14 Ways to Talk Clients Out of Ruining their Sites
By Molly E. Holzschlag
Every design shop has dealt with a client who "knows better" than the designer. Combine an aggressive client with an overly accommodating designer, and the resulting site can become a primer for mistakes to avoid.
The best shops work closely with clients to teach them the tenets of solid Web design. But there are still plenty of novices out there. I've compiled 14 of the most common client-driven site design errors. Learning to address these issues diplomatically will mean successful sites for your customers, and an improved reputation for your shop.
Getting Edgy
Clients sometimes think that a lot of visual and dynamic effects make a site look edgy or cool. Occasionally this is the right approach, but it often doesn't match user needs.
1. Splash pages. While a splash page is sometimes justifiable, for the most part, they look dated and can be confusing. Point out that site visitors are more apt to use information or services if they're accessible quickly.
2. Abstract icons. Designers often refer to these as mystery meat. Abstract icons are visually appealing but inappropriate for most sites. Prepare a mockup that uses abstract icons, and one that uses the same icons with labels cleverly integrated. This will help your client immediately see the benefit of avoiding mystery-meat iconography. Go to DigitalWeb Magazine (see "
