Any creative individual has at least once in their career faced the situation when a client wants to establish bad design changes that go against the basic design principles.
Here are the tips on how to avoid negative communication and misunderstanding in this situation:
1. Firstly you’ve got to hear your client and make them feel important. Try to understand your client’s needs. Maybe they can lead you to a better solution and their changes are not as bad as you may think in the first place.
2. If you are sure that your design decisions are right, try to kindly explain them to your client and provide the proves, e.g. work examples from successful cases. Your goal is to prove that you know which design solutions are best for their's project.
3. It’s important HOW you say "NO" to bad design changes. You need to show that you have considered the client’s inquiry and show that you have a better design solution to produce. Still, be thankful to your client for initiative and involvement in the process.
4. Not a single designer wants to have a bad project in his portfolio. But it is important to remember that first of all, you are creating a design for the client who has paid for your job. You can always create a second version of a project with your vision so you can put it on your portfolio.
Be careful when you are adjusting client’s changes because sometimes, they can lead to a worse result for their business and you will be responsible for it. At the end of the day, you are the professional and you want the best not only for your portfolio but also for your client’s business.