Artistic Integrity Vs. Client Wishes?

Just looking for opinions here. I'm doing a web site for a water engineering company. I've built some good client relationships and word of mouth based on my artistic style. However, when working with this client, they've made me change a lot of what looked good with the design. They're the type of people who want things to be exactly their way, I suppose (don't get me wrong, they're nice people, just particular). The result is, I've had to replace a lot of good sleek graphic design with pictures they've provided, which are dated and shoddy. The website is looking like a mix between a modern site and something that came out in 1997. I'm not sure how to feel or act... I was hoping to add the site to my portfolio, and even though the client is pleased with me making their revisions the site is more embarassing to me now. Any ideas?

Your truly

Jack Rennon

It's your job to make the final product both appealing and along the lines of the client specifications. The clients happiness should be your first priority.

I just believe they are making a mistake. I'm dealing with the boss's right hand, and she insist it's what he wants. She's provided me with images, and even the font and layout they want. There's not way I can make it appealing to anyone but them. Should I persist to try to convince them bad design will hurt business? And how do I do it tactfully?

Also, something I was thinking of as well, I know to myself, most of you, people in the entertainment industry, etc. Sleek, artsy, appealing design is of massive importance. I generally wont take a website seriously if it looks like crap. However, this business guy has shown me examples of his competitors, who have crappy sites in my opinion, as sites he'd like to model his design after.

So my question is... do people in small businesses find themselves more comfortable with a crappy looking business site than an artsy one?

I always thought about this too. I guess you can ask yourself then what you would rather do. I know its not the same, but people here make their own design and can be free with their skill set and then they sell their creation. As opposed to a client's wishes you are free to do what you like and what you want. Digit is right though, you are getting paid for what they want not you.

About adding it to your portfolio; that's totally up to your standards. If you are not proud of it then leave it out. After all a portfolio is your individual form of advertisement. If you want people to see you are a good designer, then show them that.

I have my original design of the page, I suppose I could put that on the portfolio.

Give the client what they want and add the design as you want it to your portfolio. One way or another, you made it.

Originally Posted by Acorn Studios I have my original design of the page, I suppose I could put that on the portfolio.

I wouldn't do that. That looks dishonest, and besides, that would mean you can't link to their live site.

I guess you just have to make the best use out of the specified criteria. Hard, I know, but you can only try.

Originally Posted by Seb I wouldn't do that. That looks dishonest, and besides, that would mean you can't link to their live site. I guess you just have to make the best use out of the specified criteria. Hard, I know, but you can only try.

As a worker, you have no obligation to link to their site. A portfolio is to showcase your work, not to promote their site. The only reason I link to my clients sites is because I don't want to host all those scripts on my server.

Keeping the design on your server just means they might have changed it since you made it. No one will see it as dishonest.

Originally Posted by Village Idiot As a worker, you have no obligation to link to their site. A portfolio is to showcase your work, not to promote their site. The only reason I link to my clients sites is because I don't want to host all those scripts on my server. Keeping the design on your server just means they might have changed it since you made it. No one will see it as dishonest.

Well the reason I say it's dishonest is because you're implying that the design you show was the design the company chose, which may not be true.

Originally Posted by Seb Well the reason I say it's dishonest is because you're implying that the design you show was the design the company chose, which may not be true.

Well, my original ORIGINAL design waas a mockup, and did not have anything to do with their company, no names or logos. So I could use that, since it was my original idea that they chose. They then had me modify the design a lot later on. So they look like different sites now.

Originally Posted by Village Idiot Keeping the design on your server just means they might have changed it since you made it. No one will see it as dishonest.

D'oh! That happened to me once and it ticked me off. I made this great design for a company I used to work for, back in my early days, and the guy who took over the job of updating it when I left was no web designer. He didn't follow the protocols I set for putting the images in place, and the whole page layout got skewered. I had to replace the live site with a picture of an early version of the site for my portfolio.