In the website design business working with clients can be fun, but also very well...challenging. I have been designing websites since I was twelve and since then I've gotten better in terms of creativity, learning HTML, and CSS coding and took it a step further by creating the Zobia Alvi Creative. After being very indecisive, I decided to take that a step further as well. The Zobia Alvi Creative will no longer exist. Instead I am renaming the business and building it completely from scratch.
However, before I get to officially launch the business, I needed to gather clients. I have worked with a few since that decision was made and the experiences with each client were VERY different.
One of the experiences left me doubting my ability to design creatively, another said my design was just terrible and then went on to design a (what I think was terrible because this person knows nothing about website design whatsoever) website themselves, and another loved the end result and will possibly hire me for another project.
The first client asked for a website without any specifications for their company. So I decided to research some websites in that field and came up with a design all by myself. I was pretty excited with the way the design came to be and eagerly presented it to my client. The client didn't even look through it, they batted an eye and just said "Maybe, if you made it pink?.." Oh, the shades of color my face turned in that moment.
The next client was a few years back. They asked for a website that represented their project, but again did not know exactly what they wanted. I designed a beautiful cohesive website representing just their project and nothing else. They said that it wasn't "flashy" enough. What in the world does that mean?! They ended up taking my work and putting red sirens and "Do Not Cross" banners all over the site. Literally.
The last client was quite delightful. They had a basic understanding of what the website could look like and we were able to work together to create a great site. No complaints here. A client like this is hard to get by, so I am glad I might be doing another project for this one.
I've also been reading Clients From Hell lately and I can totally relate to even the most ridiculous client stories. These are just a few of mine.