Site Ideas For New Client

[crazy_cat]

Hope this is the right place. I have a potential client that I am meeting very soon. I have asked several times about URL's of sites they like, what are they looking for such as graphic heavy and such. Well with a few days to go no reply from the potential client. They want me to bring built templates to show them.

Do any of you do this without knowing what they are looking for? I mean this is a lot of time to put into templates they most likey will not even want. I am thinking that I should just storyboard on paper with them and go from there. Any ideas or help would be appreciated!

[pleeker]

Since you describe this as a "potential" client, I assume you have no agreement yet, nothing signed, and no money from this person/company?

In that case, I would recommend the storyboard option. I know there are many shops out there that do design comps for free in order to land a client, but I believe that devalues your design services. Tangible work is not something that should be given away for free.

[sem4u]

I would sketch out ideas of layouts and bring some examples of your previous work. It sounds like you are going to have to explain that search engines only really like text. Good luck :)

[crazy_cat]

True nothing signed yet and I do feel the same way as has been mentioned here, waste of my time to make templates that they may or may not like. Yes I have tried to explain in our conversations that SE only like text but like so many out there they want all the glamor and don't understand the guts. Thanks for the input!

[johntabita]

What you are describing is called "spec" work in the design industry and is generally frowned upon because it ends up devaluating our service.

The problem with providing comps, storyboard, or even a detailed proposal, is that you've provided a lot, but the client has committed to nothing. I think that this type of situation is a recipie for being taken advantage of.

[crazy_cat]

Generally when the client contacts me we either meet in person or just chat on the phone. I then send a proposal with my Terms of Service and contract in the proposal so there are no questions. They either accept or we work from that. This client can't seem to even find time to get their info together for the meeting and they really don't know what they want. Let us not forget the copyright issues we have with this one. The client has a lot of info that will require copyright approval forms to place the work on the site which is going to slow things down big time. It will be next to impossible to create a base template as I will have to assume the copyright info can be used and base the template on that and if someone denies use then we have a mess. Oh yes they also want this in 30 days. Sometimes being freelance has it's major disadvantages!

[EileenC]

"Sometimes being freelance has its major disadvantages."

Maybe, but this isn't one of them. You don't have to take this client on. If you do, you don't have to agree to their timetable or their demands. When you're a freelancer, you set your own terms. Clients like this one are a disaster waiting to happen. They are going to use you to navigate their own personal learning curve, and after you have wasted much of your precious time trying to educate and please them, they will decide that "you're too expensive" or somebody's wife's brother in law just took a computer class at community college and they're going to have him work on it instead. In the words of Monty Python, "Run away! Run away!"

[crazy_cat]

Yes I ran as fast as I could. They didn't understand the concept of a contract. Said the previous designer didn't have one. The kicker was the refund issue. Throughout the entire process all phases are approved in writing by the client so when the site is complete there are no shockers. Well they said they understood that but what if after it is all said and done they change their mind and decide they want a totally different look to the site, can they get a new one for no extra money or a refund?

PLEASE....! Danger Will Robinson Danger....!