How to design for clients, not for yourself

Most designers mess this up. You spend hours perfecting layers, tweaking colors, and building slick layouts. I did it too—thought it’d impress clients.

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Spoiler: It doesn’t.

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Clients don’t care about your Photoshop skills or how trendy your gradients are.They care about one thing—does it work for them?

Where most designers screw up

Designers burn time and energy on the wrong stuff. Here’s what I see:

1. Obsessing over perfection: Hours on a gradient no one notices.
2. Overcomplicating layouts: Fancy AutoLayouts that clients can’t edit easily—every new request means more work for you.
3. Using fake content: Placeholder content makes designs look perfect—until real content shows up, breaks everything, and exposes what doesn’t actually work.
4. Chasing trends: Stock photos and flashy fonts don’t sell products.
5. Charge for extras: Moving stuff, big designs—I added more and got $2k extra on my last job. Time’s not free.

What I learned the hard way

I used to polish designs like they were portfolio pieces.
Hours renaming layers, adjusting spacing, picking stock images.

Then one client got the file, skipped the details, and asked:

“Will this get me leads?”

That hit me.
I was designing for me, not for them.

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5 Steps to design for results

1. Start with real content: Don’t touch a pixel until you have their words. Headlines, bios, offers—get it all upfront. It’s messy but forces real problem-solving. Placeholder text just delays the pain.
2. Keep AutoLayout simple: I use it for buttons, navbars, and basic stacks—nothing more. Once, I nested a complex system thinking it’d save time. Client couldn’t edit it. I had to redo everything. Simple wins.
3. Build reusable templates: Pick one typeface (I use Inter), set a color palette, and create core components—headers, buttons, cards.I’ve cut project time in half by reusing these. You can too.
4. Focus on their outcome: Every design decision gets one test: Does this help their goal? If it doesn’t move the needle, scrap it.
5. Charge for complexity: Some clients want intricate systems—custom animations, layered prototypes. That’s fine, but it’s not free. I quote extra for design systems now. Last month, it added $2k to a project. Value your time.

The trap to avoid

But clients aren’t your audience; their customers are. I once built a sleek site with trendy animations. The client hated it—too slow for their shoppers. Now, I design for who’s buying, not who’s judging.

The real takeaway

Great design isn’t about looking good—it’s about working good. Clients pay for solutions, not art. Focus on results, keep it simple, and charge what you’re worth. You’ll save time, dodge headaches, and build work that actually matters.

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So the real question: Are you designing for you or your clients?