Image licensed via Adobe Stock
From vague briefs to vanishing clients, creatives share the warning signals that could save your project’s success… not to mention your sanity.
We’ve all been there. The client project, which started with such promise, begins to unravel. Deadlines slip, communication breaks down, and what should have been a straightforward brief becomes a labyrinthine nightmare. The good news? These disasters rarely happen overnight. There are almost always warning signs if you know what to look for.
We asked seasoned creatives to share their red flags: those tell-tale moments when a project starts veering toward chaos. Here are the most common warning signals and, crucially, what you can do to get things back on track.
You can read the full discussion on our very own networking platform, The Studio, and add your own thoughts too. If you’re not a member yet, don’t stress: sign up is free!
1. The brief that isn’t really a brief
It’s perhaps the most dreaded phrase in the creative lexicon and one that Martin Farrar-Smith, chief design officer at Manifest, identifies as a major warning sign. “When the client says ‘I’ll know it when I see it’, that’s when you’re in for the long haul,” he cautions.
This vague directive masquerades as creative freedom… but actually represents a fundamental failure in project planning. Without clear objectives, success becomes impossible to define or measure.
What to do: Push back immediately. Insist on a proper briefing session where you can extract specific objectives, target audiences and success metrics. Don’t start designing until you have concrete parameters to work within.
2. The vanishing act
When previously communicative clients go quiet, that’s another major red flag. As mixed media and graffiti artist Core Sway notes: “Radio silence when someone has previously been very communicative” often signals underlying problems.
“I’m having that at the moment,” notes video producer Nick Hill. “A client who’s always been great to deal with but owes me money and, I think, is having cash flow issues. Suddenly, I’m not hearing anything about that stuff they wanted that was super-urgent.”
This communication breakdown often indicates financial difficulties, internal politics, or cold feet about the project direction.
What to do: Address the silence directly but diplomatically. Send a brief, professional email acknowledging the change in communication pattern and requesting a quick check-in. If the silence continues, prepare contingency plans for non-payment or project cancellation.
3. The devaluation trap
“I could do it myself, but I haven’t the time” is a phrase that immediately devalues your expertise. Designer and lecturer Vincent Walden flags this as a significant warning, with copywriter and marketer Denise Strohsahl agreeing it’s the “biggest red flag EVER!”
What’s so wrong with it? Ultimately, this statement suggests that the client views design as a simple execution rather than a skilled problem-solving process, setting up unrealistic expectations and potentially leading to conflicts over revisions.
What to do: Educate early. Explain your process and the strategic thinking behind your creative decisions. Share case studies that demonstrate the business impact of good design versus amateur attempts.
4. The budget black hole
Illustrator Colin Kersley highlights the portentous statement from clients: “We don’t have a budget”. While this might occasionally represent a genuine opportunity for the right project, it more often signals clients seeking the cheapest option rather than the best value.
What to do: Distinguish between “no budget yet” and “no budget ever”. If it’s the former, help them understand typical investment levels for their objectives. If it’s the latter, politely decline or offer a scaled-back alternative that fits their actual financial constraints.
5. The stakeholder explosion
Designer and artist Matthew Gallagher warns about “new executives or consultants showing up in the development phase and questioning everything from the project’s goals to the implementation”. This usually indicates internal discord or organisational change.
Designer and creative director Yvonne Crandall reinforces this point. “New stakeholders—or too many—is a disaster unfolding,” she maintains. “I once had a call with 13 marketers on it. Guess how that project went?”
What to do: Establish clear decision-making hierarchies from the start. When new stakeholders emerge, insist on a reset meeting to realign expectations and confirm who has final approval authority.
6. The feedback nightmare
Amy Hood, co-founder of Hoodzpah, identifies another common signal of coming chaos as: “Stakeholders all giving separate feedback and all contradicting each other, in one massive email thread.” This creates an impossible situation where satisfying one stakeholder automatically disappoints another.
Designer Mark Dormand is also very wary when he hears new clients “bad-mouthing the previous creatives involved” and ponders: “Were they really to blame, or are you just seeing how they’ll describe you, further on down the line?”
What to do: Implement structured feedback processes. Require all comments to come through a single project manager. And insist on consolidated, prioritised feedback rather than conflicting individual opinions.
7. The content crisis
Designer and UX/UI specialist Fatema Poonawala highlights a particularly frustrating thing that clients sometimes say: “Just start designing now, we’ll give you the content later.” This clumsy approach to everything from posters to website wireframes inevitably leads to extensive rework and missed deadlines.
What to do: Refuse to start visual work without at least provisional content. Explain how content structure fundamentally affects design decisions and how retrofitting copy into completed designs compromises both elements.
8. The deceptive simplicity
“Just a quick job” never is, according to freelance graphic designer Katie Hamilton. Similarly, graphic designer Pedro Martins groans inwardly when he hears clients say: “It’s just a quick change!” Both phrases minimise complexity and set unrealistic expectations about the timeline and effort required.
What to do: Break down apparently simple requests to reveal their true complexity. Show how “quick changes” often require comprehensive updates across multiple touchpoints or file formats.
9. The technical mismatch
Creative director Man Made identifies clients who “ask for a pitch deck designed in PowerPoint” as another warning sign. This represents a fundamental misunderstanding of professional design tools and workflows.
What to do: Explain the limitations of their preferred format and offer alternatives. If they insist on PowerPoint, factor in additional time for the technical constraints this imposes.
When to walk away
The most effective way to handle these red flags is to prevent them from appearing in the first place. Zeynep Akay, a type designer and creative director at Dalton Maag, emphasises the importance of “a collaborative workshop to really define the creative brief”, rather than diving straight into development.
Geraldine Nassieu-Maupas, founder of design and art direction practice Enem Studio adds another preventive measure: never accept clients who insist on “not sharing a brief and not wanting to share their references”.
Sometimes, the red flags are so numerous or severe that the best option is to decline the project. As Martin notes: “I’ve never had success with a client who’s used another agency, not got what they want, and then come to us with little to no budget. Nine times out of ten, it’s because the client is a sociopath and not because the agency isn’t delivering.”
Recognising these warning signs early doesn’t just save individual projects; it protects your agency’s reputation, profitability and team morale. The key is addressing problems quickly and decisively rather than hoping they’ll resolve themselves.
Remember: a client who creates chaos in the briefing stage will almost certainly create chaos throughout the project. So, trust your instincts, set clear boundaries, and don’t be afraid to have difficult conversations early on.
+ There are no comments
Add yours