Some clients love using this line
The line goes: “I don’t know what I want, but I will know it when I see it.”
This is a nightmare for graphic designers. 🙂 The reasons are simple. What people find appealing is largely up to personal taste. Yes, you would not brand a Hip Hop club the same as a bank, or head-phones designed for listening to metal music, but in there is still a lot of room for personal taste within that.
Generally, this is why we ask clients to show us examples of work they like. We NEVER copy work. That is called plagiarism. But it is possible to remain within the feel of a few examples while creating something completely original.
When a client says “I don’t know what I want, but I will know it when I see it” , what a graphic designer hears is “I am going to need 4 times as much work so make sure your quotation is 4 times as much as it needs to be in order to avoid complications.” This is not an ideal situation for the designer, or the client but becomes necessary in order to preserve financial safety for the designer.
If you have any questions or comments on such matters, please email me.
– Phil Helberg
