How do you show a client a “rough draft” and still keep the job?
by WendyClients hire a designer or an illustrator because they either lack the skills to do it themselves or they don't have time to do it themselves. if your case involves the latter, then showing a series of progressive rough drafts will be beneficial. Your client will recognize the creative process and give you feedback to help you along. When your client has hired you because they do not have the skills needed to make what they want, then a rough draft could mean all the difference in the relationship you have with your client.
If you've got a contract with your client and they've paid up front (which is standard and recommended) then you will probably not be as effected by their feedback when viewing rough drafts. But if your agreement is that they will hire you upon approval of a rough draft and you are in a position that you have no choice but to agree (haven't we all been there are one time or another) then how do you handle showing a "rough draft"?
I've come across this quite often lately, as clients are requesting jobs I can do, but that I have no comparable material to show as a sample of my skills. They want to see a rough draft before they decide. A rough draft takes an hour of research and sketching ideas and then probably about 2 or more hours to get to a stage that might be acceptable, but nowhere near final…of course, this depends on the complexity of the illustration, it could take less time. Being able to sell the client requires having incredible communication skills, a lot of courage and hopefully some imagination on the client's part. It also means you could have spent a lot of time on something you won't get paid for. It's always a gamble, but usually it's worth the risk.
If you are so lucky as to have a great team behind you and your sales people can sell refrigerators to eskimos, then you can expect to have an advantage over the majority of designers who are on their own and have to sell themselves both verbally and visually. Artistic people usually express themselves better through their work, rather than verbally. Communication skills and experience can help convey the ideas to your client even when they insist on seeing the work while it's still hundreds of little layers of shapes and gradients that don't really mesh yet. It's another talent to be learned, and it's an asset to you if you can do it well.
Comments are most welcome on this subject, both from a designer and client point of view. 
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