I work for a major graphic design agency, and my direct client is a big financial institution. A lot of the work consists of designing landing pages for them using a very limited list of elements, colors, images, and layouts. It’s up to me to use the existing files to create something to their liking every time.

We have been working on a specific site for weeks. The internal art team loved every version of the project presented to them, and I received comments like, “We love the direction this is going,” and, “Great job,” and, “You’re almost there.”

Today, I was happily working on the last set of tweaks to the site with a few hours to spare before the final presentation to the customer. 

I got an email from the external art director, who is the only direct link to the client and has been part of all previous meetings.

Client: “Hi! Great job on the design so far. Only one small detail I forgot to mention: the client doesn’t want to use any existing assets, colors, or layouts for this project. It needs to look more ‘premium’, ‘fancy’, and ‘special’. Oh, and the presentation meeting will be one hour earlier.”

Client: “I know you said ten days, but I need it ready for print by the end of the week.”

Me: “I might be able to squeeze it in if I work late a few nights, but I can’t promise anything. It’s a big job.”

Client: “Thanks. That’s very professional of you.”

Me: “No problem.”

Client: “And because you’re so professional, I expect a 50% discount since it will only take you half the time.”

The Super Bowl LVIII is being televised, and I am enjoying it on my Sunday with some friends, joking about Taylor Swift, and getting caught up in the tight win. Go Kansas City Chiefs!

During the game, I get a Slack message forwarded to my phone from one of my clients from my graphic design work. The client knows I work a standard Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five, so I ignore it and enjoy the rest of my Sunday.

On Monday morning, I turn on my computer to find a barrage of emails from the client, getting angrier and angrier. I decide it might be best to resolve this more quickly and just call the client.

Me: “Hello, [Client], this is [My Name]. I wanted to—”

Client: “Finally, he responds! I have an emergency here, and you’ve been AWOL! This is not the level of service I expect and—”

Me: “[Client], it’s 8:09 am on a Monday morning. I have spent the last nine minutes going through your emails, and I’m calling you right back.”

Client: “I emailed you yesterday!”

Me: “Yesterday was Sunday. I do not work on Sundays. I was enjoying the Super Bowl.”

Client: “Excuses! I have an emergency! You need to fix it!”

Me: “You didn’t specify in the emails what the emergency was; you just kept saying it was urgent and then called me names for not responding. What’s the emergency?”

Client: “The logo on my website! It’s the wrong kind of green!”

Me: “It’s been that same tone of green for years, ever since we first designed it for you.”

Client: “Yes, but now I need it to be a different green! It’s giving off the wrong energy according to the color experts on TikTok.”

Me: “I… see? What kind of green did you want to change it to?”

The client emails me a photo of a celebrity wearing a green scarf. It takes me all of a few minutes to source the exact type of green and update the logo. I tell the client to refresh the site.

Me: “Is that better?”

Client: “Yes. I don’t know why you couldn’t have done this yesterday!”

Me: “It was the Super Bowl!”

Client: “And the Super Bowl is more important than my logo?”

Me: “You want me to answer that honestly?”

I was designing a brochure for a retirement home, and my client wanted it to have seniors’ photos. When I sent her the brochure for approval:

Client: “I don’t like these pictures.”

Me: “Why not?”

Client: “It’s just so sad. They all look so… old.”

Client: “I told you I had to have that sign up yesterday. What’s your excuse?”

Me: “We installed it yesterday morning.”

Client: “Don’t lie to me. I just looked on Google Maps, and even if that stupid tree is in the way, I can clearly see that the sign hasn’t been changed.”