The Tribune

By Deidre Bastian

Whether you are a web or graphic designer, or involved in any other kind of creative pursuit, maintaining integrity is not always easy. It is important to maintain creative integrity to satisfy clients and minimise frustration. This means having control over your creative direction and being true to your individual self-expression.

In web design, though, the client will usually have some idea of how they want their site to look, expressing their own creative ideas. So the question is: How does a web designer complete a website for an antagonistic client while maintaining their creative integrity?

Ground Rules: Make it clear from the start that you are the expert and provide details to let potential clients know what they can expect. Yet the project is a joint venture, and you are open to suggestions.

Consistency: Obviously every site requires a unique design, but if the style and quality of your work is all over the place, your customers may get the wrong impression. This may lead to disagreements and ambiguity for their website.

Ensure that the work featured in your design portfolio is consistent in style and quality. That way any potential client who browses your previous work will have an idea of what they can expect.

Job refusal: If you are asked to build a Flash site and have the aptitude, you might not be comfortable because you know it will not perform as well as an HTML site. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to turn the job down if you are uncomfortable.

Constructive Feedback: Sometimes your client may offer constructive design feedback that can actually be useful, particularly if you have overlooked one of their business goals. Perhaps a certain design element may be inconsistent with their overall brand.

Do no be aloof. If the client can provide a good reason for changing the design then it is only fair to do your best to accommodate their request.

Never be afraid to walk away: If you find yourself in an unfortunate situation, where your client has totally taken over by e-mailing horrible photos to place on their website, or suggesting crazy colour schemes, you may have to decide whether you want to succumb to their request so you can still get paid, or walk away from the project altogether.

This situation is not unique, and most designers succumb by compromising their creative integrity so they can get paid.

If you decide to continue and the client insists on doing things their way, then explain that you cannot take responsibility for the performance of the website, and that you do not want to be credited with the design. This means you do not want ‘Frankenstein’ websites as part of your portfolio.

If you have taken all the measures I’ve suggested, then hopefully your client should allow you to have the creative freedom you need. Nonetheless, if you cannot convince the client to take your advice, then you may decide to bite the bullet and walk away, as this is a last resort and may be the only solution.

For all intents and purposes, if you find yourself selling out on every project, then you really need to look at why you are attracting the wrong type of clients and perhaps put something in place if you decide to cancel on the grounds of freedom to disburse creative integrity.

Be mindful that if you continue to compromise your creative integrity for too long, then not only will you have very little quality work for your portfolio, but you will soon become disillusioned with the entire process and perhaps lose any passion you had previously.

Subjectively, the customer may always be right, but that does not mean all are easy to deal with. If you want to stay in business, you have got to deal with them. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories rather than regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game!

• NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

ABOUT COLUMNIST: Ms Bastian is a professionally trained graphic designer/marketing coordinator with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of the Bahamas, Nova Southeastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.