try your best to persuade them to take a certain direction. Sadly not everyone has good taste or understands that when hiring a graphic designer they are not simply hiring technical support. They are hiring a professional with artistic talent, a degree and experience. Ideally the client should put their trust in the designer’s hands knowing we want to make the best design for their company.
It is likely you will at some point come across a situation where a client becomes too specific with their edits, such as, “Can you make this blue, move that over there, I’d like the logo bigger, and please change the font to…” Beware of the client who literally lays out what they want; the decline to “Technical Support” is a slippery slope. My advice when showing a design proof to a client is to make sure that you to tell them when they describe their thoughts about the work to use more general language such as, “It seems too busy to me,” or, “Can we make it more eye popping?” That way you can interpret the changes in style while still managing to keep the design professional.
If you cannot take the criticism that comes with such clients, I would suggest re-evaluating your career choice. However, if you understand and accept the fact that your astute design sense cannot please all of the people all of the time, and even feel joy when a client is so happy with what you created they are beaming with pride to show it to the world despite your better judgement, you’ll be okay. If you are lucky, there will be some clients like this whom you’ll be able to fire, but keep in mind that every job comes with both the good and the bad.
In graphic design you’ll make money, but often you do not have the option to choose for whom you create. I’ve done work for a gas monitoring systems company, sound fun? No, but I made it look engaging and I am proud of the outcome.
Bottom line, you do have to please your client, but there is no law that states you must put the work you did for them in your portfolio.