A Terrible Client

Ryan Briggs
Sep 19, 2016
2 min read

There’s an old saying among creative professionals; “You are your own worst client.”

When people say that, I think what they mean is that creative professionals tend to not apply the same discipline and rigorous creative processes when working on projects for ourselves that we do in our professional lives. The normal rules don’t apply. Our deadlines, budgets, and limitations are our own. With no clients cracking the whip, the only pressure to create is the pressure we put on ourselves. In some ways, this is a good thing. But in others, it’s an absolute killer. Most creative people are their own worst critics, so being their own worst clients just happens to come with the territory.

Why? I’m not sure exactly. But I do think that it has something to do with the fact that on some level, even the smartest, most professional, mature, and self-aware among us has trouble being objective about our own work.

Case in point: I recently took on the daunting task of creating a new brand for myself. This was something I hadn’t done in over twelve years. Yes, I had been using the same logo for more than twelve years. Don’t judge, ok? That’s an eternity. I know. I didn’t mean to let this much time pass. It just kind of...happened. I had avoided it for too long. It was time to rebrand myself.

So I did. I designed a logo, letterhead, business cards, collateral, website. Everything. A complete teardown and rebuild. I can honestly say it was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done as a designer, and if I learned anything from the process, it’s that I am an awful client. I took too long and thought too hard. I didn’t hold myself to the same disciplined work processes that I use every day in my professional life. I found it very difficult to be objective about the work I was creating. By the time I had narrowed down the design for my logo to three potential candidates, I was too close to the work. I needed new eyes and fresh perspective. So I turned to my friends and colleagues, and emailed them what I had done.

It turned out to be a great decision. I got great feedback, and an almost-unanimous winner emerged. With a logo selected, things began to fall into place. Before too long, I had a new brand. See for yourself below. I’m pretty happy with it.

I think.