We all have those client moments when we know something is about to go down. This is the story of one of those moments (and what it taught me).

On Monday I received an email from an acquaintance who was interested in hiring me to design his folk album. It was a rush job, as he wanted to send it to print by Friday. *Insert Red Flag*

Picture a CD case. I need a cover, the page behind the cover, the disc itself, and the back cover. I really wanted to do some kind of cross fade across two images to blend them, and then putting all the type in is the only other big thing. You may have photoshop suggestions that we can iron out once we get the pictures chosen.

He also mentioned that he saw my photo section and would like to reshoot the cover image completely if I had the time this week. *Insert a second, much larger, red flag* Clearly this gentleman has no concept of the work that goes into design or photography.

After a deep breath I sent him an invoice, which included a full design process and price breakdown (not including the proposed photoshoot). I received the following response:

That’s not even ballpark what I had in mind for paying someone. I don’t know what else to say, but please don’t be insulted by the following. Your stuff is really good; I was really impressed, and maybe your work is worth that, but not to me. $50 an hour basically is what you’re saying. That might be fine, but this will take about two to two and a half hours tops of me sitting there directing you and making decisions while you work. Most of it I can do, though it would take ME 15 hours. I would basically be paying you to do it five times faster than me, plus you’d use the tricks you picked up thus far in your career to give it a little something extra. I can settle on $100, but yes, that’s to meet me this week or weekend and do it all in one sitting. We can use a mac and then flatten the images in the desired dimensions, save them as .JPEG images and I can upload them on PC myself. Thanks for your estimate; I like to support creativity, work with talented people and would like to give you the work. So if you’d still like to do it at that price let me know soon. Once again I do think you do great work, but it is not in my price range.

I politely declined his offer:

Thanks for your honesty, but I’m unable to work a rush job for only $100. If you want work designed in the future or to do a photoshoot for other promos, we can certainly set something up and have more time to discuss pricing. Good luck with your project.

And then the shizz hit the fan. I received this in response:

Do you know any graphic designers who want to make $100 this weekend? I’m surprised you won’t do it, but also surprised you thought I could/would pay [$]. That’s a lot of money. I’m pretty sure we won’t be working together ever. And just for an idea – Disc Makers, basically an industry standard, will design from an artist’s concept and photo files an album cover for $390 in 5 business days. So that invoice made me laugh, but it also made me sad for you.

My immediate reaction was shock, followed swiftly by anger. Once I regained my composure I took a moment to consider his position. To him, he already had an idea in his head and needed someone to execute it for him. He didn’t need original thought. He didn’t need research… or sketches, comprehensives, or branding for that matter. He just needed someone to act as a mouse cursor in a program he doesn’t understand, so they will do his bidding. He thought it was a good idea to hire a designer, but it probably would have served him better to hire a monkey.

As designers, we spend our time working to communicate messages in a unique, aesthetic, and functional manner. We make things that are good and get noticed so clients like him can get recognized in their respective industries and, essentially, make money. I cannot in good conscience make something I know is poor quality, thoughtless, irrelevent, and ineffective just because someone tells me to do it. It opposes the very reason I’m designing, and it leaves the client with a horrible product as they walk out the door. When we design carelessly, we rob both the client and ourselves.

In the invoice I explained the entire process that I would go through to create the album. The price was well below market-value (crappy economy + my unemployment = cheaper design). I charged a flat rate, plus a modest 20% rush fee. But I still found myself literally laughed at by the client.

No, this is not my first experience with skeptics — people who believe designers just “use tricks” to give the project “a little something extra.” But, at some point, they usually come around and agree with me. They realize that, like any professional service, we’re making something of a higher, lasting quality that will serve them better than anything they slap together with clipart.

The reason companies will make an album from “an artist’s concept and photo files … for $390 in 5 business days” is simply because they don’t care about the client or the poor work they produce. They don’t care if it’s ugly, poorly made, misspelled, incorrectly sized, photoshopped-to-hell, or a bad/boring/stupid/ineffective/irrelevent idea. They don’t care if it doesn’t sell. They don’t care if it gets the client laughed at because of how amateur it looks. But, designers care about every detail of how the best idea possible is presented, because we want to see our projects and our clients succeed.

In the end, I responded with a polite yet lengthy email, describing, in excruciating detail, the complex process of design. I also fully explained how design creates first impressions, can make a project look professional, and can brand the client while making him marketable. Then I summed up my position in the last couple of lines and offered him some sage advice:

Design takes time, and it isn’t a ‘bag of tricks’ that I just pull a typical idea out of and slap it together. If you expect any designer to act like that… You’ll be getting a pretty crappy project that, frankly, you’d be wasting your money on. I don’t mean to sound jerky. But my experience as a designer tells me to not waste my time on something that my skills won’t be appreciated for. Good luck with your project.

Surprisingly, I haven’t received a response. Designers, the worst thing we can do to each other is to propagate the idea that design is flippant, rushed, and something to be completed in 30 minutes at a coffeeshop. This position on design is perilously close to the dreaded perception that spec work is okay. We need to help educate potential clients about the value of design so they aren’t offended or confused by the services we offer.