11 conflicts between client and design agency – and 10 ½ solutions

“Companies want the best design at the cheapest price, and within 24 hours.” – Designer X

"Designers want to scribble and paint a little, and it takes them forever. And then they think they can charge like they would for a Picasso." – Company Y

Admittedly, these fictitious statements are somewhat exaggerated. Nevertheless, they contain a kernel of truth. And as in any (business) relationship, disagreements can arise from time to time in the client-designer relationship, too. In this article, you'll read about 11 common conflicts – and 10.5 possible solutions for them.

# 1: “No idea...” – Company Y

When asked what the company and its products stand for and who the target audience is, clients respond with "no idea." This makes it impossible to develop a design that is perfectly tailored to the clients and their companies.

Solution: The most important basis for a successful collaboration is a thorough briefing. Clients need to be clear about who they are, who their customers are, and what direction their business is heading to. A design agency should also communicate this clearly, otherwise a collaboration makes little sense from the start.

# 2: “Be creative!” – Company Y

A classic example: clients want designers to just get started and be "creative" in some way. This can also happen when clients don't know why they actually want to have something designed. The result is usually an unnecessary number of working hours and, consequently, an unnecessarily high bill for the client. In the end, they say, "Oh my goodness, that's so expensive, I just wanted a poster design," for example.

Solution: Good design may look great, but it primarily serves a purpose. This purpose must be communicated within the brief. A poster, to use the example, can be designed in perhaps 100 different styles and convey different messages. Clients must communicate to designers what message they want to convey; "Just be creative" is unfortunately meaningless.

# 3: “It takes that long?” – Company Y

Especially companies that are hiring a graphic designer or design agency for the first time have no idea how much work goes into a professional design. A good design agency advises and briefs, conducts research, examines the topic, analyzes the competition, works with different ideas, develops various designs, and so on. Quality takes time.

Solution: Designers should explain to clients from the beginning what steps are involved in achieving the final result. I've found that my clients really appreciate it when I'm transparent and explain how I work. This helps the client understand the pricing and the time required for the entire design process.

#4: Ring, ring, ring...

It's an absolute no-go if designers are unreliable, don't show up for set appointments, or fail to complete the project by the agreed deadline by their own fault – or are unavailable at all. This is unprofessional, damaging to clients and the image of the entire design industry.

Solution: The client and design agency should maintain regular contact and coordinate to see how the project is progressing. If it's simply impossible to reach a design agency and they don't respond to calls or emails, there's no other option than to terminate the collaboration and demand a refund of any down payments made.

# 5: “Make this blue and this red.” – Company Y

Another classic: some clients believe they are designers themselves. Especially in creative matters, there are always people who think they can do it themselves and know what looks "pretty." This is a very strange phenomenon. Good design doesn't really have anything to do with a client's aesthetic sense or favorite colors.

Solution: Designers should clarify their position with clients and communicate their expertise accordingly. It often helps to explain to clients exactly why they designed something the way they did in the past. Then they usually quickly understand that they should let the professional design agency do their job.

# 6: “I have to charge extra for that” – Designer X

Designers may suddenly demand more money. This can happen if the actual workload is higher than the estimated workload.

Solution: The more precisely the project or range of services is described in a written agreement, the better. The more precisely it is defined what the client actually gets for their money, the less likely it is for disputes to arise later. Furthermore, the number of revision/feedback rounds included in the price should always be agreed upon in writing in advance – and what happens if these feedback rounds are insufficient.

# 7: “You’re just painting.” – Company Y

Some clients think graphic designers just doodle and draw and are "a bit creative." This may be true for "low-cost designers," but it's neither true for professionals nor does it demonstrate a professional, respectful attitude towards good designers.

Solution: The only thing that really helps here is to clearly define your position as a designer and, if the worst comes to the worst, avoid working for such clients in the first place. Disrespectful clients are often also late payers.

# 8: “A burger flyer? We wanted a movie poster!” – Company Y

It can happen that designers design something that misses the actual goal.

Solution: This problem can't really be solved afterwards; it can only be prevented in advance. This requires a detailed briefing.

# 9: “We’re not using this for an infographic, we’re making a brochure now.” – Company Y

Sometimes clients don't stick to the brief, throw the concept out the window and only say what they really want after the design work has been done.

Solution: The only solution here is to take a break, have a detailed discussion with the client, and perform a corresponding recalculation. It may be possible to use or adapt existing design elements for the client's new projects; this must be clarified on a case-by-case basis. In any case, the ordered and already completed design work must be paid for – even if the client ultimately decides not to use it. This also applies, of course, to labor resources booked by the client. It's worth pointing out such situations in the order confirmation and arranging this accordingly in writing.

# 10: “Yes, yes, I’ll pay.” – Company Y

The client does not pay.

Solution: dunning and, if necessary, debt collection agency or lawyer.

# 11: “By the way, I need all the raw data.” – Company Y

It can happen that clients ultimately want all the raw data without this having been agreed upon in advance. (I'm not referring to templates for things like stationery or companies that work with their in-house graphic designers to further use the created design.)

Solution: Designers should generally be very cautious when clients suddenly request raw data out of the blue. There's a 99% chance something fishy is going on. This could potentially result in clients changing every element of the design, thus invalidating the entire concept they paid for. Another potential problem: These clients could resell the designers' products as their own and call themselves the "designers." (It sounds unbelievable, but it actually happens.) This would then constitute deliberate customer deception and fraud. Furthermore, the designers' copyright would be infringed.

Handing over raw data to clients is therefore extremely delicate and requires a detailed discussion with the client. Of course, the transfer of raw data also requires additional payment.