How to be a Good Client

In any relationship, there is always room for improvement; the relationship with your designer is no different. Assuming you followed the advice in our last article (Choosing a Graphic Designer), and chose a good designer, it's now time to take a look at your role as the client.

There are three main aspects to being a good client:

1. Keep an open mind.
You hired your designer because they are the creative expert. Listen to them. A good designer will probably present you with ideas you haven't considered before. Here are a few things to ponder in this situation: Does the idea reinforce your Brand? Does the idea resinate with your target market? Is the idea workable?

Keeping an open mind will not only allow the design process to move along more smoothly, it will make the best use of the designer and your money spent.

2. Be honest and keep realistic expectations.
Designers deal with all kinds of people, some are experts in marketing or computers, some are not. If you're working on a project and don't understand something, be honest with your designer and ask them to explain it in laymans terms. If you create the illusion that you understand, then chances are you will grow frustrated and this may have a negative impact on the project.
The other side of this is having realistic expectations. Be honest in what you expect from your designer and the project at hand. If you expect a 90% return on a project that would be considered successful with a 20% return, it will be difficult to see the success of the project at any rate of return.

3. Be prompt.
Designers work with deadlines everyday. Chances are your project has a deadline that you can't or don't want to miss. 95% of projects are delayed on the client side. Get your content to your designer quickly and without errors. Designers work with many clients at the same time, someone else's project shouldn't delay yours and yours shouldn't delay someone else's. Review and provide feedback in a timely manner and don't change the parameters of a project without allowing for extra development time.

Everyone wants a smooth and successful project. Assuming you hired a good designer who's work you like, it's now your turn to take a moment and evaluate how you will handle your side of the project to ensure it is smooth and successful.