So...Having "The Conversation"

The customer is not always right.

That's something that some find hard to accept, given the popularity of that old axiom, but it's the truth. I prefer the phrase, "the customer is always to be respected." That allows a lot more latitude and potential for growth in your relationship with the customer--or in this case, the client.

When you are hired by a client, you are contracting to provide a service--or good, given the case--to the best of your ability. It isn't your job to give them what they want, it's your job to give them more than they expected. And in some cases, that means telling them that they are wanting the wrong thing. You are the expert, trained in your area, and it is you who should be guiding the job to the best possible outcome.

Recently I had that exact experience. A customer asked me to design a logo and branding for his new company, and after having an extensive conversation with him about the company and it's purpose, I went off and worked on some sketches, sending them to him. He responded with a sketch of what he thought the logo should look like--and it was bad design. As the expert he hired for the job, it was my duty to tell him why his design was a bad idea. It had no sense of branding. It had no design flow. There was nothing memorable about it. I was respectful, and told him that he had the ultimate call, and if he wanted me to create the logo that he designed I would, but I recommended against it and told him why.

He was grateful and thanked me. It convinced him that he made the right choice in hiring me because I wasn't afraid to tell him that sort of thing. That I could explain why to do some things, and not to do others. I didn't attack him, I simply guided him to the right place.

It's not easy to have that sort of conversation with a client. It's much easier to nod and tell them that you'll do exactly what they want. But that's not the right thing to do. As a creative talent, you aren't only supposed to be good with a program, you are supposed to be good with your craft, and in the case of a freelancer, that means the craft of communication as well.