Of course there is not rule saying a client can’t practice traits from several categories. :)

Kind of off subject, but relevant.
Thanks.

I mean there’s not a lot of clients who thinks that when they pay they’re already buying your opinion. It’s more like: ‘baker bake some bread, it’s just bread and people need this so whatever’ thing.

good luck then I hope your designs will ensure some people that quality isn’t always success. well that’s how it looks like first.

I work in company that thinks mainly of profit than the design look of the site itself.

And the worst part of it, my immediate supervisor and other designers I work with have no voice of their own, afraid of criticizm and opinion of the Big Bosses…And I can bare with them for the bosses are “All-of-the-above-listed-clients”

Also I am a Fine Arts graduate and most of my co-workers are computer tech geeks (no offense on what they do), lets face it, most of their ideas on what makes a beautiful site is based on the hit counts of page views and the advertisers willing to advertise on their site.

Most of them, but not all.

I do have some friends on the techy sides who appreciates art as well.

And when it’s time for comments & suggestions, we have the whole department’s opinion and the voting starts on what’s beautiful and not.

And guess what is chosen, the ugliest piece with all of their opinion combined into one design.

I don’t want to quit my job because it’s a job never the less, so I try to work around it and gather more positive energies as I go through it everyday.

But most of the time, it wears you down, drastically.

Here’s my few additional advices:

1. Pay attention to a first contact with client. OK it sounds very strange but you designers know how it goes with first impression. Speak good, be cool and what is for first impression most important – look good. Why?
Clients know just your work from your portfolio or from their friends. The very first conversation turns your whole cooperation to one of mentioned jobs. If people get you as a designer who knows what he does, they will listen to you and they would love to be learned from you (some not). If you speak as a guy who is just drawing lines in photoshop, well there’s no respect and probably your work will take some more days to finish.

2. Keep your distance and make your rules. It’s all about personality, but you know where to push when somebody thinks he owns you. People are bending other people until the others want to be bent. You’re a person with skin and bones aren’t you?;)

3. Don’t work until you meet your client personally and know what he really likes (if possible). It saves loads of time and cracking pencils. I’m very disappointed when I find email in my inbox from my boss with what some “client” wants. It always took some more time to guess what he likes. Besides that it is refreshing for man’s soul to know and learn from people working in some other branches. We’re still people who can talk not just type right? (Some not:)

4. Be ready to refuse. Hot topic I know… But from what I know big people always know their limits and they know when to say NO! It will definitely not destroy your reputation. Working with a jerks will not enrich you, your name and nor client who thinks webdesign company is a cash machine. If your client doesn’t understand the golden rule that you design for people who are viewing his website and not just for him, hands off.

hope it helps somebody.

good luck to you all.

and sry for my english – pretty bad