I’m a designer who
left the advertising world of egotistical assholes to start working with
non-profits who would align better with my values. Turns out, the non-profit still
has egotistical assholes.
I was working with a
client at a non-profit who thought he could do my job better than me. Turns
out, his team all loved my stuff. I’m a woman, and you could tell his male ego
was SCREAMING that I was better at something than he was.
I a meeting:
Client: I thought
your previous design was way too complicated, but everyone loved it so I let it
go.
Oh thank you.
Client: Are you
comfortable with Photoshop?
No, I’m a professional
designer who’s art directed for companies like major companies like Coke and
Target and I don’t know Photoshop. For real, dude?
Me: Mmhmm.
Client: Great! So
you know how to put filters on things.
Me: ….
I did my best to convince him that just throwing a filter on a professional
design looks cheap and unattractive, but he persisted. Finally, I presented
three options; one I would publish on my portfolio, one with a light filter
look to compromise, and one trash garbage one with heavy effects.
Naturally he picked
the last one because it was “his idea.” Ugh.
