An Eye-Conic Feature

I’m a graphic designer. Many years ago (in the age before AI), I made a brochure for a client. The cover had a photo of a couple; she was sitting with a computer, looking and smiling at the camera. The guy was standing behind, looking at her, so his eyes seemed to be closed. 

When sent for approval, she emailed back with her comments. First one was:

Client: “Please open the guy’s eyes.”

I called her back and explained that it would look fake.

Me: “Also, we’d need to buy a second stock photo just to get a set of open eyes in high-res. It’s easier and cheaper to just pick a different photo from the same photo shoot.”

Client: “Oh, I happen to know that the software you use!”

Me: “Photosho—”

Client: “—It has a button that opens eyes. The open eyes button! The design studio we used to work with used it once.”

I was trying not to laugh.

Me: “Well, we don’t use it.”

Client: “You need to get yourself a software with an open eyes button! It’s how things are done these days!”

Now the “open eyes” button is famous where I work.