It's Not About the Website

If we allow the client believe that we think they should know something about design, they’ll usually fall all over themselves to try and convince us that they do know something about design. And, with very few exceptions, they will muck up their own project by doing so. This is the trap.

Trust me, you don’t want to fall into the trap. This happens when we ask design questions of the client, only to find out later that their business or marketing aims and needs conflict with their personal design preferences. Oops.

The problem with this situation is that clients have this annoying habit of hanging-on to their misguided design preferences like a bulldog hangs-on to a rope toy. They then expect us professionals to just “make it work.” In this lose-lose situation, they either end up with a website they hate or one that will not effectively support their business or marketing needs. Yes, the trap sucks.