i'm trying to come up with a list of things i wish that all clients new

such as:

logo's pulled off the internet are usually too small to print
same with images
PDF's that i send you for mock ups should NEVER be sent to your printer.

and so forth.

got anymore things you wish your clients knew?

are you speaking in print terms, web terms or both?

I don't consider myself a print/graphic designer, but having done a few web projects in the past...

- better to start with a high-res image than a low one (as you mentioned above) and scale it down appropriately
- it's typically easier to read dark type on light background on websites.
- you sometimes cannot get the same nice Pantone color on your website, just due to monitors and their related constraints
- I find that sans-serif fonts are easier to read online vs. serif fonts.

i just meant for print because that's all i deal with.
but those things are good for ME to know when i do the occasional website.

don't dry your hair while bathing for starters.

and my biggest peeve:
I DO NOT WORK ON SPEC.
my TIME, like yours, is VALUABLE.
if you want to "take me out for a test run" then PAY ME.

Amen.

A couple others:
• The knowledge of the number of colors and processes used in printing
• The difference when it comes to stock photography usage between "royalty-free" and "rights-managed"

i wish some of my clients knew how to open up an attachment

"could you drop off a cd?"
and then i end up dropping off a cd
with one tiny fucking ad on it

retards

also i wish they knew that they can't edit the pdfs
because i dont want them to

Just because you paid for it doesn't mean that you own it. I own the piece, all copyright and all reproduction rights. I'm nice enough to allow you to use my work.

i tend to inform clients of the "very basics" before even sitting down to go over what they're looking for. that way you can avoid all of the bullshit and time destroying questions later on.

i've found that informing them about print production is very important as well, not just design.

Ooh. The Triangle.

Good ~ Fast ~ Cheap. You can choose any two.

it's true, dalen.
instead of getting all worked up about it i think of education as part of what i have to do with some clients. it's all part of the deal. sounds stupid but communication is the key.

what i REALLY hate is when other designers/design firms try to get you to do work on spec.
what are THEY giving away for free?

communication is the reason why i'm trying to think of things they should know.

right, but they should only know it if they're been informed prior.

many (shit most) clients don't understand design/production. if they haven't dealt with it, why would they?

informing them and communicating your needs is the best way to go right off the bat. saves you time, and makes the client feel comfortable, meaning MORE $$$$$$$$$

that's what i'm saying, i want to know what i need to tell them form the get go.

this was inspired by my client sending a mock up PDF to the printer and then them sending me an email freaking out that i sent the wrong kind of file. Though i did tell him last week that i had to send special files to the printer, and not to send the PDF.

ya know, some clients are just not worth the problems.
maybe you need to start weeding them out.

That was going to be my word of advice.

Oh, and the logos off of tiny letterhead/business card/www thing...my god this plagues me to high hell.

I hate also when you ask a client what they don't like and you get this convo:

"Well, what don't you like about it?"
"I don't know..."
"Ok well, in order for me to fix it I need to know specifics. Colors? Camera angles? What?" *nervous snicker*
"Hmmm...I can't place my finger on it. Just fix it and email it back to me."

Awesome.

Course, I have bigger fish to fry when the salespeople fail to tell the client that we shoot video and not still images...I mean we are a tv station.

that's what i mean.
THAT is a bad client that needs to be educated or dumped.
thy're treating the design process like it's a cake decorating business.
i have little patience for people like this. unless they are interested in learning about what design is about and what it can do for them.

Unfortunately we have salespeople who do the wrangling, and as much as I would love to put some clients in their place, I can't go too far. Unfortunate yes. I do however try to get them to understand basic design principles, and try to get them more in tune with what they are seeing.

I think, for me personally, I sometimes forget though that I had to endure thousands of critiques in which my skills to orally relay my thoughts were honed, while they most likely have never had to say much more than "I like it or don't like it."

I call this the "I don't know what I want for lunch, but bring me something good" phenomenon.

i get that we have to put up with a lot of crap but the problem you have, fr, is shitty salespeople. i have worked with mostly good account people but have had a few who were just losers. one i had to take down in front of the whole art department once because he was bascially a yes man to the client. it doesn't have to be that way if people cared about the work. i hate that.

it happens when people stop caring about the project and care more about going out to lunch and covering their asses.