Spent three days on a palette only to have the client pick the first option

I had this project for a local cafe in Austin, and they wanted a warm, inviting feel. I pulled together five complete palettes with accent colors, neutrals, the whole deal. Each one had a mood board and examples of how it would look on their menu and walls. The owner looked at them for maybe two minutes total and said, 'Yeah, the first one is fine.' That was it. No feedback on the others, no discussion. I put in about 12 hours of work after the initial meeting, checking color theory for contrast and accessibility. It just felt like all that effort went into a black hole. Has anyone else had a client just default to the first thing you show them? How do you get them to actually engage with the options?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordangibson1d ago

Ugh, that's the worst (and honestly why I sometimes save my favorite option for last now).

brown.susan1d ago

Wait you save the best for last? That just means you're eating the good stuff when you're already full. I could never have that kind of self control.

mark_fisher481d ago

Read a study calling it "delayed gratification.