Had a client shred my design file and it actually taught me something

I do freelance graphic design and had a client last month who didn't like my font choices. She literally sent back a screenshot with red circles and wrote "this looks like a ransom note." I was pissed at first but then I realized she was right about the mix of sans serif and script fonts being jarring. Now I stick to 2 fonts max per project and build a simple style guide before I start anything. Anyone else get hit with harsh feedback that ended up improving their work?

2 comments

2 Comments

leobrown6d ago

Man, I used to think style guides were just extra work for no reason. I figured clients could just trust my choices and we'd tweak things as we went. But after one guy told my color palette "looked like a crayon factory exploded" I started making a simple one-page guide before I even begin. It stops me from going wild with fonts and colors and the client signs off on the direction before I waste time. That specific feedback stung but it really did make me a better designer.

veramartin7d ago

Started doing the same thing after a client told me my presentation looked "like a yard sale gone wrong." She was not wrong at all. Now I send a quick style sheet with font pairings upfront before touching a single design. It saves so much back and forth because they can approve the look before I invest hours in it. I also learned to ask for brand guidelines or examples of things they like before starting. That "ransom note" comment probably stung but honestly it sounds like she helped you dodge bigger headaches later on. Harsh feedback that's specific is actually gold.