Shoutout to the client who brought their mom to our design meeting

I had a client bring their mom to our design meeting... it was so awkward at first because she kept pointing out tiny flaws. Everyone says to fire clients who don't respect work rules, but I think listening to her actually saved the project. She saw details we all missed, like the color mix being wrong. Yeah, it was strange having a parent there, but her ideas made the end result much better. Sometimes those odd moments... they show you to be more flexible. I don't agree with always dropping tough clients fast.

4 comments

4 Comments

victorw541mo ago

My old boss loved when I brought my sister to pitch meetings.

wyattramirez1mo ago

Reading about the mom catching the color mix being wrong is pretty funny, in a cringey way. It's easy to say fire clients who break rules, but that mom proved odd feedback can be useful (you know, like when nitpicking saves the day). Your story shows that being too rigid can make us miss out on good ideas. Sure, it was awkward having a parent there, but the end result was better, so maybe it's worth the weirdness. I'm all for keeping an open mind, even when clients bring their moms to meetings. Sometimes the most annoying people spot the things we're too close to see.

morgan_stone3316d ago

Wyatt's point about being too rigid making us miss good ideas is spot on. I read a blog post last week about a graphic designer who almost lost a big account because they refused to let the client's quiet intern join a call. That intern ended up being the only one who noticed the logo looked wrong on dark mode. Sticking to the "rules" can sometimes blind you. If the mom saw a real problem with the color mix, that awkward meeting was worth it. The goal is a good final product, not just a perfect meeting.

john_lopez1mo ago

But what happens when that unprofessional setup blows up in your face? Letting a client bring their mom sets a bad rule where anyone can invite extra people who don't belong. It makes the actual client look weak, like they can't make choices alone. Sure, sometimes a random person spots a flaw, but that's just luck. Most times you get useless notes that waste everyone's time and hurt the working relationship. Giving in to this once tells all your clients the rules don't matter, and you'll end up with way more problems than one fixed color mix.