Funny list of annoying things clients say to graphic designers

Client: I think we'll only need 500 leaflets
Me: 1000 will only cost an extra £20
Client: Oh?... well in that case we'll have a chat and let you know.

....5 days later......

Client: When can we expect delivery of the flyers?
Me: once you've decided on quantity, and made payment it'll be 5 working days.
Client: So some time today then?
Me: No! 5 days AFTER you've told me the quantity and made payment.
Client: I thought you said we were getting 1000 for £20?
Me: AAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Recent kick in the proverbial teeth from a design agency/friend who was sub-contracting me for part of a job they were asked to do.

Client: I've got a great job come through and we need you to design ten icons each in several sizes. We'll pay £50.
Me: Erm..
Client: It's a great opportunity. I know what it's like being a student designer. You have to get your foot in the door and this will look great in your portfolio! Plus we're paying you so it's win win.
Me: I'm in my third year. I have reviews this week I don't think I'll have the time. When's the deadline?
Client: Thursday (10 Days)
Me: ...OK but I want more money if I'm going to spend time on this.

Accepted in the end on marginally more but I didn't argue since he's also a friend. Two days later I phoned and said I couldn't complete the work with the time I have (I also work full time on top of Uni as well as other freelance projects). £70 just isn't worth my time any more. Even more so given the complexity of the icons they were after. I figured they're a small design agency. 8 days is plenty of notice for them to come up with something.

The following day he emails and rings about 30 times asking for the icons, a week before the original deadline. Increasing in frequency from ASAP! to 'You've put us back two days by not having them ready'. Ignored all further correspondence. I suspect they may have set some major over-expectations!!

What made this really get me was the fact that this wasn't a regular client that knows nothing, but someone who's an experienced designer and friend that was still trying to get something for nothing under the guise of 'doing me a favour'.
 
Not annoying but certainly made me smile....

I've been working on a brand for a media & film production company. The client is a student who's been running his own freelance business for a year or so and has now decided that upon graduating he's launching his own company properly. The email I received confirming sign off was as follows:

Mate, I love the work youve done! Happy to sign it off (I've made final payment).. Just one thing, could you send me an iphone friendly jpg so I can show my mum?
 
After two different ideas (one based on a card she had done about two years ago which she 'loved')

"I'm sorry I still don't like it!
I don't like the MM (part of the name!) and it has nothing "special" about it.
I wanted a block of colour or something. (It has a block of colour)
This is not much better than he has. I wanted it to be different somehow."
and then the classic

"I know that's not helpful and I'm being difficult but I will know what it is when I see it."

Oh well on to idea no 3....
 
bigdave said:
Client: I think we'll only need 500 leaflets
Me: 1000 will only cost an extra £20
Client: Oh?... well in that case we'll have a chat and let you know.

....5 days later......

Client: When can we expect delivery of the flyers?
Me: once you've decided on quantity, and made payment it'll be 5 working days.
Client: So some time today then?
Me: No! 5 days AFTER you've told me the quantity and made payment.
Client: I thought you said we were getting 1000 for £20?
Me: AAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Jeezo they are ALL the same:

Client: I want 250 cards
Me: No problem but 500 only cost £10 more
Client: Really? OK I will let you know tomorrow
(2 days pass, no word)
Client: When will my cards be ready?
Me: When you tell me how many you want and pay for them

:icon_Wall: yet :icon_lol: - if you don't laugh you would be a continually wound up, angry bunny
 
@ Paul Oh my god I get that all the time!!! Instantly the second I say I'm a graphic designer people want me to sort them out with a website.

I'm a graphic designer - GRAPHIC - it means I draw stuff.... I'm not a web designer...

Thing that annoys me is that people don't seem to realise there is a difference between the two and look at me like i'm stupid for saying I can't do it - as through drawing and writing code are the same thing. I think people think web design is like filling out a few boxes on a facebook profile or something. A friend (who knows nothing about web design) once tried to convince me web design was easy so I printed off a page of CSS and HTML code to show him and he soon changed his mind. I can just about manage to edit a tumblr theme to get it to do what I want. make a site from scratch? you must be joking.
 
Tash said:
@ Paul Oh my god I get that all the time!!! Instantly the second I say I'm a graphic designer people want me to sort them out with a website.

I'm a graphic designer - GRAPHIC - it means I draw stuff.... I'm not a web designer...

Thing that annoys me is that people don't seem to realise there is a difference between the two and look at me like i'm stupid for saying I can't do it - as through drawing and writing code are the same thing. I think people think web design is like filling out a few boxes on a facebook profile or something. A friend (who knows nothing about web design) once tried to convince me web design was easy so I printed off a page of CSS and HTML code to show him and he soon changed his mind. I can just about manage to edit a tumblr theme to get it to do what I want. make a site from scratch? you must be joking.
Click to expand...

Ironically my main source of income is now design for digital platforms, though I only do the design and not the coding. Having a basic understanding of how a website is put together is invaluable, but I haven't got the patience to sit down and code it all up. I still get asked though :p
 
Today I got a txt:
Client: "Hi I know it's the holidays but I wondered if you knew when my posters would be ready!?"
Me: "Hello, like I mentioned a week or two ago, Ive been away since the 21st visiting family. I'm home tomorrow though so can get cracking then. Have you emailed me the information you want to include?"
Client: "Oh, sorry to bother you while you're away! No ive not really decided what I want on them but Ill decide now and email the text over this evening"
Me: "Great, Ill get started tomorrow then."
Client: "Brill, I'll pop round to collect them on my way home. Is about 7:30 ok?"
Me: "Collect what?"
Client: "My posters"

#facepalm!
 
I dabbled in illustration for a little bit as my main source of income is apparel & merch print design.. so a bit of illustration went a long way but one company requested:

"we would like a line drawing of a skull with a spanish marion helmet on"
Me: "okay, no problem. Is it possible for you to link me to the style of hemet you'd like? just to be sure that I can create what you're aiming for"
Client: "we just want the basic marion helmet on the skull. Just do what you think. you;re the designer"
Me: "Okay.... I'll send you the initial sketches some time tomorrow afternoon"
Client: " "cool, talk then"
So.. I attached sketches & info to email the following afternoon, as promised and they confirmed everything & requested the completed artwork, print ready in 5 working days.
& this wasn't a problem because i didn't have too much of a work load. again, as promised I sent them the completed file (after showing them development screen shots & getting the 50% deposit" & they replied
Client: "thats not the type of spanish helmet we wanted, we wanted a spanish battle helmet"

I really, really don't understand how nuts people are sometimes.
 
Some classics so far. The majority of my facepalm moments are more like hair pulling and lie in the vagueness of design requests, stuff like "it needs more pzazz" or "it just needs to be a bit different from everyone else, but not too different it has to fit into the industry", they drive me nuts because you can never get it right.
 
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