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That time a client asked for my 'design password' during a coffee meeting
I was at a Starbucks in Austin last year, meeting a potential client for the first time. He seemed fine until he leaned in and asked, 'So, what's your password for Canva? I want to see how you make things look good.' I laughed it off at first, but he was dead serious, like he expected me to hand over my login right there. Then he offered to pay $50 for the whole project, which was a logo and a website mockup. I packed up my laptop pretty quick and said I had another meeting. Has anyone else had a client try to get your account access like it's no big deal?
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hernandez.gavin12d ago
Hold on, I actually think the client might have had a point here. Design tools like Canva are basically templates and drag and drop, not really a secret skill. Maybe he just wanted to see your process in action, not steal your whole account. Plus, $50 for a logo and a website mockup is pretty standard for a quick coffee chat level of work, not a full blown project. You could have just shown him a few things on your screen without handing over any passwords, or offered a simple flat rate for that meeting. Seems like you might have overreacted and missed a chance to educate a client who just didn't know how design works. A little patience could have turned that into paid work or a referral.
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bell.jessica12d ago
Three kids later I've learned people undervalue anything they can't physically see you doing.
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