The most important thing is to first break their spirit.
To get them to make the changes YOU WANT you need to get the project to a point where the designer simply doesn’t care any more. Here are some tips on effective ways to accomplish this:
- Ask for countless minor changes to everything.
- Most designers take on a specific project because it offers them an opportunity to do something new and potentially ground-breaking. Find out what this is and demand they change it back to something conventional and tired.
- Initially demand the website be designed and online in a very short amount of time- then gradually add your content to it over the course of several months.
- When demanding a change to the design, use as many subjective reasons as possible. Counter any logical or reasonable explanation for their design choices with- “I just want it this way”.
- Expect the target user to be exactly like you. EXACTLY!
- Once the website had been signed and delivered. Send a long email making as many technical changes as you think you can get away with, with the subject “one last thing”.
Once the designer starts making changes without objection, you know you have achieved your goal. You can then make any request you wish and the designer will simply implement them- ignoring their better judgement.
Congratulations! You now have a designer zombie!
Warning: this process can be lengthy, and so expect the project to blow out to 300-400% what was initially estimated. Of course you will have to pay all of this figure, but at least you get the mediocre website you wanted with none of that pesky uniqueness or style!
/sarcasm
Dear LookU,
I can’t really read what i’m writing right now, but i liked your pondering. I work in Packaging Design and can so easily associate with the web designer (you) in this blog.
Sometimes we are given a brief that describes a product that breaks the boundaries and looks amazing on shelf to draw business from competitor brands. But after a few concepts are shown to the client, the project mysteriously starts swerving back to the current design with better graphics. It’s almost like they used this web designer breaking guide and applied it to packaging…
Needless to say, the end product looks like the original design on steroids.
Is there something we can put in the contract to counteract this fiendishly demoralising nitpicking client trend???