Me: “Unfortunately, some of the images you sent over can’t be used as they are the wrong file type.”

Client: “Oh, okay. Which files?”

Me: “The animated GIFs.”

Client: “So, why can’t they be used for the brochure?”

I used to work in a tech service company where I grew to be the only designer on a team composed of many experienced developers. The Chief Technology Officer was especially on my back, since everything I did took too much time for his tastes and/or wasn’t something he thought we could sell to clients.

One time, I got to work for a client located in French Polynesia and was asked to design an administrative tool that would be open to public use. I pondered for a while about what design would be pleasing to the eye for people looking for land information on exotic islands. I finally decided to start a mock-up with the most vibrant, vacation-looking colors I could get, and proceeded to get feedback from the team.

Me: “I used different images here and here to give a feeling of looking at a beach when this window and this one are opened.”

Team Member #1: “Yeah! Nice colors! I really like the different tints of blue.”

Team Member #2: “It is more green than blue, though, isn’t it?”

CTO: “What are you all babbling about? It’s ugly, it’s dull, and he spent too much time doing it. Looking at a beach… Pfwah!”

Team Member #1: “Dull?! No way!”

CTO: “Meh, yes, kind of way.”

As the team started debating about colour preferences, I was thinking about what the CTO said. I was used to his harsh remarks, but “dull”? And suddenly, it hit me.

I speed-Googled for an Ishihara test and showed the first result to the CTO.

CTO: “Why are you showing me this stupid thing? I could never see anything in these optical illusions.”

Me: “Well, chief, you might want to try a few other ones, but this is not an optical trick. These are part of a test to detect if you are color blind. Did they not test you when you were a kid?”

As it turns out, no, he had not been tested, and yes, he was awfully color blind. We all spent the rest of the day exchanging Ishihara pictures, and in a team of eighty people, there were eight who were color blind to different degrees and didn’t know about it.

Glad to be of help!

Client: “The sandwich on the front cover… Can we retouch some cheese in there, where the white stuff is?”

Me: “That’s mozzarella. That is cheese.”

Client: “Oh, can we make it yellow? I want to have some cheese in there.”

I work as a graphic designer. We do commercial printing such as business cards, postcards, and signs, and we have a variety of clients from small to large.

I’m working with a real estate agent on some signs and business cards. I create the mock-up and send the proofs by email. The client replies with some minor changes. I do those and sent the new proof.

A few days pass by, and I get a phone call from the client.

Client: “I’m inquiring about the status of my order.”

Me: “I’m still waiting for an approval on the latest proof.”

Client: “I approved by email! I’m losing money because you haven’t begun printing my order!”

Me: “I never received an approval.”

Client: “I have proof!”

She screen-captures her email and sends it to me so I can verify that she actually approved the order. I look at the screenshot that she sends.

Me: “You never hit send; the email is still a draft.”

She goes silent for a moment.

Client: “When can I have my stuff, then?”

She got her stuff a few days later.

I’ve sent an invoice to a prospective client, and they sent this response.

Client: “We see that you’ve listed ‘project management’ on the invoice. We won’t be needing that. We’ll be in direct contact with the designer, so an additional party won’t be necessary. We also don’t need ‘art direction.’ I know exactly what we want and what the project entails, so I will act as the artistic director. We also won’t need any revisions. The designer should get it right the first time; that’s just how we expect to do business. Please update the invoice and we’ll pass on the deposit.“

I didn’t follow up.