Shoutout to the guy who asked for a 'subtle' design and then showed me a picture of a dragon

I spent 45 minutes trying to blend this intricate fire-breathing creature into a fade, and he left looking like a medieval knight. Anyone have a go-to response for when a client's idea of 'subtle' is way off?

2 comments

2 Comments

burns.richard9d ago

Yeah, that's the worst. You gotta get them to show you a picture of what they mean before you even pick up a needle. Words like "subtle" mean totally different things to different people. I'd just say my policy is now "show me, don't tell me" for any style words. Saves everyone the headache.

coran639d ago

Absolutely! I've learned the hard way that even pictures need a chat. Someone shows you a sunset, but they really want the colors from a different photo they saw once. Now I ask them to mark up the example, circle the exact shade, or point to the line work they like. It turns one vague picture into clear notes. That extra step feels like overkill, but it stops so many "that's not what I pictured" moments later on.