Vent: client said 'just make it pop' then ghosted me for 2 weeks

I had this guy from a local bakery in Austin reach out for a full brand refresh. We agreed on $800 for logos, colors, and a quick style guide. After sending him 3 solid concepts he goes quiet for 14 days then emails back saying he went with someone who charged $200. Found out later the cheap designer just used a Canva template. Has anyone else had clients disappear after agreeing on a price and scope?

2 comments

2 Comments

green.mason1d ago

Man, that's a gut punch for sure. $800 is a totally fair price for a full brand refresh, especially in a market like Austin where everything costs more (I've seen it firsthand). It's really frustrating when someone agrees to the scope and then does that silent treatment thing, only to come back with a passive aggressive "went with someone else" line. And yeah, the Canva template thing is such a bummer because it devalues the real work we do, and the client will probably realize it in a couple months when their "brand" looks like everyone else's. I'm sorry that happened, it really gets under your skin when you put solid work into those concepts.

riley59519h ago

Is it really that deep though? I see people on here acting like getting ghosted by a client is some kind of personal tragedy. You quoted them $800, they said no. That is just business. People say they want custom work all the time and then balk at the price. That's their right, annoying as it is. And the Canva fear gets way overblown. Most small businesses probably don't need some super unique brand identity. They just need a logo that doesn't look like clip art so they can get their name out there. A local coffee shop with a Canva template is still gonna sell coffee just fine. Let the client learn their own lesson. You dodged dealing with someone who doesn't value what you do.