“This was not what we agreed on, what happened to the one I picked?!”, he asked with a clearly angry tone. I was confused at first but then I realized I had made a terrible mistake
It was another Monday morning and the house was buzzing with the chaotic sound of everyone getting ready to leave for their various destinations. Dad had already left for work even before I woke from my slumber, he is always the first to dart off every morning.
With my room now my little sanctuary, I lay on my bed and thought about the daunting task that awaited me for the day. I started reviewing the designs I discussed with Greg a few days ago
Greg was my first “big deal” client who contacted me a few days ago about designing a logo for his new architectural business. I promised him a killer logo that Monday morning but there I was with my fingers hesitating above the keyboard as I stared at the blank canvas on my laptop
As soon as the last person left the house, I dove into the design process. There was no time and I just had to rush through the design, I knew it would be quite easy because the hard part had already been done by Greg and me a few days ago.
The ticking clock in my room echoed the sighs of time passing, each second heavier than the last as I kept working on the design. Hours passed like fleeting dreams and at last, I finally took my hands off the computer mouse and sat back to admire the finished product.
“wonderful”, I said to myself as I let out a sigh of relief. Eager to show Greg my masterpiece, I picked up my phone and messaged him on whatsapp, “Hello good morning, I am finally done with the design”.
A few minutes later, a sudden WhatsApp call hit me like a surprise test. I eventually picked up the call. “This was not what we agreed on, what happened to the one I picked?” It took me a few minutes to understand what he was on about, then I realized I made a big mistake.
I was fumbling to come up with a good explanation for what happened. Somewhere along the line, all the sketches we discussed a couple of days ago morphed into a tangled mess in my head and I ended up working on the wrong design.
“Is this how you do logo design for people? you just discard their ideas and choices?”, Greg’s voice woke me from my thoughts.
“Please calm down Sir, I mixed up the sketches and ended up designing something else, please don’t be offended”
“Your excuse doesn’t even make any sense, so you can’t keep track of your client’s choice? I am definitely not paying for this design”.
The possibility of not getting paid was quite glaring and that was something I couldn’t allow to happen. At that moment, I had a choice; crumble under the pressure or come up with something that could salvage the situation.
“Sir please just hear me out for some minutes. The design I did is actually better than the sketch you came up with and I will give you reasons why I said so. first of all, It is a very simple design that immediately tells people what your business is all about”
“But my sketch could have also done the same”, he replied with a much calmer voice.
“I get that Sir, but it is a complicated design. Mine is a lot simpler, making it adaptable for various applications, including stationery. I used the same approach employed by big companies like Google and Facebook in crafting their iconic logos, the design I gave you is world-class standard. I have been in this business for several years, so I know what logo design will best benefit my client’s business goals”
That last part was a bit of a stretch. I started designing professionally just six months earlier, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t know the benefits of a simple logo. Greg eventually conceded and his final words were “Well, I will trust your judgment because you are the professional at this and know much about these things than I do”
After the call ended, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I couldn’t believe I was able to convince Greg to accept the design. He eventually transferred my money a few minutes later.
The victory was sweet but the payment was even sweeter; the biggest pay I have ever gotten since I started designing professionally. Several months later, I got another message from Greg with a new gig; a business card design, and this time, he left the whole creative design process to me, “surprise me”, he said and I did surprise him.
The praise that followed after I gave him the final business card design got me blushing like a 14-year-old girl who got a love letter from her crush. He also showed his appreciation for the logo I created some months back, “My friends and clients spoke highly of it”, he said.
My head swelled with pride as I read Greg’s message. “It is my pleasure Sir, I take pride in making sure that my clients get the best service for their money, I am glad that the logo is serving you well”, I replied.
He paid me handsomely and even added a little extra for doing a very good job with the business card design. The entire journey was chaotic at first but in the end, I was able to make a satisfied and happy client out of Greg.
thanks for reading
Connect with me on:
Twitter: @kushyzeena
Readcash: @kushyzee
Edited with Canva
You were lucky they Greg isn't a techy person. If he were to be such, you would have seen mess😅
Nice crafting 👍👍
😂 I'm telling you o, he is a professional in the architecture business, that's why he trusted my opinion in the end 😅 thanks for stopping by bro
It's well👍👍👍
Awwnn... I laughed at the part where you stretched how long you've been in the business...lol.
I must commend you for calmly salvaging the situation. If not, you would have probably become a trend for making lousy designs. You know the Internet nah? They won't listen to your side of the story.
As long as Greg and his business cohorts are happy, I am happy for you too. Well done Mr. Professional designer 😃
I just had to keep a cool head, it was during the covid-19 period and I needed all the money I could get. It is a good thing I was able to convince Greg, coz he later brought in a lot of referrals. Thanks for stopping by
Referrals and recommendations are the lifeblood of a business. Congrats.
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For your very first creative nonfiction post, you did very well, @kushyzee.
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Again, welcome!
Thank you for the warm welcome and the tips, I will certainly follow them and actively engage in the community
That's awesome, I would have asked for my share in the bonus but I'm sure you would have exhausted it by now.
Exactly 😂 all these happened during covid-19 lockdown, so the money is long gone. Thanks for stopping by
You are welcome
You got lucky with the first one 😂 I hope it woke you up permanently!
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It certainly did wake me up 😂 I have since learned to be very careful when dealing with clients, I might not be so lucky next time. Thank you very much for the curation, I appreciate it
I'm glad you learned your lesson once and for all, without having to suffer :)
My pleasure, keep your weekly prompts coming 🙌
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Well you are a good business man I must say. Despite giving the client what he hadn't asked for, you managed to salvage the situation and went on to bag more deals. Nicely writen
Let's just say I got lucky, coz I doubt if I would have been able to pull the same trick on another client 😅
I'll take that lie you lied about being in business for years when you're just 6 months old a "white lie". Some lies are needed to save us from situations that could cost us fortune. And you were very smart to have come up with convincing words on your client.
Exactly, I didn't exactly lie about what I said, just that I was just 6 months into the business of graphics design 😅 thanks for stopping by
@kushyzee you're welcome