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While these web designer memes may bring a little laughter to your day, some of these can actually be awkward situations. We’ll share a few tips along the way to help you avoid these scenarios as a freelance web designer.
Any designer that has shown a landing page or email design mockup to a client will feel the pain in this one. I can’t count how many times a client has asked me to move the offer “above the fold”, let’s make sure they don’t miss it. This meme is a parody of that all too common request from clients, the two men cry about where their legs have gone, and then, oh no I lost my head!
It’s always a battle to remind the client, hey the user does actually does scroll, we just have to think strategically about the design to get them to engage with the landing page from the start so they want to continue scrolling, reading, and discovering more.
In this meme, notice how the hourly rate changes on the sign from $50/hour for web design, $100/hour if the client decides to watch, and $200/hour if the client helps out.
I remember the dreaded feeling of a client watching over my shoulder while designing, it may happen earlier on in your career but it can be avoided. All you need is to set some healthy boundaries, the client does not need to see the “magic” that happens behind the curtain. By separating yourself like this, over time they will have more respect for the work you do.
This one had me bursting out laughing, I can definitely sympathize with President Obama’s facial expression here. Sometimes clients ask the simplest, most obvious questions and it never even occurs to us designers that it is a thing.
When you share a flattened jpg mockup of a design, it’s understandable the client might be a little confused. How can we avoid this? For a website mockup, you could go the extra mile and create a prototype (don’t forget to consider how this affects your pricing for the project).
The skeptical face on the emoji brings this meme to another level. Nothing is more frustrating than having to fix a design that wasn’t yours from the beginning. In this meme, a client decided to choose a “cheaper” option for their website design but of course, you get what you pay for. So when things go wrong, then they call on you to fix it up. Now they are paying for two designers for one project (when if they had hired you from the start, they would have actually saved money, sigh).
How can we avoid this? Explain this exact scenario to the next client that complains your prices are too high. When they understand that it’s better to pay a higher premium for the best result, they will realize the cheaper option isn’t so cheap after all.
Those three words. Something. Is. Missing. Hm, what could it be? It’s hard to keep a straight face and not react like this puppy when you’re reviewing designs with a client and this is their reaction. So what can you do to avoid it?
First, pause. Breathe, count to ten, just pause. Allow the client to process what they just said, see if they will expand upon it more. Then ask more questions, always work on asking better follow-up questions. Instead of agreeing or disagreeing, which won’t necessarily help you both move forward with the design, ask them why they think something is missing? What other thoughts do they have? By asking another layer of questions, another, and then another, you’ll still discover what they are really trying to say about the design.
The worrisome facial expression on Woody complemented with Buzz’s face of wonder, really drives this web design meme home. We all know how important it is to design a responsive website. It is the 21st century and the web continues to evolve daily. Gone are the days you can design a static landing page for desktop and call it a day.
We need to consider how the design will look on mobile-first. Is the text large enough or is the user frustrated while they try to pinch and zoom in? Is the contrast and size of the CTA buttons dramatic enough that a user knows where to click? We also have to consider other devices like tablets and of course design for a larger desktop experience. It’s a lot to consider but your client will be happy with the result (even if they don’t fully understand it themselves).
You can’t help but laugh along with all the other men in this meme. When you start working with a new client and they say, “I want this done by tomorrow”. Should you laugh or should you cry?
So how can we make light of this situation? You can respond to the client, if you want this done by tomorrow that is considered a rush job. Share a certain percentage you upcharge for a rush job under a few different timelines.
The first and most reasonably priced option should be with a normal delivery timeframe you’re comfortable with. Shorten the timeframe by say 25% and charge an extra 25% on top. For the third most expensive but fastest option, give a condensed timeline but with at least a 50% upcharge. You want it to feel dramatic so that the client doesn’t choose this option but if they do, it’s enough of a budget to make it worth your time and stress to meet the expedited timeline.
We as designers love the finality of the end of a job. But is a website ever truly done? Not exactly. I remember when designing for print, there really was an end to the job, that is when it went to print. After that, you can’t make any changes. But when it comes to web design or designing for screens in general, it’s both positive and negative how easy it is to edit and revise your work.
It’s great because if you make a typo or the client gives you the wrong information to add on a webpage, you can easily update this on the backend. On the other hand, sometimes these changes can be more drastic like the client decides to go in a completely different design direction. Either way, we as designers have to learn to be flexible (and lean into the idea that the job never really is done).
Carrying on with the same theme that a website design is never truly done, the client should work with the designer and strive to continually update the website when it makes sense. You don't want to create a website and then never update it again. For one, this is bad for SEO and the visibility of a website. The more content you add, update, and change to a site, the more Google will rank higher in search engines.
This is a reminder to reach out to your past web design clients every once in a while and see how you can help out. Maybe they are an eCommerce business and they are on the verge of launching a new line of products, this could be a huge opportunity for you. If you enjoyed working with a client and they appreciate the work you did for them, don’t hesitate to keep in touch and see how else you can serve them in the future. It’s easier to work with a repeat client versus finding new ones.
Ah, another Willy Wonka meme (his face is just too perfect here for memes, right?). This is another example of how important responsive web design is. If the text on a website is impossible to read, as the meme says, you are not thinking about the user first. Increase fonts size and be sure to consider ADA compliance guidelines when creating the right amount of contrast.
This web design meme touches on a time that whenever you updated the plugins on your WordPress site, you almost always crashed your website. Ouch, a newbie mistake. But this is still a good reminder to always make sure you have backup files for your website. With all the tools and backup options today, there is no reason to crash or lose your site.
Here at Flux we recommend Webflow. If you’re curious how Webflow compares to WordPress website, check out our post: Webflow vs WordPress: Which one is better?
File this under “things we wish we could say to the client”. In today’s digital world, there are an infinite amount of free and low-cost design tool options available. Just about anyone can put together their own website or design their own logo. (Whether it’s a good one and achieves the business goal, is another story).
Sometimes a client asks for a solution that really could be best suited by using a free or low-cost online tool, don’t be afraid to offer this suggestion. The end goal is to help a client and sometimes you and your web design services are not the best solution. This will impress the client, they will appreciate you saving them money, and the next time they really do need your help you will be the first they will call.
Another one of those dreaded client phrases. Notice how they preface it with “I love it!” and then quickly follow up with “just a few more changes”. We all know how a few changes can turn into a complete redesign.
Similar to the “something is missing” meme we shared above, pause and then ask the client more questions. What changes do you think are necessary? Why is this a must to change? How will it impact the design and your business goal? When you turn the tables and ask strategic questions, you might end up being able to convince the client that there really aren’t any changes needed after all.
While this isn’t strictly a web design meme, the sentiment of this web developer meme is also a struggle for us web designers. Continuing with the responsive design theme we mentioned earlier, it’s important to test your newly designed website on various devices to make sure your design looks and acts as you intend it to.
This meme takes it to the extreme but showing just about every laptop, tablet, and smartphone device from the early 2000s. But it reminds us how many different devices exist out there that a potential user is viewing our site with.
This old meme with the angry face never gets old. When the user blames the web designer for not removing those pesky popups! Of course, it’s never usually our idea in the first place to design these popups, the request comes from the client. Sometimes we just have to laugh at these requests and maybe try to design a better pop-up experience (or convince the client it isn’t necessary at all).
Ah, another funny way to remind the client how responsive design is actually a big deal. Maybe share this meme with them the next time they push back on the pricing on your proposal. Remind them, you need a responsive website that works.
More of a note to ourselves, this meme reminds us it doesn’t have to be painful to design a website! There are only painful clients. Kidding (or are we?).
But in all seriousness, designing a website isn’t a painful process nor should the client add to this. It’s up to us as the design professional to set up the right boundaries and standards when we work with a client. Educate them on the process of how to work with you. Tell them how many rounds of revisions they get for $X amount of budget. Tell them how your feedback process goes. But don’t forget to frame it in a way that reminds them, this is how we create an amazing website for your business that will keep customers coming back again and again.
This web design meme reminds us why it’s important to talk about budget first. We don't want to waste our time and the client's time if we are not at all aligned on how much it costs to do a job well done. Talk about budgets early and often, you’ll thank yourself later.
I couldn’t help but agree with this web design meme. You start out with this amazing design before the client presentation. Then there are “just a few changes” after the client presentation. And of course, the final website becomes a Frankenstein of your original idea and the client’s feedback.
We all love a good pie chart, especially ones like this breakdown of how web designers spend their time. There's all the time spent trying to get the site to work on Internet Explorer (gasp!), time spent swearing, and a small sliver is time actually spend on designing anything.
Can you spot the web designer at the coffee station here? The one that mentions they take their coffee #000000. If we could only add Hex color codes to all our daily conversations.
Too true! A user interface really is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it must not be that good. User experience and user interface design are crucial to a website experience. But often, the more unnoticed it goes, the better the design actually is. How can you design a website so well that the user experiences no problem at all?
Sigh, sometimes the design and code part of the website is the least of our worries. It’s all the testing that actually takes up a majority of our time. After all, we can spend all our time designing the ideal experience but if it doesn’t show up that way for the user then we have a bigger problem.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the question. It’s like one of those cheesy ads with a bad voiceover but it’s a good question (and yet another reminder to design for mobile-first).
And our last web design meme, a classic “Keep Calm” edition. Remember when there was a “Keep Calm” meme for just about anything? Maybe this is a perfect one to share with prospective clients, reminding them that hiring you will bring a sense of calm and peace to their life!
Did you have a favorite? Which hit home the most for you? If you enjoyed our compilation of 25 web design memes, share your favorites with your designer friends! And if you want to check out more of our design meme posts, check out these ones next:
First, check out our YouTube channel Flux where we share tons of free information on how to become a web designer.
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