Bad Client serigraph

(scroll to the bottom to order)

I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my career. Nearly every client I’ve worked with in my 20+ years of doing this has been a genuine pleasure to work with. 

However, I worked with someone who just broke my lucky streak. This print is dedicated to her. 

It all started okay!

I got an email from a woman opening a food truck. She liked the design I did for our mutual friend’s company and wanted to commission me to create art for her new truck. She was just starting out and was a friend-of-a-friend so I gave her a significant “buddy-of-a-buddy-with-a-small-business” discount. She said she hadn’t worked with an artist before, so I did a significant amount of hand-holding through the process…giving her some free consulting work on her branding and further suggestions on how to save some money. I even skipped taking a deposit because I figured she was good for it. We agreed on a flat fee of $XXXX so there would be no surprises at the end. Charging a flat fee vs hourly is almost ALWAYS a better deal for my clients. If I want to toil away on something, nobody but myself has to pay the price for those hours lost on dead-end ideas.

Round 1: Community! Diversity!

My first sketch was something I felt encapsulated our initial conversation. It was inclusionary, referenced her origins as well as a nod to the Pacific Northwest. 

Round 2: Okay! You want weird? I like weird!

My next sketch leaned heavily on the vibe of the AC Newman poster, while integrating elements that resonated from the first round. 

Round 2 Feedback:

Her response was promising! “The sketch is fun and it’s closer to what I was hoping for! Thank you again for taking the time to give it a go!”

She listed several things that were working (the right side with the trees and the perspective) as well as some things that weren’t (less realistic animals and more fictional creatures). She referenced some elements from the AC Newman poster that could work their way into this. In all, her feedback was actionable and clear. It was a textbook example of how a project should progress.

And look at her lovely closing paragraph! “I appreciate you taking the time to work with me. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I know it took you time to think of ideas for the illustration and it’s not easy. It’s definitely in the right direction and I think it’s getting really close!!!!”

Round 3: On the right track!

I refined, based on her feedback and sent her round 3.

Her Feedback:

And then check out the next email! This is great news, right? We’re SO CLOSE!

Hi Jesse,

Thanks for working on the sketch! The sketch is great! It’s definitely more what I was hoping for!!

The only notes I have are I’m not sure what the creature popping out of the [GROUND] has between his hands. By the head of the [REDACTED] creature, the mountain scape might look a bit like a fin? Perhaps if the mountain is extended it might help? The upper left corner by the bike trees, would more trees or mountain scape be nice there vs the curve?

It’s fun and a bit kooky. Really love it!

Thank you,
Bad Client

Round 4: SO SO SO CLOSE, right?

I made the few recommended tweaks and sent the 4th round, thinking we had landed it. 

Her Feedback:

Hi Jesse,

I’m sorry for the belated reply. Thank you for the update!

I’ve been super slammed with work. In the midst of it I have been giving the mural a lot of thought, and I think it may not be direction I want to go in. I really do apologise as I know you’ve worked hard on it and this isn’t the ideal outcome! With the added cost of the painting it on, I have many [REDACTED] to sell to make it happen and it’ll take a while. Please let me know how you’d like to proceed.

Thank you,
Bad Client

I responded with:

Hi Bad Client.

Good to hear that the [REDACTED] are flying!

I’ve read your email through several times and am having a hard time understanding your intention. Are you hoping for more time to think about the current version? Or are you saying that you want to kill the project?

If you’d prefer to kill the project, I can invoice you for what is called a “kill fee”. It’s half of the total amount (so $XXXX). Like you said, it’s not the ideal outcome for either of us—me having done 90% of the work and only being paid for half of it, and you paying a lot of money with nothing to show for it. But it happens, and it’s better for you to make the call now, rather than coming to this decision after the work is complete.

Let me know if you do indeed want to kill the project, and I can get an invoice over to you.

Thanks Bad Client,
Jesse.

And Then Her FINAL Response:

Hi Jesse,

What is your hourly rate and how many hours did you spend on the project?

Although I did say I haven’t worked with an artist, I did go to art school and am aware of how a brief works and the level of effort involved.

I’m not going to use the artwork because of all the people I showed it to, no one liked it, and it never got to the point it needed to be.

It makes me uncomfortable to pay $XXXX for work that not a single person liked as an overall consensus. That’s a months wage for me at [DAY JOB].

Bad Client

In Conclusion:

A check showed up a few weeks later for half of the kill fee (so 25% of the heavily discounted fee we had originally agreed on). It’s definitely not enough to pay for printing this series. But it did cover the cost of the tubes they’ll ship in!

One guiding principle that I’ve carried throughout my career is that nothing should leave my desk unless I’m happy with it. It’s a given that the client needs to be happy. But if I’m not happy with it too, I feel I didn’t try hard enough. With this series of prints, I’m putting that into practice by doubling down on it. Not only am I happy with it, but I’m hoping there’s 100 people out there that also enjoy it enough to own it as a print. As much as I enjoy my job, it’s still a job. I take it very seriously (despite how goofy the drawings seem). And I thoroughly appreciate everyone who has put food on my table by either purchasing my art or hiring me for a project.

As society edges closer to immediate gratification and a lack of accountability, I urge us all to take a moment to think about the person your actions affect. If what you’re doing doesn’t brighten someone else’s day (or net zero at a bare minimum), go do something that does. It’s tough out there. We’ve got to help each other out, not tear each other down. Shop local. Be gentle to the Earth. Be kind to others. Even the jerks.

And to all you artists/designers out there trying your hardest to make a living off your art:

It doesn’t matter how small or how friend-of-a-friend a potential client is, get an agreement in writing. And get a deposit. I was a dummy, believing in the good of humankind. Protect yourself.

Signed/numbered edition (80 individual, 10 uncut, +10 AP)

Sized at a convenient 21.75 x 11 to fit in IKEA RÖDALM frames.

Screen printed by Broken Press.