Don't yer hate it!

**Waldo** · 31st August 2006, 05:47 PM

Don't yer hate it!

When a client commisions you do something, in my case an Annual Report, so you spend some considerable time on it to make it really something.

Something that makes it a real sweet piece of design and in the initial meetings they love it, then the job gets to go around all the cooks desks for a week and it comes back to you with the client saying "OOh we really love this, but... " And it's the "but" that kills it, where those little bits that really make this a real nice piece of graphic design get killed because 1 person in the whole kitchen doesn't like it. And this isn't just my opinion that it was a really nicely designed job, as I showed it to a long term client who knows design when they see it, just for their opinion - and they equally loved it and see the value of all the bits of it that go towards making it a really nice example of good design with subtlities that make it really something.

So reluctantly I now have to kill off the really nice bits. Overall it is still a nice job, the client is estatic with it and paying good money, but I know and another client knows trhat it could of been so much nicer if good design wasn't killed by too many cooks in the kitchen.

The joys of government related bodies and too many cooks in the kitchen. And the client I met with to give his opiniopn on the design of the Report is in gov' too - but then he's an ex-designer himslelf and recognises nice, sweet and simple design.

At least I am being paid well for it, but I really wanted a job that oozed beaut design so that it became and hero piece and brought me more work from current / future clients.

So that's my gripe, had a long liquid lunch with a client and I'm done for the day with nothing been done except long lunches and two client meetings for the day.

Maybe next time.

Maybe.

**journeyman Mick** · 31st August 2006, 06:20 PM

Waldo,
my commiserations, (worked as a graphic artist a few lifetimes ago) it could be worse though. I spent two weeks trimming over the heads of aluminium framed windows in a restaurant. The windows were out of line with the stud wall which were out of line with the steel work :eek: . I had to rebate each piece individually to take up the differences. Along the length of one window the wall might run from flush to 20mm difference. As I only had steel framing to fix to I had to counterbore, screw and cut matching timber plugs. Spent a lot of time getting it right, all in Silky Oak, this was in a $50M resort. Got it all finished, ready for the painters to give it a clear coat and then the client and architect came out to look at it.

"Hmm, yeah, nice and neat, we'll just get the painters to paint it to match the powder coating on the aluminium." :eek: :mad:

Bloody hell, if I'd known that I could have done it in less than half the time with craftwood and bog.:mad:

Mick

**Waldo** · 31st August 2006, 06:34 PM

G'day Journeyman Mick,

Sounds like in your case that the riggers setting the building framework didn't do their job very well or their tolerance was so far off it wasn't funny. And then on the other side people in your case not, the client not recognising silky oak from carp pine and seeing the value in the end job and craftsmanship.

Gotta hate that.

**RETIRED** · 31st August 2006, 06:47 PM

Turning up verandah posts with nice crisp design and treating them like babies and then the client comes and just throws them on the back of the truck with concrete and other assorted junk.:mad:

Major cheese off.

**Termite** · 31st August 2006, 06:56 PM

Did a house out with WR Cedar, kitchen doors and cupboards, feature wall in lounge, stairwell. Feathered the colours in and out from light to dark and back again, and the bloody client stained them all dark brown, go figure.:mad:

**Wood Butcher** · 31st August 2006, 07:52 PM

When a certain major discount store moved into my old town years ago, they took up residence in one of the older buildings in the main street. There was a set of solid maple stairs about 9ft wide with carved posts, moulded rails etc, leading up to the second floor.

"It didn't fit our design scheme" so they demolished it with a crowbar and a sledgehammer and replaced it with a welded steel abomination!:mad:

Oh and the building was heritage listed but they didn't care. Now that beautiful example of early 1900's carpentry is gone forever.

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