Part 4 of 4: Graphic Design — Answering 20 Burning Questions

Client needs vs. creative vision—how do you balance?

Client needs are the foundation of all projects. Creativity helps communicate that message, and being given boundaries is not a bad thing. You look at the client needs and add as much creativity you can without mucking up their needs or the goals of the piece.

I used to get the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) newsletter years ago. Their newsletters were wildly creative. Once they sent something that must have used the entire press-sheet. It was huge. Like 4 x 4 feet. It folded like those old paper road maps and was full of articles. Once you unfolded it, all the articles were going different ways and continuing on different panels. Super cool idea, but it was an unreadable dumpster fire. This is a good example of too much creative vision. Don’t do that.

Do you have a favorite type of client?

I have a couple.

I love my long-term clients. They are also friends. We get each other. It becomes more about getting the work done vs trying to figure things out. We are team-mates.

Newly rescued clients. Sometimes you get a client that comes to you damaged. They have been burned by other designers in the past and do not trust you. This is almost always because they suffered from bad communication. I like to try to find out “what went wrong” so I can really address those pain points and gain trust. When I do a good job, I have another long-time client.

Is there a type of client you dislike?

That guy that wants you to hang the moon for a dollar… yesterday. You know what buddy? If you’ll come back yesterday, it will be there waiting for you.

What is your favorite condiment?

Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp. This stuff is amazing on so many things.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

I don’t envision too much change. More long-term clients. New tools with better efficiency. More workload to offset the efficiency. And flying cars!