I learned about how to please the client over myself without losing the integrity of my work. I also learned that it’s okay to ask for a fair amount of compensation, even if people act like they’re being over charged.

— Me, at the end of this reflection

My first real experience working for a client was wild. My first client was someone I had only met online through Instagram, and whom I became pen pals with. My pen pal and I have an interesting way of interacting with each other, instead of regular correspondence we write each other hate mail. Our hate letters were filled with ridiculous banter and obvious sarcasm, as we both have mutual respect for each other’s talents.

My client had previously seen my art, such as drawings and paintings, on Instagram (the best of the social networks) and decided that he would call on me for a very important project of his own. He actually had a bigger interest in my art than I had expected, especially when it came to designing logos. I would post my logo designs on my instagram stories, sometimes including the initial process, the sketches, and the final product. His big project was starting a website and he wanted me to help him with the design of his logo.

Initially he sent me pictures to find out what I thought about his design ideas for his logo. Long story short, his design was dreadful. I offered a few suggestions on how to fix it but I knew it was beyond saving. As I was trying to salvage the mess that was his design I decided to try a few ideas of my own. I sketched out some very basic ideas and sent them to him. Surprisingly, he loved everything I sent him. He then asked me if I would consider designing the logo for him, and he was willing to pay me. Now, if you know me you know that I would do many things for money. So obviously I accepted.

I asked him for some basic guidelines for his logo. Basic things like what is the theme? What do you absolutely want to have included? What is the color scheme? What is the logo for? How big should the logo be? etc. These kinds of questions are important to ask because working for a client without a clear vision of what they want is like trying to bake cookies with all the ingredients and no directions. You know what the outcome is supposed to be – a logo – but you have no idea how to get there. Luckily for me, this dude knew EXACTLY what he wanted.
…Unluckily for me, he wanted to include so many things into his logo.

So the next important thing to include in this story is that my client/friend is a photographer who does nature, portrait, and wedding photography. He wanted his logo to include his initials, a camera, mountains, and something to signify that he also does portraits/weddings. He didn’t tell me that all at once, instead he would let me finish a design, tell me what he thought, and then add another aspect.

The process went something like this;
I would present an idea, he would love it and not want anything changed, but at the same time wanted to add something. I would add it, even though I thought it made the logo look crowded. I would send it back to him. He would love it even more and ask for more additions. I would have to wrack my brain on how to keep adding things without changing the integrity of the logo and giving him what he wants. I would find a solution, send him the new logo, and then he would ask for another addition.

At first I was frustrated, I had come up with what I thought was a pretty rad logo, and he kept wanting to change it. I really hated adding things to it because I like clean and simple logos, and my homie apparently doesn’t care. But then I took a moment to think about what I was making this logo for, and realized that it’s not about me or what I like. I’m not designing a logo for some business that I’m involved in. So even if I hate it by the end, my job is to give him something that he likes.

After reflecting on that I decided to stop being so stuck up and instead looked at his requests like a challenge. In the end I came up with a logo that we were both satisfied with. There are still some things that I would change but I am happy that he was happy with what he got. And I was happy that he actually paid me. Most people try to get me to do this kind of stuff for free, as if it’s not what I’m going to school for and getting a degree in. I’m here to make money! So I’m very pleased that my client/friend respected that and paid me for the work that I did.

Overall, he was an ideal first client and I was very happy with the whole process. I learned about how to please the client over myself without losing the integrity of my work. I also learned that it’s okay to ask for a fair amount of compensation, even if people act like they’re being over charged. He was gracious and amazing to work with. Now I’m ready to move on to working for all kinds of different people, even those who probably won’t be so pleasant.