Educating Design Clients

One of my favorite websites of late is Clients From Hell, a compendium of anonymously-submitted horror stories from designers.  Paging through the site, however, it becomes clear that many of the issues that arise between designers and clients could be preempted by some simple client education at the start of the design process. Many clients have only a vague idea of what it is that designers actually do, and it is the designer’s responsibility to explain what we do and how. So I’ve compiled a list of a few articles that it may be helpful to have a client read before any project begins; I plan to share these with prospective clients as early as possible to ensure that we are both on the same page as to what our respective roles in the project should be.

Of course, if you have any other suggestions of good articles, I’d love to hear them.

• The Value of Design: Why Hire a Graphic Designer (Gizmo Design)
• Making the Most of a Design Engagement (Adpative Path)
• How to (and not to) work with a designer (Will Harris)
• 5 Things Your Clients Should Know (Webdesigner Depot)
• Working with your designer (Random Non Sequitur)