I write this blog post in a reflective frame of mind after working on a most interesting client commission the past few weeks.
On the surface, it seemed a simple request. A request to design a single image, so it came under my current service charge of £90.
But, no matter how thorough my process of collecting client information, Skype chats and creating drafts is, I can sometimes get it a little wrong.
After all, I am only human. I am sure you can relate.
You see, for £90 I have to become heavily involved with ideas and development and creating what is right for my client as quickly as possible. I rely heavily on the information given and concise and accurate feedback.
£90 is not a huge price to pay for interpreting a lengthy questionnaire, up to an hours Skype chat, developing workable ideas as rapidly as possibly and then creating the final image. There is really little room to make a mistake or for re-do’s.
Whereas to be commissioned for a number of images for a project flows more easily, after the style and look of the image is established. We are on a magical roll by then! 😉
On this occasion, I took two ten hour working days for idea generation, designing and implementing the information and feedback given for an image. From the written email feedback, I really believed I was on the right track.
I have to hit the ground running from the start. If I don’t get it right pretty quickly, then the image rapidly becomes an uneconomical and exhausting frustration for both parties.
So, I sit here in the light of courage and wisdom, of my first ever experience of a mismatch and misunderstanding. All I can do is request a further payment for more ‘development work time’; or , of course, a full refund and I keep the idea designs protected under copyright. This is all I can do to respect the clients and my own personal boundaries. This feels like the best solution. I also need time to reflect and take the positives out of this situation.
What have I learned?
- I want to communicate more clearly the importance of finding out what the client likes, and also what the client does not like about my pre-final creation. After all, feedback is all subjective and open to misinterpretation.
- I want to establish how much developmental work a client needs control of before the final image is drafted.
- My price per single image does not reflect the amount of energy, love and time that goes into every unique design. There are clients who are happy to trust that my art creation will be close to their ideal very quickly and not requiring developmental work, whereas some clients would want more control on the design and its final look. So, to accommodate for this, I will add an optional developmental cost to the price that will give clients the security and satisfaction of rough sketches, mock-ups and final images with amendments). I see this as a workable solution for all 😉
This is all a learning curve for me. I respect and adore my clients. I am being open here, so you understand what goes on behind the scenes and my passion for refining and adjusting my service to get things as near to the perfect experience for you.
Fortunately, the majority of my client experiences have been magical and wonderful!!!
So, thank you for reading this blog post and I would welcome any comments or advice you wish to share, or your own experiences of a mismatch.
Lisa
Really helpful post Lisa. I now have a great understanding as to what goes on behind the scenes with your work.
I love the quote that ‘there’s no failure only feedback’ & use it myself very often! It’s great that you’ve learned from what happened and will be able to give your clients a better experience in the future.
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Thank you…. I try to be as transparent as possible as I think it demonstrates a true reflection and value of having uniquely crafted illustrations. I am sure this experience will have a happy ending. I do see it can only make my service better and more comfortable for client and artist ;)))
Thanks for sharing, Lisa. Creating for someone else is such a balancing act – how to make sure our clients get something they love while still making it a joy for us to create … and sustainable to do so.
It reminds me why so many things I love come with sizable price tags – I love when people pour themselves into their creations. 🙂
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Oh thank you Donna,
Although I have always value hand-made items, having my own business has really grounded me into the ‘Why’ of a higher price-tag.
We can get so used to having things (food especially) very cheaply that we can lose sight of the importance of love, time and quality that goes into what we make, creating something special and highly valued… xx
Love the authenticity and vulnerability in this post Lisa. It demonstrates so well the passion and commitment you put into your commissions as well as the rich learning that takes place when we supposedly ‘fail’. A good reminder that the much feared four letter ‘f’ word – FAIL – really just stands for For All I’ve Learnt. 🙂
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I love this Hilary For All I’ve Learnt!!! I am going to remind myself of that often. Thank you x
Having worked with you Lisa I found it a thorough and totally enjoyable process and was very impressed at the level of care you offer your clients to get it right. £90 is an absolute bargain for a unique, bespoke and personal image that you create, a graphic designer would charge an awful lot more and incorporate further fees for changes.
Your process is very comprehensive and you take your time to listen and act on your clients requirements. But there has to be a level of trust from your clients to allow you to express your own creativity and come up with something as you see fit. You are the expert after all and in a creative role it can be extremely challenging to get inside other people’s heads to come up with exactly what they want. But most of the time trusting the process allows for the best result all round!
Melanie,
It is so lovely to read your words and take in that when I do get it right (luckily in majority of cases) clients are extremely satisfied. I think, in this particular situation, the client mixed me up with a typical company designer expecting lots of drafts and re-dos etc…The commission I worked on would have cost £300-£600, if that was the case….a real mismatch of expectations; but I have learned a lot and that is all good news for growing and developing a business 😉
I am also fundamentally an artist, so when a client wants total control of an image, it stifles the creative process…so thanks for pointing that out too.
Hi Lisa
I feel for you – it can be SO difficult to meet a client’s expectations with design. I know the graphic designer I work with has at times realised that the love, care, attention (not to mention years of training and experience) she put into creating was not matched by the price she charged.
I think seeing bespoke illustrative work as just that (bespoke) means a higher price tag is what clients would “expect” to pay.
I’m glad you re-framed your experience into a learning that can only help your business thrive.
Kate x
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Kate,
I am so glad you can empathise with this story. It’s a case of setting boundaries to meet expectations both ways…
I guess we live in a world where many things are now cheap or free and so the creative process and careful development behind the scenes of a designer or artist, can be forgotten or misunderstood.
Yes, the price tag needs to reflect the ‘bespoke’ illustrative work and set it aside from the ‘off the peg’ stuff.
Thank you for reading and commenting. It is good to know I am not alone in this 😉
And it’s okay if we don’t get it right all the time. Just as long as we’re learning from our mistakes.
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