“They were supposed to be good.”
Another frustrated client said this to me.
This happens a lot. A client signs on a new agency based on reputation, past work, awards, staff strength, and sometimes a solid credentials presentation by the founder. One month into the project, cracks start appearing.
The most common reason: misalignment of expectations.
The client thought they hired a brand consultancy that would deliver a well-mapped brand identity system anticipating future needs. They got a talented brand design studio that delivers visual solutions for today. The client thought they hired a UX company. They got UI specialists who “also” do UX studies. The client thought they hired a content strategy company. They got a company with many writers — content production — who presented themselves as content strategists.
These are good companies. Respected, effective, well-run. The client hired them with the wrong expectations. And the agencies probably sold themselves wrongly too.
“You should have taken up the project from the beginning!”
I didn’t — I wasn’t ready to commit to another long-term project. A digital agency was engaged. Good reputation, good team. But the wrong agency for the job.
It became another assignment where I had to quickly gather experts to resolve a crisis alongside that agency, because the client was hitting roadblocks and the launch kept getting delayed. Stepping midway into crucial stages of live projects — acting as problem-solver, director, mediator — has become something of a norm for me.
“You are like the family GP people run to.”
I’ll admit this: I am greedy. Not for money — for experience. Which is how I’ve ended up in projects where I had no prior knowledge. Designing products. Designing live event spaces. Designing wayfinding systems for a city. It is this greed — or FOMOness — that built the range I now have.
I’ve become genuinely good at directing design projects — assembling teams of specialists, keeping them synced, making things happen. But the most important lesson has been learning to say no to jobs I have absolutely no confidence in pulling off. And when a client insists, being upfront about the limits of my experience.
“Let’s start with something small and see how it goes?”
Up until today, I still get requests to start with a brochure.
One would think that a credentials deck covering well-known projects across all disciplines would make it easy to land large-scale work. But many clients have been through bad experiences with consultancies that had impressive portfolios — they entered with high expectations and watched the project fall apart.
Outside the design world, reputation means very little to a buying client. An impressive Behance, an array of awards, 50K Instagram followers — none of it guarantees a working relationship that actually works. Starting small is often the safest way to test whether both sides can function together.
At that point, forget the sermons on pricing and value. Ask a simpler question:
“Is this client worth investing my time?”
An insignificant brochure for an insignificant amount of money. I have done many. I have walked away from many.
Relationships and trust take time to build. That’s the difference between “they are good” and “they were supposed to be good.”
