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02-04-2011, 08:15 PM
#6
derek lapp is offline derek lapp
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Originally Posted by Libby View Post
When you do your designing, do you design primarily with the client in mind or with site visitors in mind? The expectations for each of those could be quite different sometimes.
you design for whichever needs advocacy. your client *should* know their business well enough to know what their target audience will respond to, but in the event they don't, you need to step in as the technical expert and advocate for the most appropriate solution: if a mom & pop hardware store wants a fully interactive flash solution you should know enough that's an inappropriate solution for their target audience who just wants to see if they carry 3 1/4" screws. at the same time, if a sports competition just wants a microsite for their event, a static page with a jpg of the poster isn't going to be enough to draw in people who don't already know about it.

ideally, what you client wants and what their visitors want are supposed to be one in the same. your job as the designer is to make them want the same thing so you can best tell your client's story.