The Design Community Hub

c/client-red-flag-watch

18

wendy_clark•21h ago

My old mentor said 'never take a client who asks for a discount upfront' and he was 100% right

I had a lead back in March who seemed great at first, nice portfolio request, clear vision. But right in the first email she asked if I could knock 20% off my rate because she was 'working with a limited budget' for a non-profit. I remembered what my mentor told me years ago in Portland about those being the worst clients. I almost said yes because I felt bad, but I stuck to my rate. She pushed back hard and eventually ghosted me when I wouldn't budge. Two months later I heard from another designer she hired for half price, and then she demanded three full brand revisions in two weeks without paying extra. That designer quit halfway through the project. Has anyone else found that asking for a discount at the very start is always a sign of way more trouble down the road?

6

mitchell.shane•23h ago

Overheard a junior dev say 'just push it live and fix it later' and it hit me hard

I was grabbing coffee at a coworking space in Portland last Tuesday and heard a kid tell his friend that exact line. Dude had zero clue how much time we used to spend catching edge cases before launch back in 2009. How do you handle clients who push for that kind of rushed workflow?

13

jennifer_fisher•1d ago

Pro tip: check their calendar before signing

I had a client last month in Portland. Seemed great at first. Then I found out they expected same day replies at 10 PM on Saturdays. They never mentioned after hours work during the pitch. Learned to ask about communication windows and turnaround expectations upfront. Has anyone else found a good way to screen for time vampire clients?

28

betty_fisher5•2d ago

That advice about never taking a client to lunch? I think it's wrong.

Everyone says don't get too friendly with clients. Don't do lunch meetings. Keeps things professional. But I broke that rule back in March with a guy from a furniture store in Austin. We grabbed tacos at a place he liked. Talked about his kids, not just the project. He opened up about his real budget problems. $1,200 he couldn't afford to waste. I adjusted my proposal on the spot. He signed that afternoon and referred two other business owners. Being human helped more than playing hardball ever did. Has anyone else had a friendly move actually pay off?

22

logan_schmidt•2d ago

Had a client pay the full deposit upfront without haggling for once

Honestly, I was shocked when this new client sent over the full 50% deposit within an hour of the estimate. After dealing with three other people this month who tried to negotiate down to half that, it felt like a miracle. Has anyone else had a client just pay without a fight?

14

the_ray•4d ago

Had a client ghost after I sent 3 rounds of logo revisions last week in Austin

They kept asking for tweaks then stopped replying when I asked for final approval, and I'm out 2 weeks of work with no payment. Has anyone else dealt with clients who disappear after you do all the free changes?

4

john_hunt2•4d ago

I used to promise clients unlimited revisions until one project went 47 rounds

Had a client in Austin last year who kept tweaking the logo color, back and forth 47 times over 3 months. I was too scared to say no because I wanted to keep them happy. Then my profit margin on that job went negative, way into the red. Now I cap revisions at 3 rounds and bill for extras, has anyone else had a project spiral like that?

20

phoenix845•7d ago

I finally had to tell a client their timeline was ridiculous after 6 months of revisions

So I took on this branding project for a boutique hotel in Nashville back in March. They kept asking for little tweaks every other week, new color variations, font swaps, you name it. Six months later I'm still stuck on the same round of revisions and they haven't even paid the final 30 percent. Is that normal or did I just stumble into a never-ending client situation?

8

wren301•7d ago

Told a client their logo looked like a baseball team logo and they doubled the budget

I had this restaurant client and their first draft was basically a bat hitting a pizza slice. I casually said it gave off minor league vibes and instead of getting mad they asked me to redo it for $2k more. Anyone else get a weird win from being brutally honest?

27

wyatt_fox68•9d ago

Overheard a client say 'just pick any font' and my soul left my body

I was cleaning a client's home office last week and they were on a Zoom call telling their web designer to just grab any font from Google because it didn't matter. They were paying $2,000 for that site. Has anyone else witnessed clients treating typography like it's nothing?

7

barbara_moore73•10d ago

That 'quick logo change' client who wanted 12 versions for $200

I used to take any project that came my way, even if the budget was tiny. Last year I said yes to a woman in Denver who needed a logo refresh for her bakery. She kept saying 'just a small tweak' and then asked for 12 completely different color schemes over 3 weeks. Now I have a minimum $500 threshold for any logo work and I write up a scope doc before touching anything. Anyone else have a specific dollar amount where you started saying no to red flags?

12

terry_hayes18•11d ago

That "design contest" client who wanted 20 revisions for free

Had a lady last month post a gig on a platform asking for a logo design, said she wanted to see "a few options" before picking one. I sent over 3 rough concepts, she asked for 5 more rounds with different colors and fonts each time. By round 7 I realized she had no intention of ever paying or picking, she just wanted free ideas to give to her cousin who "knows Photoshop." Why do designers keep falling for this bait-and-switch? Has anyone else had a client use the "I just need to see more options" line to bleed you dry?

6

briannguyen•11d ago

Walked out on a client who wanted 12 revisions for a $200 logo

Met a guy at a local coffee shop in Portland who runs a startup. He liked my portfolio and asked me to design a logo. After I sent the first draft, he sent back a list of 12 changes. On the third round of edits he started asking for stuff that had nothing to do with the original brief, like adding a mascot. I packed up my laptop and told him to find someone else. Has any designer here actually completed a project with a client who kept moving the goalposts?

14

sandra146•11d ago

Hot take: I was the red flag client for 3 years before I figured it out

I used to email designers at 11pm asking for changes by 8am the next day. Thought I was being "efficient." One freelancer finally cc'd my boss on a reply that said "your deadlines are damaging my health." That was the moment I realized I was the problem. Has anyone else had that wake up call where you were the nightmare client?

22

jamesblack•12d ago

That one client who wanted 12 logo revisions for $150 total

Last month I had a small bakery owner in Austin ask me to redesign their logo. They paid a $50 deposit and then sent 11 rounds of changes over 3 weeks, asking for new colors, fonts, and mascot concepts each time. I finally had to put my foot down after midnight on a Tuesday when they requested a photo-realistic croissant as a vector. Has anyone else dealt with clients who treat a flat rate like unlimited access?

18

reese551•12d ago

Drove past a diner I used to hit up 10 years ago and their sign was a total mess now

I was back in my hometown last weekend and decided to grab breakfast at this old diner I loved in college. The place used to have this clean, hand-painted sign that felt super welcoming, but now it's this cheap vinyl wrap with comic sans font all over it. When I walked in, I noticed the menu board had mismatched fonts and clip art that looked straight out of 1998. The owner told me they redid it all 2 years ago because their nephew offered to do it for $300 cash. I get trying to save money, but that sign is turning away older regulars and younger people don't even stop because it looks so dated. Have any of you dealt with a client who went with a family member's design instead of something professional? How did you talk them out of it?

9

danieljenkins•15d ago

The $15 logo I bought on Etsy outshined a $500 agency attempt

Had a client last year who paid an agency $500 for a logo. It was generic and used stock vectors I recognized from 3 other sites. I pointed them to an Etsy seller in Portland who did a custom hand-drawn logo for $15. The client got more compliments on that cheap logo in one week than the expensive one got in 6 months. Has anyone else seen big agency work get blown out by a solo freelancer?

23

wyatt_fox68•15d ago

Client asked for 12 revisions on a logo that was fine the first time

Had a client last month who kept nitpicking this logo I made for their bakery. First they wanted the font bigger, then smaller, then a whole different color scheme. After 12 rounds of changes they went back to the very first version I showed them. I charged them for 8 extra hours of revision time but still felt like I wasted my energy. Has anyone else had a client who just can't make up their mind and drags you through endless tweaks?

22

taylor_barnes59•17d ago

Client wanted a 'quick revision' and it turned into 14 extra hours of work

Had a client last month ask for a 'tiny tweak' to their logo color scheme. I agreed for free since it seemed small. They ended up wanting a full rebrand across 12 files, and I worked 14 extra hours without pay. Found out later they had a history of doing this to other designers through a freelance forum. Has anyone else had a client use the 'quick revision' bait and switch on you?

22

rayc83•17d ago

Rant: The client who promised 'creative freedom' then backtracked hard

Had a guy reach out last year for a full brand refresh for his landscaping company in Phoenix. He said he wanted something fresh, totally different, no limits. I was skeptical cause I've heard that before but decided to give it a shot. Spent like 12 hours on three different concepts, really pushed some ideas with bold colors and a custom icon that tied into desert plants. When I showed him, he flat out said 'this isn't what I had in mind' but couldn't explain what he actually wanted. Turns out he saw a competitor's logo that looked like every other generic leaf design and wanted that exact thing but 'better.' I learned that when they say no limits, they usually mean reproduce something safe but pretend it's original. Anyone else have a client who swore they wanted unique work but really just wanted a copy of someone else's stuff?

18

the_lee•18d ago

That small bakery client paid me with baked goods for a month

I picked up a rebrand project for a local bakery in Austin called Sweet Rise back in March. They seemed nice enough at first, really enthusiastic about getting a fresh look. After the first round of revisions, the owner said cash was tight and asked if I'd take store credit instead. I figured sure, free pastries for a month sounded fine, but after week two they kept pushing for more changes with no end in sight. I ended up with 15 boxes of croissants that I couldn't even give away fast enough. Has anyone else gotten stuck with barter deals that just dragged on forever?

24

the_aaron•19d ago

Rant: I almost took a client who wanted "exposure" instead of pay

I had a small business in Portland offer me a $500 website build last month but then said they'd rather give me "social media exposure" since they knew a few influencers. I went against my gut and took the deal, and after 3 weeks of them not posting anything and asking for more revisions, I finally realized my mistake. Has anyone else regretted trading work for promises instead of cash?

10

riley58•19d ago

Saw a client's old sign in an antique shop in St. Louis

I was killing time between shifts last weekend and walked into this little antique place down on Cherokee Street. They had this old neon sign from a dry cleaner that closed in the 80s, and I recognized the design because a guy I did freelance for back in 2015 tried to rip it off. He ghosted me after I sent him 3 different concepts, then I saw his shop had basically the same sign a month later. Has anyone else ever spotted a client's stolen design out in the wild like that?

15

jordangibson•21d ago

The client who wanted me to work for "exposure" at a local coffee shop

Met this guy at a coffee shop in Austin last spring. He saw me working on my laptop and walked over to tell me his startup needed a logo. Said he couldn't pay cash but could offer me "great exposure" on his Instagram page with like 200 followers. I asked him if his landlord accepted exposure for rent money and he got all red in the face. Then he tried to guilt me by saying it would be a "fun side project" and I should be grateful for the chance. I just closed my laptop and told him my hourly rate. He left real quick after that. Anyone else get ambushed like this in public?

19

taylor_barnes59•23d ago

That client who kept asking for "one more revision" until I hit 47 versions on a single logo

I finally tried sending them a PDF with 3 options max and a hard deadline of 48 hours for feedback after getting burned on a $500 project in Austin last month, has anyone else just limited revision rounds upfront and seen it actually stick?