How not to approach a designer
Image copyright: ConnArtist
Today I received an email from a potential logo design client.
It read in full, “can you design my fashion logo”.
No introduction. No punctuation. No details or common courtesy.
I cannot design your fashion logo.
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74 appreciated comments on “How not to approach a designer”
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Ooooh! I hate those emails! Hear this:
My site, Elite By Design, is clearly an English speaking website. Yesterday I got an email “hacer un logo” – not even a question mark! Ha – short post but sparks so many emotions :)
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This would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Nah, it’s funny. :)
I sometimes feel like I’m coming out of left field when I send an inquiry email but at least I introduce myself first!
“Yes.”
-| FASHION |-
I’ll add the transparent swoosh later.
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Funny. Oh, who knows it is a SPAM 2.0
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Why do I get the feeling this client had a $50 budget for logo design and full ID package? :p
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Brian,
I had a strong feeling I wasn’t alone.
Leandra,
A simple introduction would’ve at least warranted a reply.
Pat,
Don’t worry about the swoosh. That’s perfect.
Rafie,
I don’t want to add up the time I spend dealing with spam. It’d probably get me down.
Gio,
Not to mention an e-commerce website, with a money-back guarantee if unsatisfied.
I know the email is probably a spam thang and automation is meaningless to my point, but to those who consider requesting any service, there’s a simple thing called manners. Politeness is, in my humbledom, a powerful currency in language, and anyone in their right mind who has to deal with those who don’t deal in it can refuse credit.
I think your integrity is brilliant – the request is null and void. This client would do well to recognise they’re talking to someone they want to do a fantastic job from them. It’s not an automatic right to access excellent service.
Manners cost nothing, but can potentially reap rewards.
Good on you, chap!
:)
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Yes, communication is definitely a two-way thing! Or another way of putting is this: if you want a professional identity created for you, then you have show that you are professional. This is so basic it shouldn’t have to be spelled out.
Tracey Grady’s last blog post…When RSS doesn’t play nice
You made the right choice. Use it as a filter. A worse situation would have been finding out later this client isn’t worth your time.
David, designers like you may contribute to a better proffesional status.
I do the same, at the beginning of my career I had to fight myself with unpolite clients, now I have my conditions, like 30% in advanced and of course a polite treatment .
Well done!!!
* Sorry for my english, it´s not my first language I´m spanish
Cristian Eslava’s last blog post…Yes, design is a form of art
This is a common thing these days, isn’t it? I wrote about it myself and noticed Adii even posted a funny video about clients.
Maybe since many people are coming back from the holidays, they are still used to ask for a logo like asking the bartender at the pool bar for a beer. :)
Adrian | Rubiqube’s last blog post…Third Time’s a Charm
If you get a lot of these type of emails I would write up a generic response, then copy and paste it in.
Maybe they were just checking to see if you could do it? Some people are very busy and can’t find the time to take on more work.
Some people are straight to the point… nothing more than the minimum to get the message across. My College professors all write just like that… no introduction, no name, nothing fancy. Like an old friend coming up and asking you a question on the street, “Could you design a logo for me?” Although that question mark would be implied.
I think you need some generic responses for some generic questions. There is a TED video at ted.com about how one guy uses speech recognition to respond to emails. When he gets bad emails he swears and it changes it into a nice polite (but generic) letter. I’d link to it, but I can’t find it.
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David,
I can’t think of anything to say beyond a vehement “YIKES”!
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Hehehe I have also seen that TED video… It’s here:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_pogue_says_simplicity_sells.html
The speaker is the grat David Pogue, and the part about speech recognition starts at 19:00, although you will love the whole speech.
O:-)
Ángel.
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LOL – I get similar e-mails. “Need a website design. How much will that cost?”
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Hahaha.So sad. I see that person wasted no time. What amazes me is when people DO spend ages filling out a form in detail – never to be heard from again.
Those that really me off are the people that play you along and then disappear into the ether, without so much as a thank you for any free assistance you’ve provided. Not much to ask, just manners.
Grrrrrr.
Did you ask him to consult MS Powerpoint? I heard it has some cool built-in 3D effects.
Although annoying I think it’s quite funny :) My reply would be;
” Yes, now… Can you design me some Fashion! ”
See how they like it.
Lol, everyone likes formalities. However, what if you hadn’t had work in a couple days?
David, I think I would have made a single, tentative reply. Something along the lines of:
—
Thank you for asking about my design services.
You ask about a fashion logo. Is this logo for your company, for a product line, or a particular product? Will the logo be used in print, broadcast media, online, or for other distribution channels?
And most importantly, a logo design should reflect something essential about the company, the product. The most successful design will reflect about the character of the company, will be appropriate to the industry, and will work to establish branding in the product and industry niche.
You will have to provide me a great deal more information for me to answer your question, will I design a fashion logo for you.
—
My thinking is two fold. For the novice to marketing and branding, the amount of background that is appropriate is quite startling. The newbie would easily miss how intimately the logo reflects the spirit and character of the company, and that the company or product manager has to determine, accurately, what that character and spirit is, in order to procure design services and also to evaluate potential designs. By introducing the breadth of background issues, you begin to educate the potential client about your expectations, as well as raise the flag that you aren’t cutting random shapes out of your kindergarten neighbor kid’s latest refrigerator masterpiece, for $20 a pop.
The other thought is that you provide feedback that: 1) the initial contact doesn’t constitute a complete request for services; 2) They have to provide enough information to express the character of the product or company they want a logo for; 3) logos are personal, the price won’t be an Earl Sheib “I’ll paint any car for $29.95, guaranteed!” standard, low ball, commodity market price. And this sets the customer to possibly be more respectful of you and the process, or of the next designer they contact – a win/win result.
And besides, this might be a word-of-mouth referral from a customer, and the sender of the email may assume you already know what is being asked. An abrupt or missing reply to the email may be reported to a (formerly) satisfied customer – as a report of a negative experience with you. You don’t want to make a customer look bad, by being abrupt with their referrals.
I’ve gotten several of those before – annoying to say the least. But I have to agree with Brad K. I do actually reply with several questions regarding the project, especially questions about budget and timeline. 9 times out of 10 that sends them scurrying away. :)
It’s very temting just to say get stuffed. Usually when they start off like that, they’re a nightmare to work with while the project is ongoing!
Er, give them my email – I’ll do it!
Just kidding ;)
Hahahahahaha!
=)
I think you probably could reply with a simple request to fill you in with a little more information. I understand the frustration involved, but not everybody communicates in the same manner. Who knows…you may get a kick out of the gig?
Not as bad as the ‘we need letterheads, can you supply them and artwork in case you go bankrupt?’!
Turned out they only had a ~£100 budget anyway, which was silly considering the number they required!
I probably would have pointed yours in the direction of a logo design competition forum :)
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Shona,
If it’s spam, someone should publish a blog post—manners for spammers.
Tracey, Peter,
Chances are very high it wasn’t worth the time. I agree.
Christian,
Your English is 100 times better than my Spanish, so no need to apologise.
Adrian,
Nice guidelines. I’ve been meaning to do something similar for a while now. Your downpayment terms are just like mine too.
Dan,
That’s another task I’ve been meaning to accomplish—some generic email responses—though an FAQ page on my website might be more appropriate, where I could simply email the link. Hmmm.
Ben,
I come across those people too, the ones that take up your time then disappear. Thankfully, more often than not the people I deal with are very courteous.
Robert, Liam,
Perhaps I should’ve asked for some fashion design using PowerPoint?
Brad, Angie, Jé,
I used to do just as you suggest. It’s turned into quite a regular occurrence, however, and this time I thought I’d mention it here. It goes back to the FAQ page, or generic response. For some time now, I have on my contact page that if you wish to work with me on a logo design project, please answer my logo design questionnaire. Up top in a nice colourful link. I don’t know, perhaps there’s a phantom logo design client doing the rounds.
As for being abrupt in an email, I agree with you, Brad, and steer clear as much as possible. In this instance, I simply didn’t reply, and if I receive an email that might warrant an abrupt response, I’ll leave it a while—kind of like counting to ten.
Richard,
A ridiculous budget, no doubt. I’m actually reluctant to point people in the direction of logo design competitions. Even if someone has a budget lower than what I charge, I believe they’re better off working with a single designer than crowdsourcing.
Tammy, Randa, Ángel,
Thanks for popping in. I hope all’s well with you.
David, this reminds me of potential clients who contact me for one of my other sites. I’ve had about 5 quote requests lately for CD designs; when I ask what they want, they usually type “we don’t know yet…you decide” in quote requests.
Just like Angie stated:
“I do actually reply with several questions regarding the project, especially questions about budget and timeline. 9 times out of 10 that sends them scurrying away. :)”
… I have to agree with that one, as the relevant information and input you receive from a potential client is paramount to a productive, worthwhile and great design.
David,
I am glad I am not the only one receiving those types of e-mails. I feel your pain!
Even worse are those which request an “inexpensive” logo design as they do not have a lot to budget for the project. It reminds me of sign I recently saw in a tattoo shop that read “Great tattoos aren’t cheap. Cheap tattoos aren’t great.”
The same goes for logos!
Do you reply to such emails, or simply ignore them?
Andrew,
Yes, that reminds me of the famous, “We’ll know it when we see it” client quote.
Aaron,
I’d like a photo of that sign, and again, you remind me of a business term: Good, fast, cheap. Choose two.
Vivien,
In this case I didn’t reply, but when that FAQ page goes live, a simple response with a weblink will work for me.
How about “I can has logo?” :D
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David, I know exactly how you feel.
I got a call about a week ago from a guy who owns an auto detailing business, and wanted a website. (Website for washing cars??)
Client: “How much for a website?”
Me: “Well that despends on content, timeline, design needs, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.”
Client: “Yeah yeah I know, but like, how much?
Me: “As I said, it really depends. Some sites are $1000, some are $1,000,000″
Client: “So you don’t know how much you charge to make a website? Like, could you do it for $2000″
Me: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “I’m sorry, I’m booked.”
People just don’t get it.
Hi David,
First of all, thank you for posting this topic. I’m quite new to the freelancing game and I was just trying to figure out my policies in terms of client management. I’m glad to know that I’m not alone, and suggestions provided by the community have been very insightful.
For me, the issue can work both ways: sometimes clients are not involved enough or only when they want to. In such cases, quotes such as “just make it look funky” or “can I have a logo” suggests that a black dot on a page can (theoretically) fulfill the brief. In other times, clients are too involved (but really have no idea) and treat me like a mac monkey rather than a visual professional. In both cases, the outcome is never satisfactory.
In the end, ive found that as a freelancer the type of clients you choose to accept and the way you deal with them is just as (if not more) important than work carried out on screen. So thanks again for the post David, and thanks to all those who have commented.
David,
Remember the good old days, when the only junk in your email inbox was for credit cards, over the counter pills, nigerian money laundering scams, and porn sites?
Man, those were the days…
Anyway, it’s sad how many people in the Instant Messenger generation can’t seem to see the difference between sending a message to a friend and writing a proper email. Or even talking on the phone or writing out letters, for that matter.
You made the right response. I have no idea why that guy should expect you to put that much more thought into the email than he did.
It’s great how a 4 line post can spark such conversation, love it.
whoa! nice brief :)
I’m with Liam. I love the fact that a 1 sentence email, brought you to post 4 lines, that turned into 37 comments and counting.
While I only focus on web design, we get the same type of emails along these lines “looking to build a Facebook type app/website for our industry, we have a $2k budget. We are also open to offering some ownership in the business.”
All smiles form there. Maybe you can get partial ownership of this logo? Ha!
I am sorry, guys, but I am going to disagree with most of you.
A client hires you because he don’t know what you know, and not because he doesn’t have the time to do it.
In my opinion, these requests may be legitimate, from someone that has a need, and hopes that you can help.
I get these requests all the time, and I treat them with the same respect and attention that I give to my bigger clients.
That is why we are here, and we are supposed to like what we are doing, remember?
When you go to the gas station, what do you say to the guy you find working there?
Do you say:
“- Good morning. My name is so-and-so, I own this automobile. It runs on regular unleaded, and I would like for you to pump $50.00 worth of gasoline, please.
Here are the keys to the cap lock on the gas tank.
Thank you. ”
Doubt it.
you must likely say:
“wassup? 50 bucks unleaded, please.”
What now?
Are we any different from the clerk that sells us our cokes and cigarettes?
We are not.
We do work for a living, and are lucky enough to do what we like, so I think we should treat our customers with a little bit more attention.
Just my 2 cents, and greetings from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
I’ve been there too. I just cut and paste a load of standard design questions back to them and thats usually the last I hear of them. Another major bugbear of mine is when someone emails me for advice, so I send them a load of information and don’t even get a thank you back (of course many others do). Drives me mad.
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I received this email a couple of months ago:
“We are interested in redesigning our web site? Can you work on our existing
web site to make more professional looks? Please provide us your suggestion”
and I was in doubt: is it a serious inquiry and worth to submit a quote? I decided to give it a test and aswered about as short. I received 2-3 more emails providing some details, but in the end I considered it wasn’t worth engaging. The mail was from overseas – would you have answered? Would you be – say tempted?
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\I can see where JK is coming from, but the complexity of the situation is different. Saying “50 bucks unleaded please” will get you a tank full of fuel, deal done, whereas saying “Can you design my logo” will get you a reply of “Yes, probably”. I’ve dealt with clients who have all levels of knowledge of the design process, but they all know how to write a professional and courteous email.
Those sorts of emails tend to reek of “I can’t afford your fees” I find, ha ha ;)
I also respond to all enquiries in the same way, even if the opening message is pretty ‘grunt grunt’ like that one.
I’d probably have a “I’d like to know more about your business” type of response.
Sounds funny and bothering at the same time. I really hate those kinds of emails, I am wondering if he replied back to you or not :)
Thanks for commenting, everyone. Sorry I can’t address you all individually, but my right hand is out of action for a while following a football injury. Typing with only my weaker hand is proving more difficult than I thought.
I hope you all had a great weekend!
Ha, now you’re getting my clients (lol). Just out of curiousity, did you update your header? The clouds look smoother and so does your logo.
Hi Doug. The last header update was a few months back. The logo appears sharp to me (I hope it does for others).
That’s weird. At work I noticed the header image (the clouds) are different than when I look at the image on my computer at home (???). Then today I refreshed the page and the image changed so I thought maybe you had rotating images or something.
I actually printed this and tacked it to my wall the other day when I first saw this in my inbox (I’m signed up for DavidAirey.com email alerts) – just to remind myself that even the guys in the ‘big leagues’ get emails like this.
@Tyler
Heh – I’ve had almost the exact same exchange with clients before.
“I’m definitely booked up… so sorry.”
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I think the best line I ever received from this type of client was, “How can you charge that much? I live in England!” He he, as if geographical location included a discount.
Doug,
There are four top banner images that rotate randomly, but the logo should be just as clear on each, so I’m guessing the monitor change had something to do with it? That’s amusing about your England-based client. I hope you reserve such discounts for the Irish.
AzAkers,
Thanks very much for subscribing.
The sad thing is, these people have businesses so they need to know about customer service – which always should include basic courtesy and common GOOD MANNERS.
Even if I’m dealing with someone I don’t particularly like or gel with as a person, I’m always polite and helpful. It won’t help my professional or personal reputation to behave otherwise!
I’ve just sent off a batch of important artwork by email to the printer – I always ask for a confirmation to make sure a) they received it and b) it is all OK. I never heard a thing back, and when I called them to make sure it had arrived I just got a ‘oh yeah, we got it and it’s printed’. I just think that’s rude. It takes only a few second to type a quick reply, so if they’re that willing to cut corners I’m not going to trust them on their print jobs (plus they went ahead and printed it all without a proof and without checking with me – grrrr!)
Managers, seniors, all staff – teach people about common courtesy. It will gain you respect and cost you nothing, but the lack of it can and will lose you business.
minxlj’s last blog post…7 Random Things (or, A Designer’s Favourites)
Fine.
Argh! This is just like everyday during high school. I walk into class and it’s “Hey Maddie, want to design a logo for my club/band/no apparent reason at all?”
But as soon as I say that I need some compensation for it, their entire tune changes. I had one person shoot me back an email as soon as I asked for compensation saying that they had already found a designer, aka, they used the same logo from the last year but changed the background color. And there was another person who claimed that the work that I did for him was for my “portfolio” when I asked for compensation.
I may want to design a logo for you, but it doesn’t mean I will. Especially when I’m getting nothing from it.
Gah, even though I’m kind of heading down the starving artist path, there is no way that I’m going to put up with this crap in college (even though I’m probably going to end up putting up with some of it anyway. Arghhh……there’s got to be a way to escape this vicious circle.).
I hate those ones.
Normally I reply them with a standard email, but sometimes I don’t.
I agree with others, normally is people with a $50 budget, and they send this email to many designers to see if someones can charge what they want.
Maddison, there is a way of avoiding it – just don’t do it, don’t ever work for free.
No one has to be a starving artist. There’s not rule to say that if you are designer you will ‘probably’ have to put up with working for free at some point. That’s not the case at all, I never work without having 50% paid up front first let alone working for free, which never happens.
There are enough paying customers around that you don’t have to work for free, and those that do work for free (I think) do so because they panic during a dry spell. Or panic when first starting out that they aren’t getting enough work in.
If you work for free you devalue your work in the eyes of your customers and then it will make it harder for them to feel that they should pay you for anything. Potential customers who witness you working for free for others (they do talk amongst each other you know) will have a lower opinion of the ‘value’ of your work.
“Hey, use so and so, they will do this and that for free for you”
You’ll just end up with even more businesses referred to you by the previous ‘freebie recipients’ who also don’t to pay. And so you start a vicious circle for yourself. Only you can control the circle and stop it happening.
It’s all about branding, as a designer you have to take care of the perception of your brand just as much as any other business. Freelance design is a business like any other.
The only freebies you should entertain for the sake of your career should be:
- Small (nothing time consuming) freebie ‘gifts’ for longstanding clients to keep them sweet.
- Freebie designs for competitions or giveaways for the purpose of promoting your business or gaining opt-in subscribers for instance.
Sorry to nag, but working for free is just the kiss of death for a design business :)
Amanda
x
The only free work I have ever done, or will ever do is charity work. I’ve done a few branding projects for non-profit organisations through the VSO and similar charities that are worthwhile. I enjoy doing it, and I’ll continue to do it as and when I have spare time.
I’ve never done any logo design ‘competitions’ for free because I don’t believe they’re adding anything positive to the industry, personally.
minxlj’s last blog post…7 Random Things (or, A Designer’s Favourites)
Well not everything I do is ‘for the industry’ ;) I often do things for the good of my business.
I personally offer free logo design competitions every now and then because they act as a good marketing and sales tool for me.
I should imagine that is the motive behind any business running a competition.
Amanda
Wow what an interesting read at work, on a relatively quiet day!
Where I agree with the majority of posts, I think Steve O hit the nail for me; if this potential client wanted a logo, if they consider themselves a professional business, why not act like one?
I’m sure they wouldn’t go to a material stockist, or a shop hoping to sell some gear, and say “can I have some fabric” or “let me sell in your shop”. I think the other people would see them as amateur from the way they present themselves.
How you respond to it, I think determines how you wish to present your own business.
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Hey, Amanda. The only thing is, I’m barely out of high school, so my clients were people I saw every day, many who were friends or friends of friends. Most of them are artists in some shape or form, but most of them also are going off to major in non-art subjects, so they know it’s not always easy for artists to have a constant cash flow, but they don’t seem to ever want to try to contribute to that when they request projects (and they wonder why I never want to give them gas money when I get rides from them….). I think it’s mainly because since they’re my friends, it means I’ll do projects for free, which is frustrating, because that’s rarely, if ever, how the real world works.
50% up front? That’s a really good idea. But how do you price various projects? I’ve done posters ( like huge posters for school events) for a hundred dollars, but that’s about as extensive as I’ve gotten.
I understand doing a favour for your mates, but it really doesn’t have to carry on when you are working as a professional and being hired by actual businesses.
It’s not how the real world works at all when you are a professional designer I promise you and a steady flow of customers is definitely something you can expect as long as you consistently do marketing for your business.
Starving artist is a myth perpetuated by people who aren’t earning enough from their trade because they haven’t learned enough about running a business to do well, or they aren’t talented enough as a design to do well. Or a combination of both.
Both of those issues for anyone struggling in that way, can be fixed by learning more about marketing a business and cultivating better design skills.
I think that the issue for most artists isn’t talent, it’s business skills. They think just because they are artistically talented the work will just flow through the door, but it doesn’t.
When you launch into a freelance career, a good 25% of your time at least will probably be spent marketing your business if you expect a steady flow of work.
Nearly all designers will take 50% up front so clients won’t have any issue with that. Any client who does have an issue isa bad debt risk (i.e. it’s more likely they won’t want pay your invoice at the end of the project either), thus the deposit taking is to weed out the bad customers from the people who will pay their invoices.
Price your projects based on how long you think a project will take you, which is unfortunately a matter of experience sometimes, but you’ll have to estimate in the beginning until you’ve done enough variations of projects to get a good idea of how long it actually takes.
Take into account time for making revisions to the design based on clients requests once they see your concept. If you’ve listened properly to what they said they wanted, hopefully these will be minor – the more revisions they want the more it eats into your profit if it’s more than expected.
You can charge extra for revisions if you want, but that can be off putting for the small business owner who often can’t afford for project fees to run away with them mid-project.
Decide on the hourly rate you would like to earn and then double it (50% of your time will be taken up by admin, customer communications, and marketing you see). Then x that hourly rate by the project time. The figure left is your quote…perhaps check it against other providers of similar quality to ensure it is competitive in the marketplace.
It’s in your interest to become a fast designer if you want to earn decent money whilst offering well priced competitive services at the same time.
Hope that helps! :)
Wow, I really rattled on there, lol.
Oh yes, in reference to my massive post…more good advice is; learn to touch type at high speed, it will improve your efficiency in things like;
- Emails to clients and contacts
- Writing blogs
- Forming quotations
- Responding to blogs
- Messages in online business forums (online networking = clients)
- Any other area of your business that requires you to type, which is many
The faster you can do your marketing and client email communications and admin, the more you can earn each project whilst keeping your pricing competitive.
Your advice has helped me so much! Thank you! I think I’ve got the typing down. That was one of many things that my mom nagged me about being fast and efficient at during elementary school, and it has paid off so well.
What about when a client uses a logo I designed for shirts that are going to be sold for x amount of profit? Is it reasonable to request a percentage of the money from each shirt that is sold? Personally I feel that that would be fair, seeming as I still don’t have a summer job before college, and the bills and fees are already shaking thier collection tins at me. This would make up for some of it.
Glad to help:)
I think with t-shirt design you are looking at around two ways of approaching pricing:
1. Charge them a base price for the design and then a % of each t-shirt sold. But ask yourself this; how are you going to find out how many are sold? Don’t bank on their honesty.
2. Charge a higher fee for the design because you are taking into account they could make money from each t-shirt sold, but run the risk that your high design fees will put them off hiring you in the first place.
Now I agonised over these two when asked to design for t-shirts and made a decision which is a 3rd option. That option was to not ask for a percentage, and also to not over charge for the initial design.
I decided after lots of thought that really whenever I create a design for a client it makes them money because it’s something they market their business with, but I don’t ask for a percentage of the sales made from a flyer design for instance.
In addition I figured that if I found myself in the horrible situation of seeing my design in a high street shop because the design had really taken off in a big way there is a positive spin to this happening anyway.
I can lick my wounds of “Oh no I should have charged more” with the knowledge that once my design is in the High Street I can view this as extreme promotion for me to have my design in such a high profile area (obviously you would advertise the fact in your portfolio) and that is how I will get my money anyway…..by becoming an acclaimed designer, getting more clients, and charging more for my projects.
Maddison,
Amanda has offered some excellent advice (thanks Amanda). Particularly the part about honesty. Don’t bank on anyone who offers a percentage of their profits. From the beginning they’re trying to pay you as little as possible, so it’s unlikely you’ll ever discover their exact income.
Great discussion.
I used to get these all the time, in fact I actually like getting them, sometimes they can really break my day up. I had to draw the line with the telephone calls though, some people are just so rude – in the end I had to resort to removing my telephone number from my website
Dave,
I can empathise with removing your phone number — something I also resorted to.
I have had many rude clients in the past. I really don’t know why as manners cost nothing. The strange thing is some of the rudest clients were very appreciative of the solutions I provided. I think that some people seem to think it is ok to be without manners when sending e-mails because it is quite impersonal compared to a phone conversation as I have had similar e-mails to the one you received and when I phoned them expecting a demanding voice on the other end of the line they were actually quite polite! I respect your reply to the e-mail though, good for you David.
I find it hard to believe that in this time in history that just because we deal a lot with email and blogging and all the like on the internet conversing without a face hinders people from using simply manners that they most likely have a brief understanding about since childhood. Just because you do not stand in front of someone does not mean you are not required to simply be polite and courteous in the least amount of way.
I not only see this online, but also in “real life” situations. People are some how discovering that it is not necessary to have a little politeness in there actions and demands from service people. I find this appalling, even when it doesnt have anything to do with me and I am just hearing it from across the room.
People need to wake up and realize that just because the customer is always right, does not give them the right of way to be rude and sans friendliness; especially when the receiver is doing everything to please these type of people.
Rudeness should only show its ugly face when rudeness is conveyed and only as a last resort and only as to put someone being rude in their place. Other than that, we as people from Earth need to start being nice to our brothers and sisters. It is an ever-present issue and is getting out of control and it gives a bad name to those that are nice, and try hard to keep it that way without letting those with bad taste influence us otherwise.
If you are having a bad day, have a bad day, but don’t rub off on others.
Sorry for the rambling.
-Marc
No need to apologise, Marc. It’s a pleasure to have you share your thoughts here.
Best intro ever:
Email: To Me
From: Random Weirdo
Subj: NO SUBJECT
BODY:
Hi Scott, Can you put this on the website?
That’s it, no website, no content, no link.
I swear on my knowledge of photoshop this really happened.
Scott,
If you don’t want the job, I’ll take it. My coding skills aren’t great, but when it comes to putting nothing online, I’m the best.
Scott that’s the dream job of the century you have in your lap
I had someone email me their portfolio and resume today for some reason…
The subject read ” GRAPHIC DESIGNER ” with no body copy, and attached were a facts only resume, no introduction and her portfolio.
odd…