"I hate clients" – How to handle negative feedback and graphic design revisions.

In situations like this, you will be required to either make changes or completely redo everything. Here, the number of revisions as well as the money issue will be the most sensitive aspects. The situation gets even worse if the client has not made a pre-payment - that means he can simply refuse your services and you will be left with nothing.

If you've ever had to deal with such situations, this article is for you. We will share with you the strategies on how to deal with difficult clients and avoid getting into such situations in the future.

When you get negative feedback, the first thing you need to do is figure out what the problem is and what the client didn't like. Being on the same page is the best way to get things cleared up and resolve any misunderstandings.

Second (and the most important thing): politely, explain to the client that his personal preferences are welcome, but his audience always goes first. Let him know, that you have done a market analysis, as well as research on trends and interests of their customers. And your design is based on all those factors.

At the end of the day, it is the client's customers who will generate the revenue. And your job is to make sure that the design attracts those very customers.

Keep in mind though, that you don't have to start a war with your clients, trying to change their minds at all costs. Being their design teacher is not a good idea. After all, you don't want bad feedback on a global level that will undermine your reputation.

The client still stands his ground and demands that you make changes. The key factor in whether you do the work for free or not will be your experience and reputation.

If you are an experienced designer with a wonderful reputation - then you can surely demand money for making changes (detailed tips are listed below in the next section).

But if you are just beginning your career in design, and every client is worth its weight in gold to you - then you probably will not charge for revisions. At this stage, think more about leveling up your skills and increasing your client base.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that there may be situations when you will need to fire clients. For example:

• Clients want unlimited revisions – i.e., they don't know what they want, sucking both you and themselves into a production hell, where you will go around without actually achieving any results.

• You are doing great and throughout the process, every presentation that you've been given was approved by the clients, but after some time (after meeting the board of directors, for instance), they dislike the design again.
  

Immediately terminate the relationship by saying:

"I don't think you are the right client for me. I will refund your money. There are some other designers who might be able to help you, but I am just not that person".

Revisions can be different: from something small like spacing, color, and extra text ("EST. 2022") to large-scale stuff, like changing the whole concept or even adding new assets. Here is how to make the "Revisions and additional work" clause in a contract a win-win for both you and your clients.

2-3 free iterations on the project are a sweet spot to go with. Some designers go with just 1 revision (which is fine), but if you want to give your client more flexibility, then 2-3 rounds are a golden mean.

After that, you can charge hourly. And if your hourly rate is high enough, it will be a good motivation for clients not to delay the design revision process and be reasonable about the extra work.

As a result, the revisions section in your contract may look like this:

"A designer will create a website design for a client. 3 rounds of revisions are permitted by the designer. More than 3 rounds of revisions, rework or the development of additional assets are considered to be outside the "Scope of Work," and the Designer will charge an hourly rate of [$$/per hour] for any further work".