Then two weeks ago a friend of mine asked me to come up with a design for a site he was working on. The client had provided detailed wire-frames of each page and had gone into some detail as to what was wanted where. “Great, this is clearly someone who has a clear idea about what they are after” I thought. So why then did I turn down the job?

1. I asked questions about what the client needed and didn’t like the response I got back. As a designer I crave creative license and I try to incorporate the client’s needs in a creative and imaginative way. When asking initially how set in stone the wire-frames were I was told ‘100%’. This meant I couldn’t move things around and find a visual balance or explore different, or interesting solutions.

2. Designers are not photoshop monkeys and can’t produce groundbreaking designs without being allowed some freedom. I’m not suggesting that we should get free run of every decision and never be open to debate, but its a two way street. If you are told “this goes here, looks like this, is this big and should be white” where does that leave you. Colouring in is the answer.

3. No room for maneuver. If your client won’t budge an inch or be open to your input then this renders your job pretty much pointless. Experienced designers know what they are talking about and stay on top of current trends. Their input is invaluable to the success of your site. Visitors to your site will judge with their eyes and vote with their feet if the look isn’t up to scratch.

I’m not saying this client is wrong to be so rigid in their approach, hey its their money, it’s just not a project I want to take on. I’m not interested in making work that I’m not proud of and I’m certainly not a monkey.