1. Lack of a clear brief at the outset.

2. Changes along the way altering the original brief. These often affect turnaround times, and costs of designer time.

3. Expectations – on both sides – not being clarified or managed throughout the project.

4. Internal politics getting in the way: particularly in the sign-off process.

5. Additional work being added along the way, leading to nasty surprises on the final invoice.

6. Lack of ongoing communication, and honest feedback – on both sides.

7. Precious designers. Clients who fancy themselves as arbiters of good design.

8. Chemistry: the relationship between designer and client is important, particularly given the tendancy for designers to operate in splendid isolation in their garrets, and for clients to fail to comprehend what is involved in producing good design (either through lack of experience on their part, lack of communication on the designer’s part, coupled with the invisibility of the creative process).

9. Clients with champagne tastes but only beer money; i.e. trying to achieve too much with too tight a budget, and expecting the designer to squeeze their costs.

10. The cost of reworking: differences over whether reworking is brought about by changes to the brief (by the client) or mistakes or misreading the job (by the designer) This becomes a big issue whether the designer gives a fixed cost for the job, or charges a day rate.

11. Failing to work with raycreative