Graphic Designer Errors

[John Childs]

That’s not like you Shane.

Picking on graphic designers. Cheap shot at an easy target. 😀

No pictures because it was a long time ago, before computer generated drawings, when they were still done by hand and posted to clients, but we had a case where the rear door handle on a Transit got in the way of the designers whizz bang layout. His answer? If the door handle is in the way, get an eraser, and rub it out.

That was fine until the end user sent us van for to prototype. I took one look and told them that it wouldn’t work because the wording there was quite small, and they would lose two complete letters over the handle, making the line unreadable.

The problem was that, in common with most large multi-nationals, the layout was the result of an expensive six month exercise and had been commissioned, approved by the UK board of directors, been sent to the US for the approval of the main board, then filtered it’s way back down to us.

Of course there was much wriggling by everyone in the lengthy chain of command because nobody wanted to take the responsibility and look silly. It took months to sort out.

That was my introduction to the world of design, and ever since, I have told any of my customers that are embarking down that route to send any proposals to us as early in the process as possible, just to check for practicality.

[John Childs]

Then there was the designer who insisted that the angle of the stripe on a clients stationery and vans was two degrees to the horizontal.

He insisted that that two degrees was of paramount importance to the design philosophy and must not, under any circumstances, be allowed to vary. They even sent us very detailed drawings of a Transit to make sure that the angle was maintained.

Anyway, we did the prototype and all the big-wigs came to inspect it. This designer is pontificating about his wonderful design, and how important that two degrees was, until I asked what happened when the driver threw his tool box in the back. And then the rest of his kit? And what happened in a couple of years when the rear suspension was worn? By then his precious two degrees would be tilted the other way. 😀

There’s thousands of those vans running around today, and I still don’t like them. A two degree angle might look like a design statement to him but, to me, it is so small that it just looks like the fitter couldn’t put the stripe on straight. 😀

[Shane Drew]

you are right John. I’m being a bit cheeky, but I’ve been meeting with designers all week, and some really need to get a life.

..and the fees they are charging makes me gasp.

I had one job sent to me by a designer that frankly, was not going to work. I showed the client that lights, handles and windows had not been taken into account with the design. He expected me to fix it before printing it. It was a lot of work, so I suggested it would add some labour and cost to the bill, and he was not happy. He felt he had already paid a hefty bill once, why should he pay again. I told him to go back to his designer and have it fixed if he felt that way.

I had another another designer contact my client directly and offer to undercut my application price, and another designer purchased his own solvent printer and sent a quote to the clients I was getting the designs done for. I lost both jobs.

I had a designer ring me on Friday looking for me to give her some ideas on designing a wrap for a job I’ve been contracted to apply next month. She is getting huge money, but basically wants me to do the design for her as a favour.

I’m over it, but seeing these errors in the press gave me a smile.

[John Childs]

quote Shane Drew:

..and the fees they are charging makes me gasp.

I know what you mean Shane, but fair’s fair. They’re only charging what they can get away with, which is something that we are always saying we should do. If they can do it, then good luck to them.

In the first example I gave above, the client was charged £60,000 to design the livery and to provide drawings for three models of van. If the end user had asked me I could have knocked out the three drawings in a couple of hours and, because of the volume, I would have happily done it for free.

Which also reminds me of something else I learned a long time ago. Just because a person has a high position in a company, with commensurate large pay packet and big office, doesn’t automatically make them clever. When I was young I used to be daunted by those people in high places, until I’d seen enough of them to realise that they are no cleverer than myself.

A designer asking you for ideas is a bit cheeky though. 😀

[Tim Painter]

Down to the client to proof and sign off no doubt though Shane.

As we all know their always in a rush even if you ask them to double check artwork. Yes an error on the designers park but as well all know if you have been looking at the same artwork over and over errors are easily missed.

I sometimes check text backwards from end to start to at least check words are right.

In the last 3 months I’ve had major errors I’ve noticed in new branding guidelines that obviously cost a fortune.

Agree with you there John, more often the guys on the shop floor are far smarter than those in the ivory towers.

[Graeme Harrold]

quote Tim Painter:

Down to the client to proof and sign off no doubt though……..

Fantastic quote. Did a small job for the local council…..150 double sided pet tags (just short of £1K job) and they got 2 digits in their own phone number wrong…………. :lol1: [/b]

I now have a second set of eyes look over proofs to catch my or customer errors……….

[Shane Drew]

quote Graeme Harrold:

quote Tim Painter:

Down to the client to proof and sign off no doubt though……..

Fantastic quote. Did a small job for the local council…..150 double sided pet tags (just short of £1K job) and they got 2 digits in their own phone number wrong…………. :lol1: [/b]

I now have a second set of eyes look over proofs to catch my or customer errors……….

Graeme, I signed a fleet of buses here a few years ago now, about 14 buses from memory, and no one realised they had the wrong phone number until someone questioned a bus driver why the phone number goes to a fax.

All hell broke loose and I was asked to mass produce new numbers and remove the old numbers and fit the new ones as the buses came in to the terminal with passengers. That was fun… NOT.

Not my fault though. All artwork was signed off by the client before I started originally.