The Mark of a Good Designer

While listening to Debbie Millman interview Michael Arad, the designer of the World Trade Center memorial, I was impressed by his ability to adapt to his original vision for the project so many requests and requirements that would seemingly conflict with that vision. Designers are constantly complaining about clients who get in the way of designers’ ability to create good work for them; but while listening to Arad I was struck by this aphorism:

“The mark of  a good designer is the ability to create good work for clients who ask you to do bad work.”

What do you think? True or no?