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Graphic Artist I hired did a horrible job... what to do?

H

holycow

macrumors member
Original poster
May 28, 2006
35
4
I hired a graphic artist for a small project and it ended up looking pretty horrible... like just plain awful. Everyone I've shown it to told me it couldn't have taken them more than a couple hours and this person charged me a couple hundred which I haven't yet paid. I'm not going be using any of the work and will have to go with someone else.

The question is, what do I do about pay? All of my friends have told me not to pay, but that's not really how I roll. The person needs to be paid something for their time, I guess, but I don't think it's anywhere close to what they're charging me.

Do I just need to come to a compromise with the artist? Has anyone else been in this situation? Help!
 
Tell them you're not satisfied and will not be using their current work. Offer them a chance to revise/fix it and if they cannot or refuse, then don't pay.
 
I would tell the artist that you are not satisfied and find some amiable grounds of payment. I mean, I understand from a business point of view that you cannot use something that is unacceptable, but from that same POV you should pay something. I'd say between 40-50% of agreed price.
 
i'd tell the artist that your not satisfied with what he made. and tell him to redo it, if he refuses then tell him you wont pay him or whatever. until he gets the job done properly and correctly.

the way i see it. you dont get paid till the jobs done CORRECTLY!
 
It would just be a waste of time asking for revisions. I'm really that dissatisfied.
 
Do you have a contract written up?

If you have to pay something, what are you willing to pay? Give him an ultimatum or whatever, and say I'll pay you "x" amount for what you did, or I'll pay you the "couple of hundred [specified price]" if you redo the project.

Something like that?
 
not to be a jerk but did decide on a concept, or explain in detail what you wanted or was it more of you saying make it blue and shiny and put some fancy reflections in there deal?

Usual after deciding on a concept, the designer should of brought you 2-4 concepts then you can sign off on one you like and the detail work begins, or if you like none then less time would have been wasted.

Also you should have used a contract, im assuming you didn't. A contract would have specified the details of "acceptable work" or "delivery of a completed product". If you did then your answers in there.

PLEASE PEOPLE USE CONTRACTS!

If the work is really that bad, which we cant tell w/o looking at it, just give him a deposit (25- 30%) and tell him you wont be using his work because you dont like it, if he sees his work is bad he should fix it.

im a programmer thou, ive worked with designers.
 
Did you have a criteria laid out for him in the beginning and a general sense of what you wanted it to be? If the design is far from what you told the designer to do, then I think you have a right to tell him to do it again and pay the full amount, or leave it and pay for 10-15% of the agreed price. Kind of like a tip because at least he did something. It's like if you told someone to paint your walls poka dotted and they painted it checkered. It's inexcusable for them to expect more than a little something just for labour if they don't fix it. They've actually made the matter worse, because now they have wasted your time and someone else have to go and fix their mistake.
 
I'd see if they'll revise/redo it before sending final payment. Don't let him talk you into more $ for the additional work.

Unfortunately, unless there was a contract it's all going to go on how much you can get him to be agreeable with your requests. As for the amount, $200 for 2 hours of work, depending on the artist, sounds about standard. But it's still no excuse for poor work.
 
Tell them that the work that they did was unacceptable and that they should not force payment for something they know isn't up to your standards for quality. If they refuse or are disagreeable, then you should consider the amount of money in question and either pay and tell them you will not recommend their services or refuse to pay despite 'how you role.'

I totally understand that it is hard to tell someone what they've done sucks and I too have had issues like this, but I've learned that you need to stand up or you'll be taken advantage of. Hope you're able to work through this.
 
:eek: do not pay! if the work is not up to your standards, you need to make it known to that designer. if s/he is still demanding some sort of payment... give her a certain percentage but not all.
 
Do not pay.

I'm a graphic designer and i'd rather someone tell me what I did wrong than spread bad news about me after.
 
Do not pay until you talk to the artist and see if they can try again (unless you are on a tight deadline). If that doesn't work, just tell them that their work is not acceptable...
 
I'd pay at least 33%, then tell him why you can't pay him the full price (i.e. you need to hire someone else to get it done right). He did the work, although he may not have done it to your satisfaction.

It's like when you go to a restaurant. I don't know about you, but when I have a meal I don't think was made particularly well, or was made in a style that I didn't like, I don't tell them that I'm not going to pay. I just pay and never go back, and tell my friends that the restaurant was no good.
 
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