Nver underestimate the importance of smart relationships with clients

Whenever people expect me to design websites, I buckle my belt and steady myself for what can develop into a very bumpy ride.

Odd? Not really.

A few years back, a acquaintance needed to setup a website. I was a beginner then, a freshman in the internet site design industry. I was excited and raring to go. They say looking back, you always have 20-20 vision, boy, do I see clearly now! The first predicament was, my friend was in an industry I was only loosely familiar with, he was just starting out in the tourism field, and was himself, not yet fully grounded...he too was a bit of a beginner, but a web site was a vital element of his line of attack. Being a friend and a high-quality artist it made sense that he asked me, plus, I needed the cash!

Here was his brief: "I need a nice internet site".

That's it. There was nothing after that period!

I actually scrolled down the message, just in case I had missed supplementary detail, but there really was nothing else. I called him back requested for details, and all he had for me was, "I want the site to be nice-looking, and cover tourism". I explained to him that I needed prepared articles, company profiles, catalogues, brochures along with other connected information to give me a good idea what I might put in the web site and also to keep a standard look and feel across print and web. Long story short: I ended up making things up, simply to get the site completed in what I thought was "nice" and "attractive".

It took 6 months to get the material complete because despite the fact that I made up nearly all of the copy, it nonetheless had to be based on reality, and on what my friend offered. You know that sensation you have when you are finished with a challenging project? I had that the day I presented my final version of his website. I was done. Being a Zen-inspired designer, I had made a bare, simple, but, admittedly attractive site. But 'attractive' is relative, as I discovered then. In reaction to my presentation, my pal went "So you are going to add extra images, right?". There is a sinking feeling you get when you realize you still have extra work to do on a assignment you are ready to chuck in the 'done' bin. I had that feeling right then.

KNOW THYSELF...KNOW THY CLIENT
On the whole clients do not understand that design is not a straightforward cut, copy and paste process. It really is spinning ideas into concepts, and concepts into pixels, and those pixels into well structured XHTML, CSS and other critical difficulties. It's not a walk in the park, and its far from doing a quick MS Word page layout! These days, I make sure I not only shield myself with an sound contract, but also make sure I fully educate my client concerning what is involved in the process. We are a team getting into a relationship, and thus, a common understanding is vital and critical to success.

Thus, next time you sit down with a first time customer, even if they have worked with other designers elsewhere..make sure you go through all the vital steps so you are both...on the same page!

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{3Way marketing is a South African Pay PEr Lead Advertising based in Gauteng

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