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When your layout is being vandalized by your boss/client

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:20 am
by Sindarin
My boss many times asks for nicer, cleaner, modern web layouts to match those of competitive sites and also a simple way to update them. That means a nice xhtml-js-css-driven layout with a php/sql backend.

Problem is, he can't understand that when you make a modern dynamic site, it needs to be designed, categorized, planned intensely before starting to make the site and cms.
The site will often be vandalized by something new he might see in a competitor's site, problem is that he wants me to add those features AFTER the whole job is done. We also have a terrible server and like 5GB bandwidth traffic each day! 8O And I've been asked to add server intensive apps like chat! Of course I explained the problem but after he saw the problem himself believed me.

The main problem though it's the ads. He has many advertisers, but more just keep coming although he knows we have no space for them. I suggested a way to display half of the ads, random based so the layout won't have any problems. Even add some popup-based divs.

He says he wants them as banners to always show up. Now the design looks terrible, like a big ad portal. There are places that the wrapper div stretches aaaall the way down to the bottom full with ads, although no one will ever scroll to see them. He seems to not care as long as money gets into his pocket, but I am really ashamed to show that website to someone who wants to see my work.

How you deal with this situation?

Re: When your layout is being vandalized by your boss/client

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:48 am
by marcth
Find a another job?

Re: When your layout is being vandalized by your boss/client

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:31 am
by Sindarin
No wonder replies are the same, :D
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=87535

Re: When your layout is being vandalized by your boss/client

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:43 am
by onion2k
In ten years doing web dev I've had a number of bosses who think they know best with the design stuff. I've learnt that the way to make them rethink their approach is actually quite simple - tell them that the competition should be copying you. If you just follow what your rivals do you'll always be behind. And in order to get ahead you should be creating an exciting, new, modern, clean design.

Mind you, you should be careful with that approach. It's backfired a few times with my boss getting angry that I'm telling him what (he thinks) he knows best.

Re: When your layout is being vandalized by your boss/client

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 1:45 pm
by The_Anomaly
I stay away from the UI design like the plague, but there are a few times when the client will sabotage my design. Not as severe as what the OP is talking about, but like changing the color scheme to some atrocious combination. Feels like my work is on display through a filthy, ugly window, :D

Re: When your layout is being vandalized by your boss/client

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:09 pm
by Sindarin
but like changing the color scheme to some atrocious combination.
Oh God, how I hate this when it happens. :|

Re: When your layout is being vandalized by your boss/client

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:14 am
by infiniteacuity
I usually send it out to a group of peers for unbiased review by just saying, "hey check out the look and layout of this site and let me know what you think". Then you can go back to your boss/client with some feedback to either help your point or persuade you that your client maybe wasn't that crazy (which rarely is the case).