A client in Portland told me my colors were 'too loud' for her cafe

I was showing her a menu design with bright reds and yellows, and she said it felt like a fast food place, not her quiet spot. She asked for something that felt like a rainy morning, so I switched to a palette of soft blues and warm grays. Has anyone else had a client ask for a color that matches a specific mood or feeling?

3 comments

3 Comments

robert_bennett292mo ago

Portland clients are a special kind of picky... I once had someone ask for a color that felt like "unexpected sunshine." Took me a week to figure out they just wanted a pale yellow. Sounds like you nailed the rainy morning thing, though.

josephf102mo ago

Totally get what you mean, robert_bennett29. I used to think clients being that specific was just annoying and a waste of time. Had a similar ask for a shade that "tasted like cold river stones" and I almost lost it. But honestly, wrestling with that nonsense made me a better painter. Figuring out their weird poetry forces you to see color in a whole new way, and now I kind of love the puzzle. Your "unexpected sunshine" story is exactly that process. It's frustrating but it gets to a result the client actually feels, not just sees.

grace92610d ago

Tasted like cold river stones" would've sent me over the edge too. I had a client once ask for a blue that "smelled like a library after it rains" and I spent three hours mixing samples before giving up and just showing her a plain slate gray. She loved it and said it was exactly right. Makes you wonder what kind of secret language these people are speaking.