First Post

[Kyle Blue]

I have not posted any projects I've done yet. Thought I'd post this one since it is a classic example of "what the client wants, the client gets". The client gave me a general idea of what he wanted, which is the original. Then after seeing it on the truck, he choose to peel it off, change the color to silver and have me put it back on. Then he didn't want silver, had me take it off, change the color to orange and put it back on, which is the final. Yeesh.

 

[OldPaint]

it sucks...........there's your 1st bashing)))))))

 

[Kyle Blue]

Ouch! Thanks OldPaint, that didn't sting too bad.

I know the orange just doesn't make any sense.

 

[JR's]

thanks for posting we need new blood to pick on. ;-}


JR

 

[Keneh]

Looks like a good start

 

[SignManiac]

When I know a client is dead wrong and will not listen to reason, I walk away. I sleep better at night knowing the work I put out is good enough for my standards.

 

[Kyle Blue]

When I know a client is dead wrong and will not listen to reason, I walk away. I sleep better at night knowing the work I put out is good enough for my standards.

I do not have that luxury. I do what I'm told otherwise I don't think I'd work here long. I at least gave him my honest opinion, he just didn't heed it.

 

[Dan Antonelli]

I do not have that luxury. I do what I'm told otherwise I don't think I'd work here long. I at least gave him my honest opinion, he just didn't heed it.

Don't do what you are told. You are supposed to be the professional. You keep putting work out like that on the street and that's going to be the only work you get.

Try saying no, and meaning it. I get more work saying no because clients tend to respect you a helluva lot more.

Your clients 'brand' if we're going to call it that, is essentially worthless. And the value to you, as a good piece of advertising your own capabilities, is more to your detriment than the couple of bucks you just put in your pocket to do it.

 

[MARSERdesigns]

Don't do what you are told. You are supposed to be the professional. You keep putting work out like that on the street and that's going to be the only work you get.

Try saying no, and meaning it. I get more work saying no because clients tend to respect you a helluva lot more.

Your clients 'brand' if we're going to call it that, is essentially worthless. And the value to you, as a good piece of advertising your own capabilities, is more to your detriment than the couple of bucks you just put in your pocket to do it.

This is great information!!

 

[petesign]

Hmm, does look like a zombie flick logo... I can see the hand coming out of the ground now...

 

[Marlene]

Hmm, does look like a zombie flick logo... I can see the hand coming out of the ground now...

or this little guy run by...

 

[signcrafters london]

Don't do what you are told. You are supposed to be the professional. You keep putting work out like that on the street and that's going to be the only work you get.

Try saying no, and meaning it. I get more work saying no because clients tend to respect you a helluva lot more.

Your clients 'brand' if we're going to call it that, is essentially worthless. And the value to you, as a good piece of advertising your own capabilities, is more to your detriment than the couple of bucks you just put in your pocket to do it.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I took the OP to mean that he is an employee, not the owner of the shop. Kind of hard to tell the boss you refuse to do something, even if it is bad.

 

[petepaz]

i am sure i will get a bashing on this but why is it so bad if the customer has a crappy logo and you reproduce it for him. we have two art guys that work with us and they are very creative but if we offer this service to the customer and they decline and want to keep their crappy logo i am not going to turn away money. i would say it's a high % that when people see the crappy logo it doesn't come back to you producing a bad job but more so that it affects their business (sorry i just can see turning away business because the customer has a bad creative eye)

 

[Gino]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I took the OP to mean that he is an employee, not the owner of the shop. Kind of hard to tell the boss you refuse to do something, even if it is bad.

Same here. I don't think he has the luxury of saying no to his boss. That's a totally different scenario. Very tough situation to be in.

However, even if he does own his own business.... you can walk away from a job, but if you want to eat, sometimes we don't all have the luxury of walking away from bad clients.

Let me ask you..... if you had 12 jobs lined up for the week and 9 of them were butt-ugly prints, designs, bad color combination or whatever, but each one was going to bring in $500 each..... are you going to turn down $4,500 worth of sales and settle for $1,500, when you could have the whole shooting match if you can't talk the client out of garbage ?? If they are that stubborn, they'll eventually find someone to do it down the street and you're eating pride instead of steak. How in this economy can you really justify this statement any longer ??
​

I agree with you to walk away, but not everyone has that luxury, anymore.

 

[Marlene]

i am sure i will get a bashing on this but why is it so bad if the customer has a crappy logo and you reproduce it for him. we have two art guys that work with us and they are very creative but if we offer this service to the customer and they decline and want to keep their crappy logo i am not going to turn away money. i would say it's a high % that when people see the crappy logo it doesn't come back to you producing a bad job but more so that it affects their business (sorry i just can see turning away business because the customer has a bad creative eye

I've made some stuff from customers that I thought was horrid over the years and it is true that not everyone will listen when you try to help them make something better. the problem is when most of what you make is horrid customer stuff as soon, it will start to look like you are a hack. no one who looks at a horrible sign thinks of the customer, they always will think it was you who did it, totally. some will never put out something bad. some will do their best to change a customer's idea and may put out something they aren't all that proud of once in a while. then there are those who will put out anything no matter how bad. the stuff I did that I thought sucked, I did make it the best I could so the workmanship was there. a horrible idea can look better with material choices and workmanship.

You keep putting work out like that on the street and that's going to be the only work you get.

Dan said it very nicely as it soon it will be all the only kind of work you will get. you'll wonder why no one calls you for the nice stuff, only junky coroplast signs and such and the reason will be the work out there that people have seen.

 

[JoySigns]

I don't think the design is bad. I like the grass cut out of the letters and think it still reads well. Is everyone attacking this because of the color. You took off the sun which was a good thing to do. So bash me guys.

 

[petepaz]

i understand the point of not wanting to put out the crappy customer art and that reflects on your business but i think 85-90% of my work is good stuff and maybe i get 10-15% of the crappy customer art so i think i can live with that risk and put the money in my pocket.

 

[Marco]

Orangee, Children of the Corn?
No on the first, second (orange) wellll. ;-)

 

[Mike F]

I kinda dig the orange one, at least as a temp logo for the month... the green one, not so much. Both of them look kinda... creepy I guess.

Also, I'm kind've in the same spot. More than half of the stuff that I put out was not designed by me. Luckily we have a decent designer in-house so what I get from him is always good, but straight up customer supplied files that they don't want you to touch really get to me... it's not even about design sometimes, it's just that the artwork they provide is just crappy.... but since I'm the low guy on the totem pole, I gotta get it out and get it done regardless of how bad I may think it looks. It's not a fun position to be in. Sometimes though, you just have to bite your tongue and do it.

The best advice I can give you is do what your boss says when you have to, but try to work with the customers directly as best as you can... if you think something is bad, talk to them directly. Just tell them not to mention it to your boss. They can still say something to your boss, but he doesn't have to know it was you who brought it up. That way the customer is putting the pressure on your boss to make things right like they should, and you don't get thrown under the bus.

 

[Dave Drane]

Don't do what you are told. You are supposed to be the professional. You keep putting work out like that on the street and that's going to be the only work you get.

Try saying no, and meaning it. I get more work saying no because clients tend to respect you a helluva lot more.

Your clients 'brand' if we're going to call it that, is essentially worthless. And the value to you, as a good piece of advertising your own capabilities, is more to your detriment than the couple of bucks you just put in your pocket to do it.

I just read this post Dan and I quoted your article in the other post about lowballers. I will say it again here I think everyone should grab the 2010 Signcraft mag and go straight to page 44 and read your full article.

 

[Speedsterbeast]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And whoever beholdin' that thing beholdin' one ugly sign.

Just kidding.

I am doing work for a client who wants red, white and gray swirling stripes on a green and white shuttle van. It looks like a fricken candy kane! (see my post on christmas to see how I really feel)
That's what the client wants, so that's what he will get. However, when he asks me what I think of his design tomorrow I will tell him that I think it the ugliest colour combo I ever saw becasue that is the truth. But if he still wants me to do it, I will and get paid for a quality install.