Graphic Designer's Guide to Clients: How to Make Clients Happy and Do Great Work [Paperback]

Ellen M. Shapiro (Author), Allworth Press (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2003

Here is the perfect volume for graphic designers who want real-life advice for long-term success.

Renowned designer Ellen Shapiro reveals time-tested tricks of the trade-for making sure the clients you want to work with know about you, become your clients, and work with you productively.

Then, in a series of one-on-one interviews, leading designers such as Milton Glaser, April Greiman, Mike Weymouth, Drew Hodges, Marc Gobé, and partners in Pentagram reveal their personal experiences and insights on how to uphold creative standards while fulfilling clients’ needs.

Their advice will help you: identify what is distinct about your services; market yourself effectively; meet and court clients; learn the lingo of corporate strategy; make effective presentations; believe in the work you do and sell the work you believe in; obtain referrals from existing clients; keep clients coming back for more. CEOs and design managers from nineteen marketing- and design-savvy clients-such as Klein Bikes, The Knoll Group, Barnes & Noble, and Harvard-offer their own candid perspectives on the challenges, solutions, and triumphs of working with designers.

Whether you are courting your first clients or seeking fresh insights for achieving even greater success, you cannot afford to be without this crucial resource.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ellen Shapiro is the founder and president of Shapiro Design Associates, which since 1978 has specialized in identity and print projects for corporations and non-profit organizations. She developed her passion for design under design legend Herb Lubalin, under whom she worked with such clients as Schlumberger Limited, L’Oréal Paris, and International Typeface Corporation, publishers of U&lc. A prolific design journalist who is known for her witty, often provocative interview style, Ellen Shapiro has been writing about the relationship between clients and designers for many years and has been published in prestigious design magazines such as Communication Arts, Print, How, Step Inside Graphic Design, the AIGA journal, and Critique. Her book Clients and Designers (Watson-Guptill Publications, 1990) was voted a “must for every design library” by readers of Critique. Before starting her own design business, Ellen Shapiro graduated from UCLA’s College of Fine Arts, was art director for UCLA alumni publications and for the Barton-Gillet Company. She has taught at numerous eminent design schools, including Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, the School of Visual Arts, and the University of Baltimore, and is currently the Senior Seminar professor at Purchase College, SUNY.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; 1 edition (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581152760
• ISBN-13: 978-1581152760
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,416,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading title, July 18, 2007

By 

Michal Dusik "Miky" (Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Graphic Designer's Guide to Clients: How to Make Clients Happy and Do Great Work (Paperback)

I purchased the book because it says: "HOW to make clients happy and do great work". Now there is maybe one or two pages in the entire book that will explain how to deal with clients. The rest of the book is just interviews of clients, but there is no real content on how to deal with situations like what to do if a client doesn't pay, or if a client asks for something different every time. These are real problems and a book that says "how to..." should actually provide information on ...well..."how to...". In a way it's inspirational, but once again, the companies as clients mentioned in the book are BIG NAMES...and 99.9% of us Graphic Designers work with the average Joe as customer. No good advice in the book sorry.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Misleading title, January 20, 2007

By 

SF Designer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graphic Designer's Guide to Clients: How to Make Clients Happy and Do Great Work (Paperback)

The title suggests that this books provides "guidance" and advice on client management for graphic designers. It however, is a very long collection of conversation style stories (told via interview questions) with client and designer (all very big names at that). The books does not contain any real collection of practices, principles, and/or tactical steps one can use. There's also no real organization to the book which definitely makes it "not a guide". It really feels as if the author is just showing off that she knows these big designers/clients well enough to chat and have coffee.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review from Design In-Flight magazine, July 2004, September 10, 2004

By 

Andy (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Graphic Designer's Guide to Clients: How to Make Clients Happy and Do Great Work (Paperback)

As designers, creating solid, thoughtful solutions to design challenges is only part of the battle. While we spend time in school and on internships learning about design fundamentals, software packages and the printing process, its nearly impossible to gain an understanding of the complex designer/client relationship without the experience of a few successes and missteps.

Ellen Shapiro's The Graphic Designer's Guide to Clients aims to speed that learning process by giving experienced and novice designers alike an insider's look at some of the most successful designer/client collaborations of the past few decades.

Following the maxim that creatives learn best by following in the footsteps of the masters (an approach that is the basis of most fine arts programs), Graphic Designer's Guide shows us how the masters of our generation have perfected the art of successful designer/client collaborations.

Beginning with her own experiences, Ms. Shapiro shares with the reader her own techniques for getting, pleasing and keeping clients. Following this five chapter prelude, the meat of the book begins, with a series of 17 interviews with well-known designers (and clients), including: Milton Glaser, April Greiman, Rick Valicenti and others.

Whether you're looking to land your first client, or want to generate some referral business from your fifth, Graphic Designer's Guide is one book that will surely have some good advice to offer.