NEVER BURN BRIDGES

you've got to ask yourself if this client will ever be a reference directly or indirectly for you at some point in the future. [the answer is yes; you can't control this]

then you have to decide if you can honestly deal with the crap they're giving you. [your call]

if you can't deal, separate in a way that leaves them respecting your talent and integrity.

if you can deal, you've got to stroke them til their ideas sound a lot more like your ideas. or do exactly what they ask. whichever suits your personality.

hope that helps...

miljand, i have experienced that with some of my print and digital projects. obviously, the scale is much different but the circumstances were as you describe them. i pushed back on them several times and tried to offer them something that got at the heart of what they wanted, but it was not exactly what they wanted. i kept hoping it was the idea that they were attached to and that they would see that my execution of their idea was handled in a better way than their sketch. they didn't. they wanted an exact replica of their sketch. when i realized this and realized that i was not going change their minds, i did the work and got paid. i will never do work for them again nor will i list them as a client or include their work in my portfolio because i don't want other work like theirs. no project/client is perfect just as we aren't. the key is how to work around their imperfections to give them what they want while getting what you need. sometimes that's not possible just as you will not become friends with each person you meet. if you can't influence the situation, accept it and move on.

I agree with e... I worked on one small home addition to a very unremarkable 50's "tract" home. The proportions of the house were strange to begin with - lots of hip roof, low ceilings, etc. The house had a hideous paint job and some strange "decoration", you know, 50's style wood "detailing", maybe farmhouse-esque? Anyways, the inside of the house wasn't bad, they had redone the kitchen in a somewhat modern way, seemed to have decent taste in furnishings, etc. I worked on the project through a large office, but the project was all mine and it was up to me whether to take it or not. After talking to the clients, they seemed pretty open to soing something modern in the sunset magazine way, and they were very nice thought the budget was tight so we agreed to take it and actually offered them reduced fees (my boss wanted me to have a project to do on my own). To make a long story short, it turned out that they had very specific ideas about what they wanted in terms of the plan, the window sizes & locations etc., and actually wanted a "craftsman" redo. I tried to work on variations of the theme, explaining that certain details either didn't make sense on their house, wouldn't fit in their budget, or just weren't craftsman. In the end, I think they paid us to basically design it themselves. They didn't take my advice on certain aspects of the plan and ended up with a very odd plan - they added stonework and window detailing that was way out of their budget, etc. We only had an agreement with them to do "design" drawings (not a permit set), and when they asked for help with the permit set almost a year later we said we were sorry but didn't have the time. I did feel bad, but in the end you will have to decide what kind of jobs are worth it for you to take. From that project and others I have learned to be more attuned to clients expectations at the first feeting. As you get more experience you will be able to read people better and know when to stop before you even start. At this point when we meet with a client whose taste is very different from ours or who seems to have unrealistic expectations, we seem to know what to say to not have them call us again :-) I have also been surprised to the contrary, I should say, in that a few clients who seemed conservative at first were willing to open up and go much further in their exploration of what the deisgn could be than I thought.

- Don't burn bridges
- Agree to disagree or have way to turn them down with out pissing them off
- Interview view your clients to see if its a compatible relationship
- I've learned to release the design slowly so that they feel they have a more comfortable sense of what it is your showing them ( education of th eclient and presentation techniques vary as many clients can't read plans / drawings very well is use models, hand sketches whatever. )
- home owners are the worst because they take it very personally lots of hand holding
- don't be afraid to say no and stand your ground particularly if you are forced to do something you know will come back to bite themie cost issues vs practical solutions ( I have a client who is a friend but his wife has totally unrealistic expectations,,, I know its going to get ugly but I have warned them the whole time about cost isses but she is spending way more than I think they can afford, maybe I' m wrong but I made my recommendation and have the paper trail in place.
- jobs get ugly sometimes, don't let it ruin all your other projects, so try and terminate it quick or at least resolve things promptly so everyone can move on.
- Its not any body's fault many times just like any relationship that things aren't compatible.....its business.

sometimes you have to fire the client.