Paul Graham found out why politics and religion tend to have such useless discussions, because one does not need a set amount of knowledge to be an expert. There’s nothing required except a strong opinion to participate in religious and political discussions.
And once you have a strong opinion, you don’t need anything else. You can convince yourself that you are right and those who disagree are completely wrong. Result is a wastage of time and energy.
I was reading this essay yesterday and based on a recent experience, the first thing that came to my mind was:
Design also falls in same category.
People often confuse design with it being only how it looks. The problem is, looks are subjective.
You can not create a design that everyone will like. Take the ugliest page on planet and you’ll still find some admirers. Take the prettiest page and you will find some haters.
The problem comes in, as a freelancer, when your client thinks that they are a design expert and what they like will be liked by everyone else.
They overlook the fact that the person they’re hiring has more experience and expertise and instead, treat him like a remote. And the design goes straight to hell.
I’m still thinking over how to avoid such clients and what to do if you get one. Till then, if you have a suggestion, do let me know.
Hi Ishan,
Interesting blog.
You can not hide from such client. They will find you! Best is to handle them with grace. Remember – knowledge is power. And in my experience, reasoning always works. Try avoiding a head-on collision. For best results, align (read ‘agree’) yourself with the clients and then steer him with reasoning! – Naqib