Difficult client (logo design)

Rossmiller1987

New Member
What would you do in this situation and how would you have solved this brief. I have exhausted every possible outcome but the client doesn’t like any of my concepts.it is extremely limiting creatively to what have to work with. It’s just a name. He doesn’t want any images or “strange” shapes in the design. Just type, yet wants the logo to represent his company but is still not happy if I do a plain design..?????
I have a contract with him and he’s paid 50% deposit that’s non refundable to cover time and work already done but I don’t think he will pay the other half as he doesn’t like anything I’ve done. I have given him more designs than he should’ve had, just in the hope he would actually choose one he’s happy with but still don’t have a clue what I should do. Should I fire the client or just agree to move on and terminate the contract. I’ve never experienced a client like this but I know it happens.
 
Whether you should fire the client or not depends on whether they are one of those clients from hell, or the fault is yours.

Often times, if you are not understanding what your client wants, it’s because you haven’t asked the right questions.

It is part of your job to find out what your client wants and what they need – not always the same. You then have to help them, if the former is not the same as the latter, to reach a solution that answers their problem.

You have to be a diplomat. Helping the client get what they need, but also producing something they feel invested in; something that represents their business; their baby is all part of the deal. We’ve all had clients with ideas that you know just won’t work and you have to help them understand why this is the case.

Ask them to send you examples of the sort of thing they are thinking about. That way you will understand where they are coming from.
 
What Sprout says. If they can't describe verbally what kind of thing they're after then they need to show you visually with samples of what
other companies have done.
 
Honestly it sounds like there's more than one issue here (reading between lines due to no images obviously), assuming you haven't got a client who's just being awkward.

1. Client doesn't like designs
2. Client obviously has 'idea in head' of what they want
3. You haven't gained enough information from the client
4. You haven't supplied enough variety
5. It sounds like you're basically sending the 'company name' in different fonts

Fix those and you might get somewhere....

And this bit "Should I fire the client or just agree to move on and terminate the contract" makes it sound like there's an intermediary between you and the client.... that never works well.
 
Sounds like you're in one of those "I don't know what I want but I'll know when I see it" situations.

This is one of the reasons that I don't tend to like designing logos these days.

I started to do what sprout suggested and ask them for some examples of what they like and get them to send me them and then I'd ask them what they like about them.
At first I thought some clients may think I was trying to get them to do my job but they've always seemed okay with it and it seems a good way to get some to communicate what they want.
(Some clients seem to actively avoid this for some reason?)

I found it works really well.
 
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