It's Friday and I feel one of my overly-complex analogies coming on. Continuing with the recent design topic, here are my latest musings.

Designing a website is much like designing a building. The client is still the client but I, the developer, am the builder/structural engineer and the designer is now the architect. As with any project the client always knows what they want and, as the saying goes, is always right. Or are they?

There comes a point though when you have to deny the client's requests in their own interests. If the architect were designing them their new home then let them do what they like, but, in this analogy, the project (a website) is something more akin to a hotel or a public building like a library or a train station, which other people will visit and interact with.

Let's say it's a hotel and that the client is really fond of outward-opening doors for each of the hotel's rooms. While they might like it you just know that it's going to really confuse most visitors and prevent a navigational barrier. It's when meeting your client's personal whims go against convention that you have to do the dirty deed of standing your ground and saying no.

The analogy could go on — client wants to paint all rooms bright pink, wants to have the reception in the basement, wants all rooms to have TVs that can't be turned off and play flashing adverts all night long etc etc but you get the point.

When designing websites for a client never ever let them go against convention. No matter how adamant they are that that's what they want. It takes courage to say no to a paying customer, but you have to have faith that you're doing the right thing.

Find a designer you can trust and leave them to it.