ARTICLE SUMMERY: As designers we know designer/client relationships can be tricky to say the least. The more clients you have the trickier it gets.
“A GUIDE TO BETTER DESIGNER CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS” by Eric Karjaluoto covers possible solutions from personal experience on how to navigate and avoid the possible pitfalls with your client relationships.
Sometimes designers are like construction contractors, they don’t know where or when the next job will be coming from so they never say no. It’s either feast or famine and Eric Karjaluoto has a few suggestions that just may help you cope and make your life a little easier and a little less stressful. Suggestions like
- Support fewer customers
- Be of service
- Know your place
- Manage expectations
This is just the beginning of a wide range of suggestions to help you handle the increasing speed of life in the business lane that shows no sign of slowing down.
Eric Karjaluoto‘s final suggestion may be his best,”Whenever you feel like a client engagement is souring, reframe your work from a service viewpoint. Think first about how you can provide value to your client/customer. As you do this, you’ll witness their trust in you grow—and many of the things you struggle with will become easier.”.
Let us know what you think in the comments, we do appreciate them.
