Icon above was originally designed for an upcoming RSS Reader software.
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This Client sounds like no fun at all. I absolutely love the icon though.
Holy crap. A lawsuit over toolbar icons is simply ridiculous.
Nice icon, though. His loss. :)
That icon is soooo good.
I like the icon.
Seems like the client should spend less time suing, and my time working on their app. The RSS field is crowded!
I had a similar siutation recently. I was doing some logo design for a client who I’d worked within the past. I had an issue with getting done on time, as I had a family member get admitted to the hospital. They reared their ugly head, as did your client, when I let them know I would have to run a little late. They flipped out and decided to call me every name in the book, and some that are not. Fortunately I was not threatened with the lawsuit however.
You might look at it from a positive angle – it seems that the client sees these icons as critical for the application? I can understand that it’s very disappointing to lose a talent like you Adam. Disappointed people aren’t always very reasonable, especially clients. But it’s work after all.
Erik B?
As others said, it’s a great icon however I’m curious (if that’s okay with you) did he pay you for your time on the project? If not then he is not in any position to sue you.
Olivier, I’d rather not to name who here as I’m not out to personally attack anyone. I just would like to show what happened when one’s ego/pride got the better of themselves.
Ronald, no payment was received from the client. It’s well past the invoice deadline. I’m not complaining though, this client chose to burn the bridge in the worst possible way.
Doesn’t matter if you say it or not, we all know it’s Erik J. Barzeski. Sorry you had to deal with him. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Surely though, when the program comes out people will know who it is by the name cyndicate (if it’s not out already).
Although, I guess you could have changed the program’s name…
If so, I like the name you gave it.
That’s just lame. I hate these kinds of people, and I know I’ll never go near Cyndicate, not even a trial download.
Great icon, by the way.
Maybe the client just wasn’t into black hat seo. Sorry, but someone had to crack a lame one!
Remind me not to give this app a look when/if it’s released.
Not to sound like a complete a**, but did you agree at the outset to work on the project until completion or for a specified amount of time? Or does he/she have reason to believe that you did, perhaps? I think getting litigious is a tad extreme, but I could see being upset with someone who pulled out in the middle.
Please understand that I wasn’t there, so I have no idea what happened. Just asking a simple question, trying to see it from all possible sides, etc.
Adam,
That icon, like so much of your work, is really outstanding. Is there any chance you will finish it up? I suspect you are aware of Vienna, the outstanding open source RSS reader. Nice though it is, I find the default icon a bit plain.
Great work, sir!
It’s pretty clear that it’s Erik Barzeski (ex-owner of Freshly Squeezed Software) as he’s deliberately trying to spread bad words about you to other small-time developers.
You’re not the only one though. He has made many enemies in the past.
I wanna download that icon. I love it!
Love the icon, but i also think it is a bit lame not to finish what you promised/agreed to make…
I like it. I’m interested in how it would’ve scaled down beyond 48×48, since a lot of the RSS icon in the hat would’ve been lost. As always, excellent work, Adam! :) Sucks that it had to end in such a way, but it has unfortunately happened to me as well. I know I don’t know the situation, but it is work, though important life events still happen, even in freelance, and sometimes you need to extend on a project.
Hey, is this Gravatar thing working now? Let’s see!
Things fall through in business all the time, I guess. Thanks for the rejection article link in your earlier ones.
/comment also gravatar test.
Yeah, I hear you. I mean if I’m at work and say I’ll do something, am supposed to do it, am counted upon to do it, am obligated to do it, and then back out, it’s so lame that they don’t want to pay my salary anymore.
to the post above, exaggeration much?
Andy J, having heard the full story behind this, and knowing a bit about contracts and breach of contract, not one bit. There might be a bit of sarcasm in there, but still. Adam does great work, but when you take a job, people expect you to do the work to completion. Breach of contract always means that legal action is a possibility, especially when it directly affects someone’s livelyhood. It’s slightly immature that Adam backs out and then feels like the client is just trying to get “revenge” because he was pissed that Adam broke his contract.
Random Software Developer, you are correct about contracts however it’s easy to make assumption without knowing other side’s full story.
Honestly, don’t you find it slightly odd that this client has had an excellent relationship with me in the past until the day I couldn’t continue to work on the project due to limited timeframe which this client was very aware of? As much as this client want to spread misinformation, I assure you this was not a breach of contract but more of “personally offended.”
I treat all of my clients very fairly but this one was just too out of this world. I don’t appreciate it when one start threatening a law suit just to scare others, especially without a solid case to back him/her up.
Hm. So this icon is shown here prior to work announced by the software developer. I wouldn’t like that as a developer. Wouldn’t like that at all.. whether I use an icon or choose not to. I’d insist on any work done for my project be kept quiet until I announced the application myself– no matter what issues might come along.
Amazing icon!
Is it just me, I read the article and the comments, and I have experience with how pesky clients can be, but in this case you are clearly in the wrong, and those who commented in agreeance seem to be pointlessly pandering. Don’t get me wrong, the icon is wonderful, and I love your work and blog, but doing half a job then leaving your client stranded is one of the worst things you can do as a professional in any freelance industry. It’s like having done no work at all, and you have no right to charge for your time when you are the one breaking contract. Maybe I read it wrong or there are details missing, but from what’s there, I just can’t help but feel that way. Then the metaphore about your client being a ‘dog’ and giving him a bone shows you seem to have a sickening work ethic. I would never treat a client that way.
Rob, the funny thing is I actually completed the toolbar icons. There’s no such thing like “leaving the client stranded” in this case but I declined from sharing any more details on that and instead leaving the story end at unfinished toolbar icons for the sake of balancing the blame game, I get half, he gets half no matter who’s in the right.
I think you’re reading too deeply in my metaphor if you actually think I have a sickening work ethic. I think everyone here understood what my metaphor meant.
Instead of insulting other commentors as pointlessly pandering, have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe some of them are my previous clients and knew my work ethic and/or me personally?
Lastly I know you aren’t Rob and you went as far as spoofing your IP number (which isn’t something one can do with ease) to conceal your true identity. This speaks volume about who you are and what your true intention was.
Beautiful icon. No comment on the client problem, other than it’s too bad it went sour.
Incidentally, if I wanted to get you to do some icon work for me, how would I go about doing so?
Since you still retain the rights to these icons, you should consider donating them to the open source Vienna RSS reader.
Isn’t it to be expected that he’d get pissed off if you back out in the middle of a job?
of course I don’t know all the details, but you shouldn’t expect to get paid for an incomplete project.
ninja kitten, who said I expected to get paid? The topic of this post is rejected icon, not rejected payment :)
Adam, I don’t think you should say that about the client, even if things got a bit problematic towards the end. As Ninja Kitten said, if you had to quit the job in the middle of the work, it’s natural that the client would be sad about it, not just because you’re a terrific designer and it’s hard to find someone with your talent (I certainly did not succeed re-designing this icon), but because they too have goals, deadlines and time restrictions issues and need someone who can keep up to their rythm.
Adam,
I am sorry if you thought I sounded vitriolic toward you. I was not trying to incite hostility which it seems has happened anyway… I can only give you my solemn word that I did NOT try to spoof my ip address at all, I am an honest, random poster and can only ‘tell it how I see it’. I don’t know what gave you that impression, maybe my ISP has something to do with it, I don’t know.
Anyway you’re right, I openly admitted in my first post I have no idea about the underlying story, and I prefaced by saying I can only interpret your words as you have posted them. If the application icon itself and the toolbar icons were separate, isolated projects for the same client, I wouldn’t take issue at all, but toolbar icons and app icons are supposed to be congruent in look and feel, you can only get that from using one artist. If a painter started painting your house, stopped at half way to paint another house and then said ‘money please’, you could get another painter to finish the job, no problems there. But with creative work, it’s a very personal, intimate process. I’m sure you know all this anyway, but my point stands…
I deeply apologise if I misinterpreted the situation and all I can do is assure you I have absolutely no past connection with you whatsoever. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Rob, if you’re really a honest person, why not at least have the decency to leave a legimate email address?
Funny you should mention that toolbar icons and app icon are supposed to be congruent in look and feel, the toolbar icons I provided was congruent in look and feel like in most of my previous work but client requested a neutral toolbar, completely unrelated to the app icon. He made it clear that Dock icon is going to be far away from application window that it’d be pointless to make them both congruent. You’re just pointing out the obviousness and I’m in complete agreement with you anyway.
Have a gander:
http://macupdate.com/reviews.php?i...
I’ve never seen your site before, not your icons –at least, not that I know of ;-). You have my sympathy. At first I thought “he’s in breach of contract” (I used to be a lawyer) but I have experienced so much crap and downright wrong-doing in all businesses related to IT, design and publishing, that I am very much in “your camp”.
Oh, and if it is Barzeski, you have my sympathy again. I have rarely communicated with a man that has so little sense for normal social behaviour and decency. I do know, given the fact that he abandoned his previous project (a mass mailer) in the middle of its beta phase, I would never hand him over as little as a penny anymore.
I remember same thing happend to me.
I got a briefing and made a website, then later some guy ( great designer ) was all upset over me stealing his ideas.
The briefers claimed they gave an original briefing, thats something hard to check for a designer. For all I knew I made an original design.
With this hat the fit is a bit to perfect to be an original drawing. “We told the direction” is just nonsens. I’m a 3d animator now and know there never is the same lens and angle and size possible from a paper briefing.
On the other hand I guess they where at a time pressure, something Adam did not help them with, or rather; pushed them in. As I understand the text here that is. Did Cindy-kate pay for the resaturated pixels? I guess not, I’d say its theft if the new designer was told to “make this a little different”. Any word on who the new designer is? Strange that that seems to stay a secret. Or is it? Maybe hes/shes wearing concrete shoes? Its the cyndicate after all ;)