5 No-Go's working with clients

❌ Doing your own ideas instead of following the client's needs
The worst thing you can do is to think that you can put your own ideas always into client work. Yes, there are clients out there who give you a bit more freedom with the designs, but MOSTLY you just have to create what the client wants. Remember, when you work with a client together, it is all about THEM, not you! Their dreams and their ideas. They put their money into YOU, to make their projects come to life. Respect that. Try your best to fulfill their needs and to make them happy as much as you can.

Little side note though. Of course, as an artist, our job is also to recommend to the client what looks good and what doesn’t work so well in the area we are hired for. You are specialized in that area so of course, you have some experience and skills in it. If you think something works better in this or that way, or you have an idea to bring the work to the next level, then YES, talk to the client and help them to bring the best results. But if the client doesn’t want to change anything or listen to your recommendations, don’t force it. Keep in mind, that you have to do what the client wants in the end. There is no way around that.

❌ Complaining about the client on Social Media
A big fat NO GO! We think we are kinda anonymous on the internet, and we also think that the world is so big that it doesn’t matter what we post. But that is not true. There is a possibility that the client is searching for you online and will find things you maybe don’t want them to find. Also, humans like to talk and communicate, and probably you know people who know your client or who know others who know your client. Sometimes messages go a weird and long way to arrive at the destination. But it is for sure 99% secure that they WILL arrive. No matter how or how long it takes. Just keep in mind, that this industry is like a spider web. A lot of connections and ways to reach different points and people. And especially with social media, where posts can go viral suddenly. I saw so many artists who were kind of ‘shitty’ or said something really dumb online, and suddenly the whole art community knew about it and actually rip this artist apart. Be careful with your words. And, well, be just a kind human being in general.

❌ No progress updates in a week
This is something that differentiates good people from bad ones. Working with someone together is kind of a promise to the other person to fulfill their needs. And especially when it’s a new client, you want to gain trust with that person. The best way to do that is, to keep the client updated daily or at least twice a week. Writing an email is nothing that takes forever. Sending update shots or any kind of progress doesn’t take longer than a few minutes. But it has a huge impact on the connection you are building with someone. Also, it’s a question of being professional and showing that the project is on your priority list. And, you know, all of us like to be a priority, right? It makes us feel evaluated. Take just 10 minutes a day to show your appreciation to the client.

❌ Talking unprofessionally
In the art industry, it is very common to work together with people we already know. We have a lot of friends and connections in a lot of areas and sometimes our friends become our clients. When this is the case, be careful of your communication, because we have to separate business and friendship. Even when you know someone closer, or you are familiar with talking with them in a more casual way, try not to forget your professionalism in all of that. Business includes money and consequences and doesn’t only affect you and your friend, so everything you are doing should be done in a serious way. Of course, it can be a bit more casual when you know the client but i still recommend putting that aside for that project and acting like a mature human being. No matter if you know that person or not, be professional. Always.

❌ Disregard NDA contracts
This is an obvious point but still, there are people out there who don’t care about NDAs (non-disclosure agreements). If you work on a project, always get in touch with your client and ask if there is any NDA contract you need to sign, and before you even start sharing ANYTHING with the public, always get back to them and ask if that is okay or not. There is a reason why companies have NDAs. Creating projects needs time, sometimes months, sometimes years and to get sure that nobody outside is stealing an idea, art, story, new features, etc. we have to keep most of our work in the dark for a long time before the full project can be published. Please, never ever ignore an NDA contract. Besides the broken trust and a ruined career, it also has legal consequences for you.