Communication breakdown?

[Laurence Cremetti]

Clients! Don't you love 'em?

I was so careful to ensure that I understood a brief recently, that I photographed a demonstration by the agent of just how the end result should be......
Naturally, when I completed the shoot, the agent said, "No, the client wants it slightly differently......"

I took that shot about 5 times in the end.

I shot lots of small clamp, fitting, screws etc for a client. All were on white, as JPG, all were cut-out as PSD files too.
I also had to shoot all items together as a group. One week after presenting the work, the client said "can I have the group shot as a cut-out too?" Yeh, right.

I did a London shoot for an agent who said, "I want an overall impresion of the presentation and people at a winter products release show for, ***** (A huge High Street chain).
This is a typical shoot for me. No problems.
A week after presenting the images, (100's), to the agent, (who was delighted), the High Street name came to me and said, "these aren't suitable for our winter brochure!!!!!!"
No. clearly not. These are EVENT shots!

Is it me? Or is it Them?

Tell me your business tales!!

 

[Hamish Gill]

This forum is a bit to close to my business to go in to much detail, suffice to say i have em all i think...The worst are the one who tell you not what they want, just what they dont want... I have had a few items that i have have photographed many times where the client has repeatedly told me all the things they dont like about the images but never given any positive feedback.You correct a problem but inadvertently mess up one of the good things ... and so the process begins again.

 

[Paul Lange]

I'm not a pro togger but at work once we were waiting for an urgent fax. When we chased it up we were told it had been sent and we should have seen it come through as it was sent through on blue paper!!

I once phoned a supplier and said that I needed a price for something for export. I was asked if the goods were going overseas!!

 

[Laurence Cremetti]

Mad world, isn't it?

 

[Hamish Gill]

Yeah, they should have used red paper if it was so important

I actually find design clients the most interesting to deal with ... 9 times out of 10 if you design a logo an show it to them they question it, but then usually after showing them a few more option they end up agreeing that the first one was better and right for them anyway.
There is a very fine line with design between telling a client what is right for them and giving them a choice ... A line between our design/branding expertees and thier personal vision. We often stray into the world of marketeers and business advisors, which we don't concider our selves to be... But it certainly makes the job interesting! I could tell a few stories along those lines ... But I won't

 

[paul morris]

This is a problem for all businesses, the inability to magically read the clients mind!! , and to then try and interpret it into a finished article.
All of which is always subject to change - usually at the last minute