Comments on: It’s not them; it’s us (sometimes)

By: .: Designers who Blog: Design, Illustration, Photography, Web, Advertising, Branding … » Blog Archive » And WHAT a redesign it is! - ideasonideas

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:40:19 +0000

[...] Posts … decisions … decisions … what to pick, lah …: It’s not them; it’s us (sometimes) and How to disarm 10 difficult client [...]

By: 2007年10月小结 | mashableCN

2007年10月小结 | mashableCN — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:23:36 +0000

[...] It’s not them, it’s us (sometimes) 如何提高和投资者的沟通质量. [...]

By: LaurenMarie - Creative Curio

LaurenMarie - Creative Curio — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:46:07 +0000

Eric, if you're not naturally good with people, it certainly does NOT show in these posts. You seem to poses a reflective attitude and thought process that allows you to communicate quite effectively (I just finished reading and trying to memorize your responses to difficult client requests). You really seem to care about taking care of your clients and your genuine desire to help everyone, your studio's clients and us as readers, shines and is a welcome breath of fresh air.

I tend to get very defensive, especially if I know I'm going up against someone who will reject my ideas. But I like your suggestions to take the time to stop, listen and think what it would sound like from the other end. And keeping eyes open for an alternative solution that would meet both my aesthetic tastes and the desires of the client (the bit about making the logo bigger, LOL) is good insight, too. It's a challenge to do these things but they help us grow as people and as designers, and I like that part.

I am a young designer (both in my profession and in my age) and I struggle with being diplomatic in my responses to, well, stupid requests (see??). You have some outstanding advice! I wish you would produce more!!

By: Best Of October 2007 | Best of the Month | Smashing Magazine

Best Of October 2007 | Best of the Month | Smashing Magazine — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:39:56 +0000

[...] It’s not them, it’s us (sometimes)Effective communication with stakeholders requires a well thought-out plan. This article offers some starting points you can use to improve the quality of communication and meet the requirements stakeholders have. [...]

By: Nachlese Oktober 2007 - Die Seiten des Monats | Nachlese | Dr. Web Weblog

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:03:32 +0000

[...] It’s not them, it’s us (sometimes) Effektiver Umgang mit Kunden benötigt einen sorgfältig durchdachten Plan. Dieser Beitrag liefert sinnvolle Ansätze, mit denen Sie die Kommunikation verbessern können. [...]

By: yani

yani — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 05:20:34 +0000

Great article, some very good points and makes me rethink the way I deal with clients.

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:51:47 +0000

Hi Erin,

Thanks; glad you liked it!

You'd think that taking on other things would just limit your time for client-driven work; instead, I've found that it energizes us for those projects, and keeps us from taking changes overly personally.

For example, we've recently been working on a project called MakeFive. We've been on it for several months now, and it basically makes us the client. It's a nice break, and I feel much more vital when I do work on client-work as a result of this effort.

Everyone has their own way to feel at the top of their game. For some it's a brisk run, and for others it's a coffee and a sketchbook. Whatever it is, I think it's helpful to have another outlet for one's energy. :-)

Cheers!

Eric

BTW: Visit http://www.makefive.com to see what we’ve been up to!

By: Erin

Erin — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:44:01 +0000

Terrific article.

"...That way you won’t find yourself putting every drop of your soul into someone else’s project."

It looks like I should seriously take up a hobby...ever since I got this design job, I've inadvertently stopped doing all of my favourite hobbies (painting, drawing, etc.) because by the time I get home, I feel completely burnt out creatively. But you're saying that if I'd continue my hobbies, I wouldn't feel so wrung out? It does make sense.

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:53:22 +0000

Hi all,

If you enjoy the blog, please feel free to join our Facebook group. You'll find us here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5444098500

Cheers!

Eric

By: KLIM

KLIM — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:15:18 +0000

Great article, thanks!

I am dealing with a few challenging clients right now and reading these posts somehow makes me feel a bit better.

Klim